Office Depot headquarters awarded LEED Gold

Boca Raton, Fla. Office Depot announced that its global headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., has been awarded Gold Certification under the U.S. Green Building Council LEED (Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design) for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance rating system.

The facility is carbon neutral as a result of renewable energy credits purchased from NextEra Energy; renewable power is equivalent to total electricity use of building. Other energy-saving features of Office Depot’s LEED Gold Certified headquarters include the use of energy efficient interior lighting, achieved by switching from 32 watt to 28 watt fluorescents, which are 12.5% more energy efficient. Also, garage lighting was converted from 130 watt metal halide lamps with ballast to 54 watt fluorescent lights led to reduced energy consumption by two-thirds.

Additional eco-friendly measures include: 

• Underground water retention system designed to handle stormwater run-off;
• Rain sensor system designed to reduce water usage during landscaping;
•  Low-flow aerators installed in sinks to conserve water;
• New sustainable purchasing policies for ongoing consumables, technology, furniture, lighting and cleaning products written to meet or exceed LEED for Existing Buildings sustainable purchasing guidelines;
• New solid waste management policies were written and implemented;
• Low-mercury lamps installed throughout the building;
• Steel case furniture triple-certified to the highest green furniture standards;
• Carpet used in building is recyclable and 100% recycled;
• Green cleaning products for indoor janitorial use are Green Seal and EcoLogo certified; and
• Disposable paper cleaning cloths were replaced with reusable micro fiber cloths.