OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Nov. 30, 2011 — The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has received the inaugural East Tennessee Green Light Award from the U.S. Green Building Council East Tennessee Chapter for "exemplary contributions to sustainability in the built environment."

"The USGBC is extremely proud to recognize ORNL's leadership in sustainable building development - both from a regional, as well as national perspective," said Lisa Hoskins, vice chair of USGBC East Tennessee Chapter. "Having earned LEED certifications for 15 buildings in both the new construction and the existing building categories in the past nine years, ORNL is setting a new standard improving the sustainable quality and character of buildings in our region."

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is an internationally recognized certification system that measures how well a building performs across environmental metrics including energy savings, carbon dioxide emissions reduction, water efficiency, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. ORNL has one million square feet LEED buildings on site, a first for Tennessee and DOE.

"We are delighted that the USGBC has chosen ORNL for their inaugural award," said Jimmy Stone, director of Facilities and Operations. "We make a tremendous effort to put sustainability into practice and I'm proud of all the hard work that has led up to this recognition."

Stone represented ORNL at a reception for local leaders and supporters of sustainability efforts, which was held on Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 6 p.m., in Knoxville at the Old City Entertainment Venue.

ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle for the Department of Energy's Office of Science.