The California Public Employees' Retirement System has been rewarded for putting its money where its good intentions are.
Last month, the $228.4 billion system received the U.S. Green Building Council LEED Gold Award for energy and environmental conservation for the expansion of its Sacramento headquarters, said Clark McKinley, CalPERS information officer.
Designers of the combined buildings included energy-saving features such as landscaping with native drought-tolerant plants, tiered shading devices, and trellises.
The system also turned to solar energy for power for the 560,000 square feet of total office space; on its roof are 2,200 87-kilowatt photovoltaic panels. With all the changes, the buildings are expected to save as much as 38% more energy than conventional buildings.
"Our board believes investing in green buildings is the right thing to preserve the environment," Mr. McKinley said.
The decision to make the new headquarters green is part of an overall policy supporting green initiatives, that is, projects and companies that are energy efficient or support energy efficiency and environmental conservation, he said.
