NEI Earns LEED Gold Certification WASHINGTON, Oct.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Nuclear Energy Institute has received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification for sustainable design by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for its main Washington, D.C. office.

LEED is a rating system for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of green buildings, homes and neighborhoods. The "gold" certification is the second highest designation offered by the USGBC.

"This is a tremendous accomplishment and one in which our entire organization takes a great deal of pride," said John McIntire, NEI executive director and chief information officer, who led the office development team. "LEED certification has been an important focus for the company in being environmentally responsible and reflecting the thinking of our member organizations.

"NEI has been reducing its greenhouse gas emissions for the past five years as a partner in The Climate Registry, and the LEED effort is a catalyst to further lowering our carbon footprint," McIntire said.

The interiors of the space in the 13-year-old building at 1201 F Street N.W. in Washington, D.C., were completely gutted and rebuilt incorporating environmentally sound and resource-efficient heating and lighting technology and recycled interior finishing products.

The U.S. Green Building Council cited NEI as a "showcase example of sustainable design and demonstrates leadership in transforming the building industry."

For example, NEI's office features open spaces that take advantage of natural light and climate control, and energy-saving LED lighting with motion detection that automatically turns lights off when offices, hallways and restrooms are unoccupied. The space makes extensive use of recycled materials and space-saving, flexible conference space design.

The Nuclear Energy Institute is the nuclear energy industry's policy organization. This news release and additional information about nuclear energy are available at www.nei.org .

NEI media relations: 202.739.8000 during business hours 703.644.8805 after hours and weekends