Extraordinary Health Magazine Extraordinary Health Vol 25 | Page 59
Guided by a Bigger Purpose
Garden of Life was recently awarded
LEED GOLD certification and
won the U.S. Green Building
Council of South Florida’s 2015
LEEDership and Green Award–
Commercial Interiors.
STAR® equipment and appliances; heating and cooling provided
by high-efficiency water source heat pumps; and use of non-toxic
green cleaning methods.
The building itself is also located near several basic services,
which allows employees to access local amenities during their
lunch breaks, helping to reducing their environmental impact.
Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design
(LEED) is a green building certification program that recognizes
best-in-class approaches and practices. LEED certified buildings
save resources and have a positive impact on the health of
occupants, while promoting renewable, clean energy.
Brian Ray, President, shares,“In our industry, we are always
looking to come up with innovative, original and sustainable ideas,
so it was vital we take that same approach for our office space.
We made the commitment to do everything in our power to achieve
the GOLD standard, and I’m proud we were able to achieve it.”
“Building a LEED corporate office was a natural fit with our mission,”
stated Teresa Miller, Vice President, Human Resources. “We have
a passion for health and wellness, and wanted to extend that
philosophy into building a healthy environment for the employees.”
“One of my favorite features is our Living Wall,” Felix Rosa,
Office Coordinator, points out. “Everyone knows live plants provide
health benefits and reduce toxins; and ours is so cool because
it spells GoL on the wall!”
Building features include the use of recycled and regionally
resourced materials; low VOC materials, including Greenguard
Certified Furniture and Furnishings; low flow plumbing fixtures;
efficient lighting fixtures; optimal building ventilation; ENERGY
The plants used to create the Living Wall are locally grown varieties
and eco-friendly in that they favor low water and low light. The wall
not only creates a “wow” factor, but it’s also a system that improves
indoor air quality and increases creativity and sustainability.