Diageo's Chicago, IL Office Awarded Gold LEED Certification

First Diageo Building in the US to Earn Prestigious Distinction

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Aug 03, 2011, 09:27 ET

CHICAGO, Aug. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Diageo, the world's leading premium spirits, wine, and beer company, today announced that its Chicago, IL office has been awarded the US Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) LEED-CI Gold Certification, the most prestigious and internationally-recognized standard for sustainable construction in the world. This is the first Gold distinction to be awarded to any Diageo building in the US. The Diageo "Spirit" building in Madrid has also recently been awarded Gold certification.

Developed by the USGBC in March 2000, LEED provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. The certification process evaluates all construction standards regarding sustainability and respect for the environment. It classifies buildings into one of four categories: Certificate, Silver, Gold or Platinum.

"Increasing sustainability and reducing our environmental impact are core to Diageo's business and culture," said John Pursell, Vice President Real Estate and Facilities for Diageo in North America. "We are constantly evaluating the efficiency and performance of our facilities and are proud to achieve the LEED Gold accreditation, the first for Diageo in the US. This is an important milestone toward our environmental goals for all of our facilities in North America."

LEED principles drove the project from conception, with Diageo scoring highest in the categories of Indoor Environmental Quality, Innovation in Design and Water Efficiency. The design was focused on leveraging the available natural light, while also using energy efficient appliances and recycled materials including cradle to cradle carpeting throughout the entire space. All furniture used for the office was manufactured within 500 miles of the site and provided by local suppliers, in compliance with LEED requirements regarding the use of sustainable materials and resources.

About Diageo

Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O) is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, beer and wine. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Windsor, Buchanan's and Bushmills whiskies, Smirnoff, Ciroc and Ketel One vodkas, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Jose Cuervo, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is a global company, with its products sold in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.

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SOURCE Diageo