Finnish embassy first to earn LEED Gold certification

WASHINGTON — The Finnish Embassy has become the first embassy awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, according to The Cable.

According to the story, the 15-year-old embassy was retrofitted with occupancy sensors, recycling capabilities were increased, traditional cleaning supplies were replaced with green products, a non-smoking policy was introduced and garage space was redesigned to encourage alternative transportation among staff.

The building is now carbon-neutral, the story stated.

Finnish Ambassador Pekka Lintu said: "We are extremely proud to be the first embassy in the U.S. to achieve this recognition. Retrofitting our embassy building demonstrates that we Finns strive to be active but energy efficient members of our neighborhood and the greater D.C. community. We hope that our adaptation of green principles and our commitment to the well-being of people and the environment will inspire other foreign missions to view their opportunities in this field."

The Finnish embassy says that the have fundamentally changed the way they approach energy use, the story added.

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