BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. — With the help of Siemens Building Technologies Division, Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Ill., has become the first high school in America to be certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold for Existing Buildings (EB), announced the company.

“Earning LEED Gold status is a validation of our ‘Green Initiative’ to reduce the schools carbon footprint,” said Mark Michelini, Stevenson High School assistant superintendent for business, who coordinated the effort. “Part of its mandate directed staff to embrace best practices — in collaboration with Siemens and support from partners Cannon Design and Sodexo, our facilities team created a master plan to address campus energy and resource consumption. We’ve met and exceeded those targets and the result is our LEED certification — a national benchmark and an achievement we all share — faculty, staff, and especially the students.”

Stevenson, one of the largest high schools in the U.S., educates more than 4,500 students each year and has received the President’s Award for Excellence in Education five times. The sprawling campus encompasses more than 1 million square feet of classroom, athletic, performing arts, and administrative facilities. Through a comprehensive understanding of the technical and operational aspects of the campus’ building automation, HVAC systems, lighting and other elements, Siemens was able to help the Stevenson Green Initiative committee develop a broad operational plan to systematically reduce water consumption and help the school cut back on electricity and natural gas use after hours.