Celebrating the Embassy of Finland – A Green Building Superstar

The Embassy of Finland, prominently located on Massachusetts Avenue NW in Washington, DC, deserves huge environmental kudos for achieving LEED Platinum certification, the first embassy in the U.S. to attain this significant goal. Since the mid-2000’s, the Embassy has taken a comprehensive approach to minimizing its environmental footprint with strategies ranging from implementing green purchasing and recycling policies to encouraging environmentally friendly transportation approaches. Currently, the Embassy is using 50% less electricity and 65% less gas compared to the mid-2000s. According to a statement put out by the Embassy, “The certification builds a unique transatlantic link, with the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki being the only other Platinum LEED Embassy in the world. Acting on climate change is a top priority both for Finland and the United States. The U.S. Government is actively promoting green growth, and in Finland the government aims to develop the cleantech sector into a 50 billion industry by 2020, creating as many as 40 000 new jobs along the way. Taking this into consideration, it is only natural that the Finnish embassy in Washington D.C. and the U.S. embassy in Helsinki make efforts to stay at the forefront in green building initiatives.” Said Kathleen Rogers, President, “Earth Day Network encourages every individual and organization worldwide to stand up and lead on environmental action.  With their comprehensive approach to minimizing its footprint, the Embassy of Finland is an outstanding example of green leadership.” Additional information, including the Embassy’s Platinum LEED Fact Sheet, can be found here.