LEED-Certified Buildings That Will Totally Surprise You (PHOTOS)

There are over 5000 LEED-certified projects in the United States alone. They run the gamut from hotels, schools, public libraries, sustainability think tanks, and condos.

Check out these projects that have us raising our eyebrows.

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Vegas Casinos

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Many green-minded travelers might gag at the thought of visiting Las Vegas, what with all of the light shows, huge water fountains, and the air of conspicuous consumption all around. Perhaps they will rethink that position. The city is on the leading edge of sustainable construction, with the Palazzo Hotel and Resort Casino, CityCenter’s Aria and Vdara (pictured), Venetian Resort and Sands Expo and Convention Center, and the Venetian all breaking green building barriers. Among the usual high-tech design elements like solar panels, efficient lighting, and a robust recycling program, the Venetian and Convention Center even sends food waste off to a pig farm to use as compost or feed.

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Many green-minded travelers might gag at the thought of visiting Las Vegas, what with all of the light shows, huge water fountains, and the air of conspicuous consumption all around.

Perhaps they will rethink that position. The city is on the leading edge of sustainable construction, with the Palazzo Hotel and Resort Casino, CityCenter’s Aria and Vdara (pictured), Venetian Resort and Sands Expo and Convention Center, and the Venetian all breaking green building barriers.

Among the usual high-tech design elements like solar panels, efficient lighting, and a robust recycling program, the Venetian and Convention Center even sends food waste off to a pig farm to use as compost or feed.

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Comments

[k1rsten]

04:34 AM on 10/03/2010

Vegas, a gas station, a petroleum company and a water bottle company... are we really supposed to believe that that they ACTUALLY care about the environment, or they just want to improve their horrible reputations. Same goes for the frat house. This post is infuriating.

[m2b]

08:40 PM on 10/04/2010

I agree 100%

[dragonmaster]

06:57 PM on 10/02/2010

The oil sands will emit huge amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere

right wing oil minster Harper sats full speed ahead-why the people of Canada elected this oil shill is a mystery to me.

[Anne Mccormick]

03:18 AM on 10/03/2010

it's called democracy!! believe it or not, the united states is not only country to practice it. the people of canada voted for the leader of their choice; for what ever reason. the canadians are not required to answer to you, or to anyone else, for their choice.

[dragonmaster]

04:30 PM on 10/03/2010

Democracy? From whom Anne?

The Polluters? C' mon- Is Democracy huge oil and energy companies raping the earth for profit? Or Pseudo right wing idiots like you giving me a lecture about neo fascism-masquerading as democracy.

[dragonmaster]

04:33 PM on 10/03/2010

“Democracy? From whom Anne? The Polluters? C' mon- Is Democracy huge oil and energy companies raping the earth for profit? Or right wing Oil shale Canadians like you giving me a lecture about neo fascism-masquerading as democracy.”

[robjh1]

10:57 AM on 10/02/2010

The BofA Tower and Las Vegas set-up are awesome. I have visited the BofA site it's truly unbelievable. Wow!

[trweste144]

10:29 AM on 10/02/2010

I would have never expected such from the Venetian. It makes me wonder if there's a catch, considering the owner is one of the richest men in the country who supped with Cheney and Bush. Then again, George W.'s ranch in Crawford is said to be greener than Gore's, which shows to me that George W.'s the one who ended up green with envy. It makes you wonder, though, why the Republicans don't all go Green.

[Gustavo Rejivik]

03:19 AM on 10/02/2010

Big Green = Big Profits:
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/special-editorial-reports/Working-for-Big-Green-can-be-a-very-enriching-experience-103963374.html

These guys don't actually 'produce' anything, yet rake in the GREEN ...

[SpreadingTheWealth]

07:49 PM on 10/01/2010

Van Jones would be so proud....sniff....sniff......

[rollingrock]

07:16 PM on 10/01/2010

Apparently one of the main qualifications for LEED certification is to make the building as boring, sterile and bland as possible.

[rollingrock]

07:11 PM on 10/01/2010

There's no doubt this article was written by a drunk frat boy.

[kdubbg]

06:52 PM on 10/01/2010

LEED = GREED ≠ GREEN

[Rosewren]

06:41 PM on 10/01/2010

One green endeavor I never see touted is the Ford Motor Companies green projects at their Rouge Plant and other innovations. They recently celebrated their 5th anniversary for green improvements.

http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/12523/rouge-ford-sustainable

Sustainable Solutions
Among Ford Rouge Center’s sustainability solutions are the pollution-reducing, energy-generating “fumes-to-fuel” system in its paint shop; natural lighting and efficient artificial lighting systems in its assembly areas; an energy-efficient heating, ventilation and cooling system; as well as the creation of a wildlife habitat.

The facility is best known for its innovative storm-water management system that includes the largest “living” roof in the automotive industry and one of the largest in the world.

[Rosewren]

09:10 PM on 10/01/2010

I found some pictures that show the roof at

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/003738.html

The largest "living roof" in the world was designed by environmental architect William Mcdonough, and sits on top of the the Ford Motor Company's Rouge Manufacturing Plant in Dearborn, Michigan.

[funkyou2]

10:40 PM on 10/01/2010

Thanks..that was very interesting!

[SirSlappy]

06:11 PM on 10/01/2010

Annadarko Petroleum "helps the oil industry reach pricing objectives"
You can't say a company that has anything to do with oil, or fixing oil prices, is green!
DUH!

[JackNasty]

05:39 PM on 10/01/2010

Energy conservation is so very important to our future . Unfortunately, LEED, the so-called green building standard in the US is more about shopping for LEED points during the design phase than it is actual performance of the buildings after they are built. The sad truth is, LEED's bizarre point system does not truly address energy conservation. Many LEED buildings such as the new Seattle city hall use more energy per square foot than their conventional predecessors.

[raven119]

04:25 PM on 10/01/2010

Got to give BP credit. They finally figured out that oil is way too expense to run their gas stations.

[Marla Thurman]

03:10 PM on 10/01/2010

In the Coyote Ridge photo it looks like the guy is urinating on the floor.

[Longbaugh]

07:03 PM on 10/01/2010

It does!

[ModerateProgressive]

01:28 PM on 10/01/2010

I'm going to assume that the person who wrote this wasn't rushed by a fraternity...

[astein1]

02:17 PM on 10/01/2010

As a fellow Phi Tau, good job Tech. Just don't think you can go into our basement and steal our pictures again just because you made HuffPost.

[Robert Earl Springer IV]

05:09 AM on 10/04/2010

I happen to live in that fraternity house... Who may I ask is this? SIU? Tennessee?