FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH - PORTLAND, OR LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) represents a goal of “build- ing green” to reduce the carbon footprint of a build- ing – whether business or residential. Statistics at the US Green Building Council web site (www.usgbc.org) state that in this country, buildings represent 70% of electricity consumption, 39% of energy use and 39% of carbon dioxide emissions. A LEED-certified facility is one, either exist- ing or newly constructed, that meets specific stan- dards designed to minimize or offset the building’s environmental impact. Interest in green building had been steadily rising over the last decade but the more recent, dramatic rise in energy costs and the growing recognition of just how serious our

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