“The 20,000th LEED certification belongs to an organization that shares our social and environmental values, and we applaud GMCR on its accomplishment,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chairman of the USGBC. "This is an important milestone in our mission to drive market transformation in the built environment to practices that make healthy, high performing buildings a fact of life.

"We've shown that LEED works, and the companies and organizations that use LEED set a high bar for leadership," he added. "But there is much work to be done, and even as we mark this milestone, we're completing the launch of the next version of the rating system that will drive building performance to the next level."

The Knoxville plant is the seventh LEED-certified facility for the coffee company. It’s features include high-efficiency HVAC, solar heat-reflecting roof coatings and plumbing that cuts water use 32 percent.

Officials with Green Mountain said the company has long been focused on sustainability.

“One of our company goals is to transform the way the world understands business,” said Jason King, Green Mountain’s senior director of facilities and engineering. “The passion we bring to creating great coffee is the same passion we put toward energy efficiency and environmental responsibility. We are proud to play a part in the green building movement because it closely aligns with our corporate values.”