CSX obtains LEED® green building certification
Written by jrood
CSX Corporation has obtained its first LEED® green building certification from the U.S. Green Business Council. The LEED® certified building is a newly constructed 22,500-square-foot division headquarters in Florence, S.C., which includes 32 offices, a large conference room, a fitness center and a dispatch center.
"CSX is committed to
implementing innovative and sustainable practices throughout the company’s
network," said W. Wayne Bostic, AIA, CSX director of facility design.
"Reducing our carbon footprint is a major focus of our everyday operations
and that translates to constructing facilities which are
environmentally-friendly."
The building, constructed
by Breaking Ground Contracting and the construction firm Dana B. Kenyon
Company, includes a 6,200-square-foot command center with a raised supervisor’s
platform and technology equipment for 10 dispatchers. To obtain LEED®
certification, the building’s design and construction met a number of
requirements set forth in the LEED® for New Construction Registered Project
Checklist, which governs the details of sustainable sites, water efficiency,
energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality,
as well as innovation and design process.
"CSX takes
environmental stewardship very seriously and we are proud to partner with a
company which shares our vision," said Mary Tappouni, president of
Breaking Ground Contracting, a Jacksonville-based general contracting firm
specializing in sustainable LEED® construction, pre-construction, design/build
and construction management. "As CSX continues to become the industry
leader in LEED® certified construction, we are working together to obtain
additional certifications for several buildings."
CSX was the first railroad
to join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leaders Program, and
in 2009 voluntarily committed to reduce CO2 emissions by eight percent per
revenue ton-mile by 2011. CSX also was the charter railroad member of EPA’s
SmartWay Transport Partnership, which promotes voluntary reductions in fuel
consumption and emissions. In 2007, CSX became the first railroad to win the
SmartWay Excellence Award, which recognizes freight carriers that have made
significant contributions to protecting the environment.
