Walking The Talk

LEED Certification

As part of the college's commitment to sustainability leadership, Smeal has earned LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance gold certification, the first building to do so on any Penn State Campus.

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a set of standards for sustainable building design, construction, and operation. The performance standards for existing buildings address multiple facets of sustainability, including building exterior and site maintenance programs, efficient and optimized use of energy and water, the purchase of environmentally preferred products and food, waste stream diversion and management, and ongoing indoor environmental quality. To achieve LEED certification, buildings must meet a series of prerequisites and achieve a minimum of 34 points. Smeal's performance has greatly exceeded this threshold; we  received gold certification, the second-highest certification level.

Recognition of Sustainability Leadership

Smeal believes in recognizing and rewarding faculty, students, and staff for their leadership in advancing scholarship, teaching, student engagement, and practice of sustainability. Every year, we ask for nominations and recognize leaders at an All-College Meeting.

View Our Progress

Visit the View Our Progress page to learn more about Penn State's sustainability progress on source energy, building-level energy use intensity, procurement, transportation, waste, water, and greenhouse gas emissions.