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HSBC-North America has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council for its new headquarters building in Mettawa, Ill.
The building, completed for occupancy in 2008, collects roof water for flushing toilets, uses drought-resistant landscaping to reduce water usage and buys electricity from non-carbon-emitting sources including wind farms.
HSBC, a global financial services company, also is committed to recycling or composting 90 percent of the local facility's generated waste.
LEED is the nationally-accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. The U.S. Green Building Council rates a building in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
HSBC-North America's gold rating is the result of green features including:
- Recycling or composting of 90 percent of the facility's generated waste.
- Purchase of renewable energy representing 100 percent of its electricity use.
- Prairie-style drought-resistant landscaping that reduces the amount of irrigation; a partially green roof and harvesting of rainwater for toilet flushing and irrigation.
"The gold certification stands as another milestone in HSBC's global efforts to manage the direct and indirect impact of our business on the environment," said Brendan McDonagh, CEO of HSBC-North America.
The certification for the headquarters building is part of HSBC's worldwide sustainability strategy. Over the past few years, HSBC has committed $90 million to improve the environmental performance of its office buildings worldwide.
"Maximizing the efficiency of our buildings is an essential part of sustainable business practice," said Simon Martin, head of group corporate sustainability at HSBC. "Strategically, we view sustainability as an imperative for long-term success, and as something that should inform every level of our business and culture."