Sodexo Ranks Top Metropolitan Areas for Sustainable Workplaces to Commemorate 2017 World FM Day

GAITHERSBURG, Md., May 18, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Facilities managers play a critical role in conserving energy and water, maintaining air quality and using sustainable products in overseeing the daily operations of an office building. In recognition of World FM Day, Sodexo, world leader in quality of life services, assessed the top metropolitan areas boasting office buildings that have accumulated the highest number of per-capita LEED-certified points.

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a certification program led by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) that denotes how "green," or compliant in terms of energy conservation, water usage, air quality, and building materials, a building is during its construction and lifespan. Sodexo assessed the USGBC database of LEED-certified office buildings to rank the top 25 metropolitan areas in the U.S. for green office buildings in relation to population:

The top 25 metropolitan areas for green office buildings are:

1. Washington, D.C.
2. San Jose
3. San Francisco
4. Denver
5. Seattle
6. Sacramento
7. Chicago
8. Portland, Ore.
9. Boston
10. Charlotte
11. Baltimore
12. San Diego
13. Houston
14. Salt Lake City
15. Atlanta
16. Los Angeles
17. Austin
18. Raleigh-Durham
19. Pittsburgh
20. Milwaukee
21. Nashville
22. New York
23. Minneapolis-St. Paul
24. Dallas-Ft. Worth
25. Philadelphia

"The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that there are over 5.6 million commercial office buildings in the United States," said Rachel Sylvan, director, sustainability and corporate responsibility, Sodexo North America. "By raising awareness of which metropolitan areas place the greatest emphasis on sustainable workplaces, we hope to educate business and civic leaders on the opportunity to improve quality of life and reduce environmental impact with sustainable buildings."

Washington, D.C., earned the first place ranking due to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 that includes energy efficiency and sustainable design requirements for Federal and other government buildings. Other metropolitan areas have also placed an emphasis on green buildings. For example, San Francisco has a green building code that ensures all buildings are healthy, sustainable places to live, work, and learn.

In addition to helping to conserve natural resources, research also shows that sustainable buildings can impact employee performance and well-being. For example, indoor air quality and lighting improve work performance, health and productivity of office workers, according to a study published in the Journal of Environmental Health Science & Engineering. The U.S. Green Building Council reports that air quality can make a big difference in how office workers feel and function at work and access to natural lighting can make employees happier. Additionally, employees' cognitive performance was 61 percent higher when working in green buildings, according to a recent study by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health's Center for Health and the Global Environment, SUNY Upstate Medical University and Syracuse University.

As part of Better Tomorrow 2025, the company's North Star to sustainability, Sodexo is committed to fostering a culture of environmental responsibility within its workforce and workspaces. To that end, Sodexo leverages expertise and best practices to help employers create more sustainable workplaces. This includes design, engineering, vendor selection, project construction, and commissioning, as well as ensuring a smooth, seamless transition for a client's business and staff.

About Sodexo
Sodexo USA is an American business that is part of a global, Fortune 500 company with a presence in 80 countries. Delivering more than 100 services across North America that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life, Sodexo is a leading provider of sustainable, integrated facilities management and food service operations. It employs 123,000 Americans at 12,500 sites across the country and indirectly supports tens of thousands of additional U.S. jobs through its annual purchases of $9.2 billion in goods and services from small to large American businesses. In support of local communities across the U.S., the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation has contributed close to $30 million over the past 20 years to help feed children in America impacted by hunger.

Learn more about Sodexo at its corporate blog, Sodexo Insights.

SOURCE Sodexo

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