# UPS Corporate Office First in Industry to Earn Both LEED Gold Status and Energy Star Certification

- Link: https://greenlivingguy.com/2012/01/ups-corporate-office-first-in-industry-to-earn-both-leed-gold-status-and-energy-star-certification/
- Published: 2012-01-14T00:10:57-05:00
- Author: greenlivingguy

**_Atlanta, January 10, 2012 _**

_Global Headquarters Meets High Environmental Standards_

UPS (NYSE: UPS) has become the first major package delivery and logistics company
to earn Gold Status certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) along with an Energy Star certification for its corporate headquarters
complex.

The Corporate Office is just the first UPS building to be assessed for certification.”
Our plan is to assess all new facilities and some existing facilities to see if 
they qualify for LEED and Energy Star evaluations,” said Scott Wicker, UPS chief
sustainability officer. “At UPS, we manage our assets as effectively as possible
and continue to find ways to improve in all aspects of our business.”

The corporate offices of UPS won the LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green
Building Council (USGBC). The Energy Star certification was awarded by the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) for meeting strict energy performance standards. 

In May 2011, UPS submitted the corporate office to the USGBC for review to determine
its status as an environmentally friendly building. Currently, there are 11,500 
LEED-certified building projects in the world.

UPS engineers evaluated five main elements necessary for LEED certification:

 * Sustainable Site – (Natural habitat preservation, storm water retention, heat
   reduction, lighting efficiencies, etc.)
 * Water Efficiency – (Water efficient landscaping, efficient plumbing and fixtures,
   water conservation performance, etc.)
 * Energy & Atmosphere – (Automated systems, lighting efficiencies,[ energy](https://greenlivingguy.com/2022/08/10-largest-wind-project-development-2022/)
   consumption.)
 * Materials & Resources – (Responsible purchasing, e-waste recycling, solid waste
   mgmt.)
 * [Indoor Environment Quality](https://greenlivingguy.com/2021/07/how-indoor-environmental-quality-impacts-health-and-productivity-at-work/)–(
   Green cleaning materials, integrated pest control, etc.)

The Energy Star award certifies the UPS headquarters uses less energy, is less expensive
to operate and generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions than most similar buildings
in the United States To qualify for the Energy Star rating, a building or manufacturing
plant must earn a score of 75 or higher on the EPA’s 1-100 energy performance scale,
indicating that the facility performs better than at least 75 percent of similar
buildings nationwide.

“These certifications are a noteworthy achievement because they show that independent
third parties have determined UPS’s main headquarters is a high-performance structure,”
Wicker added. “In 1994, when this building was completed, it was built to rigorous
environmental standards that were ahead of their time. LEED and Energy Star show
we continue to be as energy-efficient behind our desks as we are behind the wheels
of our famous brown trucks.”

An interactive graphic of the UPS corporate office can be found at blog.ups.com.

UPS’s corporate headquarters reduces environmental impact in a number of ways: 

 ◦ Only six of the 35 acres of the building footprint are built upon. The remainder
   is untouched Piedmont Forest, considered a wildlife preserve by the state of 
   Georgia. The forest begins a mere 15 feet from the building on all sides. 
 ◦ UPS used an arborist during construction to minimize tree impact.
 ◦ Albedo concrete roof decks reflect the sun’s rays, reducing absorbed heat.
 ◦ Since 2005, improvements in plumbing fixtures reduced water consumption 39 percent.
 ◦ Lighting is fully automated throughout the building to conserve power during 
   off hours.
 ◦ UPS facility engineers documented the building’s energy efficiency, showing how
   fine-tuning the building’s systems saves UPS more than $100,000 per year in energy
   costs.

**_[Source: UPS](https://web.archive.org/web/20190214220409/https://www.pressroom.ups.com/pressroom/news-assets/new-assets-subpage-landing.page?ConceptType=PressReleases)_**

![author avatar](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/df91669667126e1290c21ee0342c386e2da19d588d4d9ca6560bd82ed59a9641?
s=300&d=monsterid&r=g)

 greenlivingguy

 The Green Living Guy, Seth Leitman is an independent power producer, a green living
expert, and Editor of the McGraw-Hill, TAB Green Guru Guides. Seth is also an Author,
Radio Host, Reporter, Writer and an Environmental Consultant on green living. The
Green Living Guy writes about green living, green lighting, the green guru guides
and more. Seth's books range from: # Build Your Own Electric Vehicle by Bob Brant
and Seth Leitman (2nd and 3rd editions) # Build Your Own Plug-in Hybrid Electric
Vehicle by Seth Leitman # Build Your Own Electric Motorcycle by Carl Vogel # Green
Lighting by Seth Leitman, Brian Clark Howard and Bill Brinsky # Solar Power For 
Your Home by David Findley # Renewable Energies For Your Home by Russel Gehrke #
Do-it-Yourself Home Energy Audits by David Findley # Build Your Own Small Wind Power
System by Brian Clark Howard and Kevin Shea # and more green living books to follow.

 [See Full Bio](https://greenlivingguy.com/author/greenlivingguy/) [  ](https://greenlivingguy.com/author/greenlivingguy/)