The Department of Environmental Quality's Saginaw Bay district office in Bay City has received gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Program, making it the first LEED gold certified government building in Michigan.  The Bay City office opened this year and was originally designed to achieve LEED silver certification.

"We are leading by example in demonstrating sound business practices that reduce our impact on the environment while also reducing our costs," said DEQ Director Steven E. Chester.  "The DEQ is proud to have the first state office in Michigan to achieve LEED gold level status, and I look forward to seeing this accomplishment replicated throughout state government."

LEED certification is granted to buildings that excel in environmental protection and energy conservation.  During the construction of the office, the DEQ ensured that an emphasis was placed on creating a sustainable, energy efficient building.  Efforts by the DEQ and the developer, Murray Wikol of ProVisions of Bingham Farms, resulted in a building that is environmentally friendly in terms of site selection, building material, and energy use.

The building was constructed on a brownfield site in Bay City, and while the building has not been in operation long enough to determine its energy efficiency, preliminary data is pointing to a further award as an EPA Energy Star rated building.

The DEQ will additionally have a 50-kilowatt wind turbine installed and operational within the coming months to provide a further reduction in electricity costs.

Editor's note:  DEQ news releases are available on the department's Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

"Protecting Michigan's Environment, Ensuring Michigan's Future"