The Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame proudly announced today that it has been awarded LEED Gold recertification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The prestigious certification, which is the second-highest level of recognition within the LEED rating system, underscores the Hall’s efforts to enhance environmental responsibility, and aligns with the celebration of Earth Month.

“I am very proud of our team for achieving LEED Gold certification. This is a significant milestone for us as we opened 10 years ago as LEED Silver,” said College Football Hall of Fame President and CEO Kimberly Beaudin. “This accomplishment reflects our commitment to serving our guests and community with excellence at every level.”

The Hall of Fame first earned LEED for New Construction Silver certification in December 2015, and by focusing operations upon sustainable site development, water conservation, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality, the Hall successfully advanced to LEED O+M: Existing Buildings Gold. Notably, the Hall excelled in the Waste, Transportation, and Human Experience categories.

“The College Football Hall of Fame’s LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Peter Templeton, president and CEO of USGBC. “LEED was created to make the world a better place and revolutionize our buildings and communities by providing everyone with access to healthy, green and high performing buildings. The Hall of Fame is a prime example of how the innovative work of project teams can create local solutions that contribute to making a global difference.”

LEED certification is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and is recognized as an international symbol of excellence. To date, there are more than 63,000 commercial projects, totaling to over 12 billion certified square feet, which can be found across all 50 U.S. states and in 186 countries and territories.