Commitment to “green” building and design earns top honors among financial institutions
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) has been recognized as the “green”
building leader among financial institutions in a new report
published by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The report
recognized the top financial services adopters of Leadership in Energy
and Environmental DesignTM (LEED®) standards based
on certified square feet of projects. Wells Fargo currently has more
than 17 million square feet of LEED-certified projects across 193
locations, ranking first in the industry.
“Environmental leadership is part of our values at Wells Fargo because
it directly benefits the well-being of our customers, team members, and
communities,” said Richard Henderson, head of Wells Fargo’s Corporate
Properties Group. “Transparency and independent verification of our
sustainability efforts by organizations like the USGBC are essential to
measuring progress towards achieving our goals.”
In supporting the transition to a “greener” global economy, Wells Fargo
made a renewed environmental
commitment in 2012 that includes the following goals to be achieved
by 2020:
-
35% of properties LEED-certified
-
35% reduction in absolute greenhouse gas emissions
-
40% increase in energy efficiency
-
45% increase in water use efficiency
-
65% increase in waste diversion
In 2014, Wells Fargo obtained LEED® Existing Buildings:
Operations and Maintenance certification on 91 banking stores, the
single largest simultaneous certification in USGBC history.
“By holding ourselves accountable to LEED® standards, we are
promoting a cleaner, more sustainable environment for the people who
work and do business with us,” added Curt Radkin, sustainability
strategist with Wells Fargo’s Corporate Properties Group. “LEED®
design elements like the use of natural light and construction materials
that improve air quality aren’t just good environmental stewardship-
they’re good for our business as well.”
LEED® is the world’s leading green building rating system
with more than 69,000 participating projects in more than 150 countries
and territories worldwide.
“Wells Fargo has long been a leader in sustainability, living those
values in the many communities they serve, and the use of LEED®
is a fundamental part of its strategy,” said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and
founding chair, USGBC. “LEED® helps the company demonstrate
the business value of a high-performing real estate portfolio to the
financial community, not to mention the many benefits that come from
providing healthier spaces for their employees and customers. We
congratulate Wells Fargo on their leadership."
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified,
community-based financial services company with $1.7 trillion in assets.
Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides
banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial
finance through more than 8,700 locations, 12,500 ATMs, and the internet
(wellsfargo.com)
and mobile banking, and has offices in 36 countries to support customers
who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 266,000
team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United
States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 29 on Fortune’s 2014
rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo’s vision is to
satisfy all our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed
financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at Wells
Fargo Blogs and Wells
Fargo Stories.