Venue announces second LEED Gold distinction on same day the 49ers are recognized by the White House OSTP for its commitment to fighting climate change 

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The San Francisco 49ers today announced that Levi’s Stadium has achieved its second LEED Gold certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), this time for operations and maintenance of an existing building. Coupled with Levi’s Stadium’s initial recognition as the first stadium that hosts a professional football team to open with LEED Gold certification as new construction in August 2014, the home of the San Francisco 49ers is now the first home of an NFL team to earn dual LEED Gold certifications. 

The LEED rating system, developed by the USGBC, is the foremost program for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance.

In conjunction with the second LEED Gold recognition, the 49ers were also recognized today by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) on its inaugural Green Sports Day as a sports organization that is contributing to the fight against climate change and its effects on our communities. 

In its press release distributed earlier today, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy said about the San Francisco 49ers:

In August 2014, Levi’s Stadium became the first professional football stadium to open with LEED Gold certification for new construction. Today, Levi’s Stadium is announcing that the venue has achieved LEED Gold Certification for Operations and Maintenance of an existing building, making it the first-ever NFL stadium to be LEED Gold certified under the two respective categories by the U.S. Green Building Council.  The stadium is also lowering greenhouse-gas impacts from concessions through their new 4,000 square foot rooftop farm and educating kids on sustainability through its free school STEAM field trip program, serving 60,000 Bay Area K-8 students each year.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. In order to receive LEED certification, building projects must satisfy prerequisites and earn points to achieve different levels of certification. Levi’s Stadium achieved LEED certification for implementing practical and measurable strategies aimed at achieving high performance in sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, indoor environmental quality, and maintenance enhancements. LEED Gold status is earned by accumulating 60 to 79 points on the rating system and Levi’s Stadium had registered a total of 60 upon evaluation of its operations and maintenance. 

“Achieving LEED Gold the first time is a worthy achievement,” said Rick Fedrizzi, Founding Chair and CEO of USGBC, “but achieving it a second time, through recertification under LEED for Existing Buildings, is tremendous leadership.  Levi’s Stadium has demonstrated just this kind of leadership, showing a commitment to the kind of ongoing performance improvement that is so critical to our future.  Congratulations on this outstanding accomplishment.”

Designed by HNTB and constructed by Turner/Devcon, Levi’s Stadium embodies innovative elements found throughout Silicon Valley. From the 1,000-plus state-of-the-art solar elements found throughout the building, including the three solar array-covered NRG Energy Bridges, to its automatic sensors and high-efficient energy management system, Levi’s Stadium was designed to be one of the most compelling sports and entertainment venues in the country, all the while maintaining a disciplined green approach to sustainable design elements. 

To achieve the LEED Gold certification for operations and maintenance of Levi’s Stadium, the 49ers focused primarily on implementing practical and measurable strategies aimed at achieving high performance in sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, indoor environmental quality, and maintenance enhancements. Over the course of almost a year, the stadium implemented numerous strategies including: 

• Installing efficient water fixtures to reduce water consumption by 44%.
• Offsetting 37% of its electricity and natural gas use with Green-E certified Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) and nearly 20,000 square feet of solar panels. 
• Making strides in expanding waste reduction efforts beyond current diversion rate nearly 63% waste from the landfill.
• Achieving a 10.92% reduction in conventional commuting trips as the stadium is within walking distance of various transit options, including buses, VTA light rail, ACE trains and Amtrak. 
• Going well beyond the performance threshold level of existing LEED credits by purchasing 100% Energy Star qualified equipment.
• Maintaining a sustainable purchasing program for cleaning materials and products, disposable janitorial paper products, and trash bags, where 85.93% of the purchases satisfied sustainability criteria.
• Developing and implementing an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) management program based on the U.S. EPA standards. The purpose of the IAQ program is to maintain a healthy and comfortable working environment for building occupants.
• Utilizing filters with a minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) of 13 which provide higher quality air to occupants and remove pollutants.
• Using cleaning equipment that are Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) Green Label tested and that use high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters.

In just over two years of operations, Levi’s Stadium has received multiple sustainability awards for its use of reclaimed wood and other recycled materials, for its use of recycled water, and for implementing sustainability into its supply chain method. For a full list of environmental awards and more information regarding the stadium’s technology and sustainability, please visit: http://49ers.1stroundmediagroup.com/levisstadium/.

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