Community Leaders Join Girl Scouts in Dedicating First LEED Platinum Building in Delaware

First Building in Delaware to Earn Platinum Certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Named After Lifelong Environmental Champion and Girl Scout

NEWARK, DE – February 2, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — The Girl Scouts of the Chesapeake Bay Council, Inc. (GSCBC), was joined by civic and community leaders today in dedicating the Council’s Science and Technology Lodge in honor of former Council Board President and lifelong environmental advocate Lynn W. Williams.

The Science and Technology Lodge is the first building in Delaware to earn the nationally renowned Platinum Certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). It is the first Girl Scout Council nationally to attain this top rating for a property.

“This innovative building reduces costs by increasing energy efficiency,” said Governor Jack Markell. “But what happens inside the building is even more important: Girl Scouts will have the opportunity to strengthen their skills in science, technology, engineering and math. These skills will help them build better careers and create better jobs in Delaware.”

Governor Markell was joined by U.S. Representative Mike Castle, New Castle County Executive Chris Coons, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, and additional community leaders in praising Williams’ dedication to protecting the environment.

“As the project manager for the construction of the Science and Technology Lodge, Lynn raised the bar of excellence to the LEED Platinum level, and she was unwavering in ensuring that every detail successfully crossed the threshold to earn this top certification,” Council CEO Anne T. Hogan said. “The dedication of the Council’s Science and Technology Lodge to Williams ensures that generations of Girl Scouts will continue to learn about and propagate her extraordinary legacy.”

Developed by USGBC, LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system that verifies that a facility was designed and built to improve performance across critical impact metrics, such as: energy savings, water efficiency, carbon dioxide emissions reduction, indoor air quality improvement, and enhanced sensitivity to the impact of resources on the environment, among others.

The Science and Technology Lodge was designed by the Philadelphia-based firm ReVision Architecture and built by Wilmington-based SC&A Construction. The Lodge has over two dozen energy efficient and environmentally sensitive features. In the first six months of operation, the PV array on the roof provided approximately 60 percent of the electricity needed by the building. It has one of the first rainwater harvesting systems installed in New Castle County.

The Science and Technology Lodge is a dynamic teaching and conference center that not only delivers cutting-edge STEM programs to Girl Scouts, but also offers flexible meeting space for public and private organizations. It delivers STEM programming often through creative partnerships with companies such as DuPont, in which female engineers and scientists serve as teachers.

Because the 5,000-square-foot building was designed to be educational, it features signage throughout that describes sustainable design features of the Lodge. Resource consumption and production is carefully tracked through displays that include a water meter board and a computer screen that shows electricity production by the PV array. Building tours were a regular occurrence during construction and will continue to be so for many years to help teach others about ways in which one can build “green” and sustainable structures.

For more information, contact Liz Farrell, Communications and Advocacy Manager, at lfarrell (at) cbgsc (dot) org, 302/456-7170 (Direct), 302/544-2688 (Cell Phone), or visit the GSCB website at www.gscb.org.