NC State Dedicates First Green Building

The facility that is expected to be N.C. State University’s first “green” LEED-certified building was dedicated Jan. 6, 2011, but it isn’t on campus. The conference center at the Eastern 4-H Educational Center in Tyrrell County was dedicated before a crowd of 300, including 4-H’ers, N.C. State’s Chancellor Randy Woodson and N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall.

In 2008, NC State committed that all new construction and major renovations will be certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) – Silver, at a minimum. Currently, many LEED projects are underway and striving for higher levels of certification, including: Student Health Center addition, James B. Hunt Library, Talley Student Center, the new Chancellor’s residence, The Pointe.

Given that the 2008 NC State University Greenhouse Gas Inventory indicated approximately 87% of the university’s carbon footprint comes from energy use in buildings, campus increased emphasis on making both new and existing buildings more sustainable.