NAPERVILLE, Ill., Oct. 4, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nalco (NYSE:NLC), providing essential expertise for water, energy and air, announced today that its global corporate headquarters building in Naperville, Ill., outside Chicago has earned the U.S. Green Building Council's Gold Certification for Existing Buildings. More than 800 Nalco employees in various administrative, supply chain, finance and marketing departments work in the 417,500 square foot complex.
"We are proud to become one of a handful of buildings in the Chicago area to have achieved LEED Gold certified status," said Mary Kay Kaufmann, Nalco's Chief Marketing Officer and Group Vice President, Commercial Operations, Water and Process Services Americas. "To accomplish this rating for a building that is nearly 25 years old is especially gratifying. We have taken a number of steps to make our facility more efficient including using Nalco 3D TRASAR® automation technology to manage our boilers and cooling tower, replacing lighting and plumbing fixtures with new and more efficient ones, using Nalco's HVAC Performance Services for energy savings and improved indoor air quality as well as offering employees non-conventional commuting options."
The LEED for Existing Buildings Rating System helps building owners and operators measure operations, improvements and maintenance on a consistent scale, with the goal of maximizing operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts. LEED for Existing Buildings addresses whole-building cleaning and maintenance issues, recycling programs, exterior maintenance programs, and systems upgrades.
"Buildings are a prime example of how human systems integrate with natural systems," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. "Nalco's corporate headquarters efficiently uses our natural resources and makes an immediate, positive impact on our planet, which will tremendously benefit future generations to come."
The facility has previously earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's prestigious ENERGY STAR®, the national symbol for protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency.
About Nalco
Nalco is the world's leading water treatment and process improvement company, delivering significant environmental, social and economic performance benefits to our customers. We help our customers reduce energy, water and other natural resource consumption, enhance air quality, minimize environmental releases and improve productivity and end products while boosting the bottom line. Together our comprehensive solutions contribute to the sustainable development of customer operations. Nalco is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. More than 11,500 Nalco employees operate in 150 countries supported by a comprehensive network of manufacturing facilities, sales offices and research centers to serve a broad range of end markets. In 2009, Nalco achieved sales of more than $3.7 billion. For more information visit www.nalco.com.
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