Guided by a Bigger Purpose
Garden of Life was recently awarded LEED GOLD certification and won the U . S . Green Building Council of South Florida ’ s 2015 LEEDership and Green Award – Commercial Interiors .
Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design ( LEED ) is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class approaches and practices . LEED certified buildings save resources and have a positive impact on the health of occupants , while promoting renewable , clean energy .
“ Building a LEED corporate office was a natural fit with our mission ,” stated Teresa Miller , Vice President , Human Resources . “ We have a passion for health and wellness , and wanted to extend that philosophy into building a healthy environment for the employees .”
Building features include the use of recycled and regionally resourced materials ; low VOC materials , including Greenguard Certified Furniture and Furnishings ; low flow plumbing fixtures ; efficient lighting fixtures ; optimal building ventilation ; ENERGY
STAR ® equipment and appliances ; heating and cooling provided by high-efficiency water source heat pumps ; and use of non-toxic green cleaning methods .
The building itself is also located near several basic services , which allows employees to access local amenities during their lunch breaks , helping to reducing their environmental impact .
Brian Ray , President , shares ,“ In our industry , we are always looking to come up with innovative , original and sustainable ideas , so it was vital we take that same approach for our office space . We made the commitment to do everything in our power to achieve the GOLD standard , and I ’ m proud we were able to achieve it .”
“ One of my favorite features is our Living Wall ,” Felix Rosa , Office Coordinator , points out . “ Everyone knows live plants provide health benefits and reduce toxins ; and ours is so cool because it spells GoL on the wall !”
The plants used to create the Living Wall are locally grown varieties and eco-friendly in that they favor low water and low light . The wall not only creates a “ wow ” factor , but it ’ s also a system that improves indoor air quality and increases creativity and sustainability .