LEED Sustainability
Grace Farms Receives Prestigious Second LEED Certification
“Grace Farms and the River building were designed to integrate seamlessly into the landscape and sit lightly on the land. Our daily operations and maintenance are an extension of this vision, and a way to contribute to the global movement towards environmental and ethical consciousness within the built environment.”
– Sharon Prince, Founder and President
Our Sustainable Commitment
LEED silver certification for Building Operations and Maintenance
In August 2019, we were honored to receive our Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification for Building Operations and Maintenance (O+M) from the premier accrediting organization developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. The certification denotes a level of mastery and expertise in several categories, including: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation. Leading up to the certification, we authored more than 150 documents that detailed our operations. Read about the process with our Director of Operations & Sustainability.
LEED certification for Building Design and Construction
In 2017, we obtained LEED certification for Building Design and Construction (BD+C) in recognition of Grace Farms’ minimal impact design and use of green building materials during construction.
Building to LEED standards and continuing to operate to LEED standards is a unique level of mastery and achievement.
Commitments and Achievements
Since Opening in 2015
- Restoring 11 acres of our landscape to native meadows to protect the fragile ecosystem of our site.
- Reducing the heat island effect from the River building’s highly reflective roof.
- Reducing water consumption site-wide.
- Refining procurement and purchasing selections to ensure that post-consumer recycled and FSC-certified materials are selected whenever possible.
- Using rechargeable batteries, reusable plates and cups site-wide, and using EPA Safer Choice chemicals for cleaning.
- Instituting a “full-circle” food waste program on-site to repurpose food scraps into compost that is reused in our gardens and meadows.
- Implementing erosion control measures which play an instrumental role in erosion control measures.
- Green-E Certified Renewable Energy Certificates
- Reduced waste through ongoing recycling and composting.
- Construction and use of geothermal wells.
- On-site milling and kiln-drying of trees that were cleared for construction, used to construct indoor and outdoor furniture.
Purchasing 100% Green-E certified Renewable Energy Certificates
Pounds of food composted in 2018
Geothermal wells heat and cool 80% of the River building
Discover the journey behind our LEED Certification
- Protect and Restore Habitat: Immerse yourself in the beauty of nature at Grace Farms on our 1-mile nature trail and learn about Grace Farms Foundation’s commitment to restoring native habitats.
- Supporting the Community: Through our five initiatives and space grant program, Grace Farms Foundation has been recognized for supporting its community. Learn more about our space grant program.
- Local Food Production: Visit the Community Garden at Grace Farms to see how we use organic gardening methods to produce fresh fruits and vegetables that we harvest daily for our Commons and donate to Person-to-Person.
- October 2019 Architecture & Sustainability Tour: Experience our state-of-the-art mechanical systems and gain insights into our LEED construction and ongoing sustainability operations with Adam Thatcher, our Director of Operations & Sustainability.
