PNC opened its first LEED-certified branch in 2002, receiving the patent and trademark shortly thereafter. The bank claims to have one of the largest number of certified buildings on earth, and specializes in construction methods that optimize the use of local materials, water and energy reduction techniques and the recycling of construction waste.
TD's in the LEED in Maine
PNC's not alone on the LEED train, as TD Bank-one of the largest banks in the U.S. to go carbon neutral-expanded its environmental focus in August by opening a LEED Gold certified contact center in Auburn, Maine.
To help secure the certification, the bank's new call center will be accessible by public transportation, landscaped with drought tolerant plants, include plumbing fixtures that use 33 percent less water, built with products that give off little or no volatile organic compounds, and installed with occupancy sensors to turn off lights when not needed.
The Maine contact center is part of a network of more than ten new branches and other facilities that are designed to reduce energy use, following the opening of a pilot branch in Queens, NY, earlier this year. The bank's other green initiatives include the purchase of renewable energy offsets to power its ATMs in Canada and participation in a closed loop paper recycling program.
