Delucchi+ Awarded LEED® Silver Certification

Delucchi+ Awarded LEED® Silver Certification for Commercial Interiors by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - March 2, 2009) - Christine L. Delucchi, President of Delucchi+ ( www.delucchiplus.com ), an innovative, full-service, strategic real estate marketing firm located in Washington, D.C., announced today that it has been awarded LEED® Silver Certification for Commercial Interiors by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED is the USGBC's leading rating system for designing and constructing the world's greenest, most energy efficient and high performing buildings.

"We are thrilled that Delucchi+ received its LEED Silver Certification," stated Christine L. Delucchi. "It is rewarding when personal values can transcend into your profession and office environment." The Delucchi+ office was designed by national green architectural firm, Kishimoto, Gordon, Dalaya, PC ( www.kgdarchitecture.com ). To achieve LEED Silver certification, the 5,600 square-foot office was designed as an open-space environment to maximize daylight and views, improve air quality, enhance creativity and increase employee productivity.

"Delucchi+'s LEED Silver certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. "The urgency of USGBC's mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and Delucchi+ serves as a prime example with just how much we can accomplish."

LEED certification of Delucchi+ was based on a number of green design and construction features. All materials used throughout the space are non-toxic to enhance air quality and eliminate toxicity. Environmentally friendly and energy saving materials used throughout the space include Shaw carpet tiles with recycled backing, low VOC paint and sealers, recycled cotton insulation, ceiling tiles with high recycled content, Energy Star appliances, low mercury lighting and new Teknion office furnishings made from recycled metal and fabric which are over 69% recyclable. The reception desk, for example, is custom-made from wheat and straw compressed material called Agriboard. Additionally, the employee lounge features a recycling center and only green cleaning supplies are used in the space.

About Delucchi+

Delucchi+ is a full-service strategic communications firm that has over 20 years' experience working with local and national retail, residential, and commercial real estate clients in the mixed-use, active adult, resort, golf course, luxury, and green arenas to develop programs to promote and protect their investments. The company has been involved in green marketing for over 10 years and is currently marketing multiple green commercial, residential, and mixed-use developments throughout the United States. Services include branding, advertising, new media, market research, and public relations. For more information on Delucchi+, please visit www.delucchiplus.com or call Annette J. Picon, Media|Research Director, at 202.248.5852. For an interactive green tour of the office space, please visit www.delucchiplus.com/green .

About the U.S. Green Building Council

The U.S. Green Building Council is a nonprofit membership organization whose vision is a sustainable built environment within a generation. Its membership includes corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and other nonprofit organizations. Since UGSBC's founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 17,000 member companies and organizations, a comprehensive family of LEED® green building rating systems, an expansive educational offering, the industry's popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo ( www.greenbuildexpo.org ), and a network of 78 local chapters, affiliates, and organizing groups. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org .

About LEED®

The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ is a feature-oriented rating system that awards buildings points for satisfying specified green building criteria. The six major environmental categories of review include: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation and Design. Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of LEED green building certification are awarded based on the total number of points earned within each LEED category. LEED can be applied to all building types including new construction, commercial interiors, core and shell developments, existing buildings, homes, neighborhood developments, schools and retail facilities.

Incentives for LEED are available at the state and local level and LEED has also been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org/LEED .

That is impressive! Not an easy certification to get from what little I know. I have often thought that there is a huge opportunity to improve the "green" attributes of multifamily buildings. Many older complexes were built with poor insulation and inefficient HVAC systems. But there seems to be little incentive for Owners to upgrade.

With the new Stimulus package do you see any funds for energy efficiency upgrades in existing multifamily buildings? And why or why is there not incentives in all States for solor power on multifamily buildings? - Sorry, a bit of a rant here.