WASHINGTON, D.C., May 11, 2009 — The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the dietary supplement industry’s leading trade association, today announced that its Washington, D.C. office has been LEED®  certified under the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) system.

“Our industry’s products contribute to the health of this nation, and I am proud that CRN is also contributing to the environmental health of this country by living, breathing and promoting environmentally friendly practices in our office space,” said Steve Mister, CRN’s president & CEO. 

LEED certification is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. It demonstrates that a building—or an office within that building—is environmentally responsible, profitable and a healthy place to work. 

“CRN’s LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO & founding chair, USGBC. “The urgency of USGBC’s mission has challenged industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and CRN serves as a prime example of just how much we can accomplish.”

LEED certifications are based on the LEED rating system which assigns points to projects for compliance with specific green building techniques or activities.  The activities for which points are awarded are organized by category: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design process.

The CRN staff moved into the completely redesigned and renovated Suite 510 office at 1828 L Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., in May 2008.  The CRN office renovations were completed under Washington D.C.’s Green Building Act of 2006, which went into effect March 8, 2007. 

Note to Editor: The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing dietary supplement manufacturers and ingredient suppliers. CRN members agree to adhere to voluntary guidelines for manufacturing, labeling and marketing and CRN’s Code of Ethics.  Visit www.crnusa.org.

About the U.S. Green Building Council:  The U.S. Green Building Council is a nonprofit membership organization whose vision is a sustainable built environment within a generation. Its membership includes corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and other nonprofit organizations. Since UGSBC’s founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 17,000 member companies and organizations, a comprehensive family of LEED® green building rating systems, an expansive educational offering, the industry’s popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo (www.greenbuildexpo.org), and a network of 78 local chapters, affiliates, and organizing groups. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org.

About LEED®: The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ is a feature-oriented rating system that awards buildings points for satisfying specified green building criteria. The six major environmental categories of review include: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation and design. LEED can be applied to all building types including new construction, commercial interiors, core & shell developments, existing buildings, homes, neighborhood developments, schools and retail facilities. Incentives for LEED are available at the state and local level and LEED has also been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments.