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������’s sustainability efforts include a nationally recognized tree campus, comprehensive recycling programs and a unique footprint of 12 LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) buildings throughout its campuses.

Kent State’s Center for the Visual Arts earned the most recent certification, a LEED silver rating, for its design and construction.

LEED, the most widely used green building rating system in the world, provides a framework for creating healthy and cost-efficient green buildings.

Using a rating system that comes from the U.S. Green Building Council, the four levels of LEED certification include LEED certified, silver, gold and platinum.

Key components of a LEED-certified building include reduction of energy and water usage, maintenance and operation costs, and construction waste during the building process. Other components include increased indoor air quality, increased employee performance, satisfaction and retention, and promoting the use of recycled material.

The Center for the Visual Arts project merged two existing buildings – the old power plant and Van Deusen Hall – by connecting them with an addition to create the stunningly unique spaces needed for the School of Art, says Melanie Knowles, sustainability manager for Kent State. 

“The project respects the history of the buildings while creating an energy-efficient, green building,” Ms. Knowles says.

Ms. Knowles adds that with this most recent designation, 10 percent of the gross square footage of occupied buildings on the Kent Campus is now LEED certified.

LEED certification is pending for the Center for Architecture and Environmental Design and the Integrated Sciences Building.

To learn more about LEED certification, visit .

To learn more about Kent State’s sustainability initiatives, visit www.kent.edu/sustainability.

WRITTEN BY: LAUREN GARCZYNSKI