A building achieves LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council only after it meets very specific criteria that earn points in different categories. The categories include: sustainable sites, water efficiency, and materials and resources.  The LEED Scorecard for the Mecosta facility illustrates how points are accumulated.

Nestlé Waters North America is at the vanguard of building industrial plants for long-term environmental sustainability. Almost one million square feet of manufacturing production space has been designed by Nestlé Waters North Americanfor its new plants to earn LEED Certification. The 403,000 square foot Mecosta County, MI water bottling plant achieved a LEED Certified award, among the first food and beverage production plants in America to do so.

Key green features of the Ice Mountain plant include:

• Water safeguards – remove toxic substances from storm water runoff.

• Water efficiency – reduce the need for irrigation by using native and water conserving plants; using low-flow, water-saving fixtures in bathrooms.

• Energy efficiency – high efficiency lighting, HVAC and controls.

• Moveable exterior walls – designed to deconstruct and be reused to expand the plant.

• Constructed wetlands – treat wastewater through natural biologic filtration before the water is recharged to groundwater sources.

• Pollution prevention – parking area is dedicated to bicycle, electric vehicle and carpool users; corrugated paper, plastic, product pallets and other materials are recycled.

• Open space preservation and native plantings – more than 73 acres of the 106 acre plant site are protected as a mixture of woods and natural grassland environment.

• Non-toxic building materials and maintenance – durable, non-toxic materials were selected for the building, with consideration for the materials’ life cycle impacts on water.

• Resource efficiencies – recycled content building materials (over 50 percent as calculated under LEED) were selected for the building. Approximately 60 percent came from local sources, limiting long-haul transportation.

• Waste reduction – more than 75 percent of the building construction waste was salvaged or recycled.

• Indoor environmental quality – indoor spaces are enhanced by innovative space design and sophisticated controls that monitor and regulate interior temperature, humidity, lighting and air quality.