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Raritan Valley Community College’s Workforce Training Center (WTC) is now LEED Certified. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and an international symbol of excellence.

LEED projects earn points across nine measurements for building excellence—from integrative design, to human health, to material use. The Workforce Training Center’s environmentally friendly design and construction earned 48 LEED points, including perfect scores for alternative and public transportation, reduced water use, stormwater design, and green power. The building boasts high-efficiency condensing boilers, low-emitting materials, LED lighting, and a rainwater harvesting system for toilet water.

RVCC signed a power purchase agreement to fully power the Workforce Training Center with up to 386 Megawatt hours (MWh) per year of low-cost electricity from a new solar array, constructed in the adjacent retention basin. The campus now has three solar arrays.

“The Workforce Training Center proves that any type of structure can incorporate sustainable construction materials and methods to provide a space that is functional and environmentally responsible,” stated Brian O’Rourke, RVCC’s Executive Director of Facilities & Grounds and a LEED Accredited Professional (AP).

Buildings are responsible for an enormous amount of global energy use, resource consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions and have a significant impact on people’s personal health and well-being. Green buildings allow everyone to live and work more sustainably, affecting one’s health, as well as the air and water. They offer everyone a better quality of life, while also lowering global carbon emissions, reducing electricity and water bills, and creating new green jobs, according to information from the USGBC.

“Achieving LEED certification is more than just implementing sustainable practices. It represents a commitment to making the world a better place and influencing others to do better,” said Peter Templeton, President and CEO, USGBC. “Given the extraordinary importance of climate protection and the central role buildings play in that effort, RVCC is creating a path forward through their LEED certification.”

LEED certification ensures electricity cost savings, lower carbon emissions and healthier environments where people live, work, learn, play and worship. In the United States alone, buildings account for almost 40 percent of national CO2 emissions, but LEED-certified buildings have 34 percent lower CO2 emissions, consume 25 percent less energy and 11 percent less water, and have diverted more than 80 million tons of waste from landfills, according to information from the U.S. Green Building Council.
 
The two-story, 33,370 square foot Workforce Training Center opened in 2017. RVCC worked with M&E Engineers and SSP Architectural Group on the LEED certification process.

About the U.S. Green Building Council

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to a healthy, resilient, and equitable future for all through the development of green buildings, cities, and communities. For more than 20 years, USGBC has been advancing green building practices through the development of LEED, the world’s most widely used green building program. With the support of thousands of members, volunteers and partners, USGBC provides robust green building education courses, a rigorous professional credentialing program, and advocates for effective public policies. It convenes an international network of green building and sustainability leaders through the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, and forward thinking programs, including the Center for Green Schools. For more information, visit usgbc.org and connect on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

About RVCC

Ranked by WalletHub.com and Niche.com as the #1 community college in New Jersey, Raritan Valley Community College has been serving as an academic and cultural center for Somerset and Hunterdon County residents for over 50 years. The College has been nationally recognized for its service to the community, environmental stewardship, and commitment to diversity. It is home to  a Planetarium, Science Education Institute and 3M Observatory; a Theatre offering professional performances for all ages; and an Honors College for high achieving students.

The College offers more than 90 associate degrees and certificates, as well as career training, small business assistance through the Small Business Development Center, and professional development courses. RVCC is located at 118 Lamington Road in Branchburg, NJ. For further information, visit www.raritanval.edu.


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 6, 2022

Media contact: Donna Stolzer, 908-526-1200, ext. 8383

PR #126