SANTA ROSA, Calif. — Redwood Credit Union's sustainable building practices have not gone unnoticed.
The credit union has received Silver-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for its recently remodeled administrative office and branch building in Santa Rosa.
LEED is part of the U.S. Green Building Council's Green Building Rating System, which promotes a national standard in sustainable and green building practices and recognizes performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
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RCU is the first commercial building in Santa Rosa to achieve LEED certification and has won several additional awards for their innovative green remodel.
"It is an honor to receive Silver LEED certification for our administrative and branch offices. RCU is committed to doing the right thing in all aspects of our business, so it was natural for us to pursue green alternatives when remodeling our facility began nearly three years ago," said RCU President/CEO Brett Martinez. "Our efforts are not only intended to demonstrate environmental and social responsibility, but Redwood Credit Union will realize long-term cost savings. This means our members, employees, communities and our environment will benefit."
Noteworthy green efforts during the remodel include: recycling building materials from the interior demolition and utilizing recycled materials throughout the facility, including carpeting, linoleum, hardwood flooring and lighting fixtures; installing water-efficient landscaping and restrooms (saving nearly two million gallons of water and allowing RCU to save $60,000 or more annually); utilizing clerestories to allow natural lighting through the building interior and automatic stepped lighting devices that sense available daylight levels and switch off when existing light is available; installing motion sensors that detect when a room is unoccupied; and using EnergyStar compliant appliances.
The 104,000-square-foot building, built in the 1960s had previously served as headquarters for State Farm Insurance and Health Plan of the Redwoods and underwent a complete remodel to accommodate the consolidation of over 150 RCU employees from three separate locations in a bid to provide more efficient service to members and to support future growth.
The credit union has received several additional awards for their green remodeling efforts, including the Sonoma County Business Environmental Alliance Best Practices Award, the North Bay Business Journal's Top Projects of 2007 in the Green Reuse category and an Environmental Champion Award from the City of Santa Rosa.
According to Martinez, RCU has long supported recycling programs throughout the organization and is pursuing green building elements in its new Cloverdale branch.
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