Washington, DC, December 10, 2012 - Service Employees International Union headquarters (SEIU), located at 1800 Massachusetts Avenue, NW in Washington, DC, has earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) Platinum Certification.In 2007, the building was awarded LEED for New Construction (NC) v2.1 Gold Certification. The 1800 Massachusetts Avenue building was developed in 1979 with a major renovation in 2006 and is currently managed by Akridge. Leonardo Academy was the LEED consultant supporting the successful achievement of Platinum Certification.

This certification recognizes that 1800 Massachusetts Avenue, NW has implemented continuous sustainability improvement measures guided by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (LEED-EB: O&M) v2009, a rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The project team had a goal of LEED-EB Gold Certification and operated within a Gold budget. As the project progressed through the application process, it was apparent based on the building's performance that LEED-EB Platinum Certification was achievable. LEED-EB Platinum Certification is a prestigious rating given to existing buildings for maximizing operational efficiency and minimizing environmental impacts. The 1800 Massachusetts Avenue, NW LEED project team, in conjunction with ownership and building tenants, implemented many improvements to achieve Platinum Certification, including:

• Added an onsite composting station for all landscape waste.
• Upgraded elevator electrical distribution system and lights to reduce annual energy use by approximately 43,000 kWh. This is equivalent to the average energy consumption of 3.5 homes.
• Diverted 100% of the electronic equipment solid waste from the landfill as part of a comprehensive recycling program.
• Achieved an ENERGY STAR rating of 89 out of a possible 100 points. The 1800 Massachusetts Avenue building has earned the ENERGY STAR Label five times.
• Reduced annual emissions by 3,199 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent through Leonardo Academy's Cleaner & Greener® Program. This is the equivalent of removing more than 627 cars from the road annually.
• Developed multiple outreach efforts to educate and motivate building occupants to adopt sustainable practices.
• Documented a remarkable 84% reduction in single occupant commuting trips.
• Recycled 50% of the daily ongoing waste stream.
• Maintained a native and adaptive 12,000 square foot green roof.
• Reduced indoor water use consumption by 31% through the use of low flow plumbing fixtures and hardware, compared to a traditional building.

Todd Anderson, Property Manager at Akridge said, "No matter how sustainable a building is designed and constructed, it will only remain efficient if it is operated and maintained in a similar manner.  For this reason, we are extremely proud to achieve LEED-EB Platinum Certification on behalf of SEIU. We are pleased with the accomplishment and look forward to the continued privilege of operating the building as a LEED Platinum facility."

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