Sacramento - The California Department of General Services (DGS) was honored Thursday night (11/16) by the U.S. Green Building Council with a USGBC Leadership Award for designing, building and operating state-owned facilities that were cited as models of energy efficiency and environmental quality.

"The California Department of General Services is a leader in the green building industry," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO, and Founding Chair of the U.S. Green Building Council. "The work of DGS and their dedication to the green building movement serves as an inspiration to us all."

DGS Director Ron Joseph accepted the award during the USGBC's 5th Annual Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, held in Denver. Attended by thousands of architects, builders, engineers, developers, facilities managers, interior designers, manufacturers, government officials and environmental experts from throughout the world, Greenbuild is considered the "go-to" green event of the year. The USGBC is the nation's foremost coalition of building industry leaders working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to live and work.

DGS was honored for, among other things, implementing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Green Building Initiative, which mandated that new and existing state-owned buildings will seek the USGBC's coveted LEED certification for outstanding energy and resource conservation and environmental responsibility. USGBC officials say the organizations and individuals receiving this year's awards "are among the most influential green building leaders in the country." Singling out DGS, they said, "Your achievements are bedrock to our mission of transforming the built environment."

DGS Director Joseph said, "When Governor Schwarzenegger announced his Green Building Initiative, DGS, along with many other agencies, put into motion multiple actions to significantly reduce energy use in state buildings. This award is testament to the fact that California is leading the way when it comes to government buildings that are more energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, and better places in which to work and conduct business."

The Governor's executive order (S-20-04) called for a 20 percent energy-use reduction in State-owned buildings by 2015 by designing, constructing, operating, and renovating facilities to meet the high standards of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certifications. His executive order directed that existing state buildings and all future state construction and renovation projects should meet a minimum of LEED Silver certification to ensure they continue to save energy, conserve water, and divert waste from landfills.

At present, six state-owned, Executive Branch buildings have achieved various levels of LEED certification, with more than 60 additional LEED-certified buildings on the way. This past summer, the California Department of Education Building in Sacramento became the first state-owned office building in the nation to achieve LEED Platinum status, the highest possible LEED rating.

For more information on the governor's Green Building Initiative, go to http://www.green.ca.gov/.

For more information on LEED ratings, go to http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19