Humane Society Silicon Valley Awarded Gold LEED Certification by U.S. Green Building Council

MILPITAS, Calif., Sept. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV) has become the first Animal Community Center in the nation to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

"We achieved our Gold LEED certification by reducing our electricity demands and water consumption through a variety of conservation technologies and products while providing state-of-the-art animal care," said Carol Novello, HSSV's president. "Our Animal Community Center represents a progressive shift in animal care and has truly become an inspiring model of humane care, community involvement and green building design for shelters nationwide."

"Furthermore, by investing in a premium HVAC system, high quality construction practices, and low VOC products, we have greatly improved the health and well-being of our animals," said Novello.

"At our old facility, stress, small cages, overcrowding and poor air exchange created the perfect environment for upper respiratory infection and kennel cough.  In our new Animal Community Center, both the quantity and quality of our environment has improved significantly.  Animals are housed in individual room-like condos with 100% air exchange.  The noise factor-particularly in the dog habitats-has been significantly reduced, allowing dogs to sleep uninterrupted.  Also, our cats are no longer subjected to the constant sound of barking of dogs.  The new feline environments also allow for them to perform more natural behaviors like stretching, hiding, and climbing vertically."  

Solar system and other energy and water efficiencies

HSSV's solar system is the largest solar installation in Milpitas. Owned and operated by Tioga Energy, a provider of renewable energy services to commercial, government and non-profit institutions, the photovoltaic system went live in July 2010. The 274 kW solar parking shade structure and rooftop systems are composed of 1,335 photovoltaic (PV) modules.  Starting on day one, these provide an estimated 33 percent of all energy used at HSSV's Animal Community Center, creating significant energy savings for the lifetime of the system.  In fiscal year 2011, HSSV expects the solar installation will help the organization save up to $50,000 in energy costs.

The solar system is only one aspect of the center's green attributes: The Animal Community Center was constructed using 90 percent of the concrete from the old building's foundations and incorporates a number of energy and water efficiency technologies:

• A highly efficient kennel cleansing system to ensure proper disinfecting of kennels while using only 2.2 gallons/minute.
• Heat recovery wheels in the HVAC system capture and reuse heating and cooling while filtering air and providing 100% air exchange.
• A reflective "cool" roof to minimize solar heating of the building in the winter and reduce air-conditioning costs in the summer.
• Strategic building placement and extensive use of windows and solar light pipes provide natural lighting to more than 75% of the building's interior space. Occupancy sensors manage lighting use.
• Onsite bioswales capture and naturally cleanse rainwater run-off before it enters the water treatment system, thus reducing the energy needed to clean water supplies.
• Artificial turf in dog parks and landscaping with native plants eliminates the need to regularly water.

About Humane Society Silicon Valley

HSSV's Animal Community Center is the first-of-its-kind in the nation to offer an Adoption Program  with a full spectrum of pet and community services under one solar roof: A Medical Center specializing in affordable spay/neuter, vaccinations, microchipping and testing services; A Community Dog Park and Training Center; Doggie Daycare, Boarding, and Grooming; An Education Center with programs for children and teens; A Community Events Room that can be rented by groups for meetings; and a Whole Pets store. All proceeds from these services support HSSV's life saving work.

Established in 1929, Humane Society Silicon Valley (HSSV) is an independent, non-profit agency. HSSV has served Silicon Valley for 81 years and found homes for more than 500,000 animals. All animals in HSSV's adoption program are sheltered until they are placed in a loving home. HSSV also operates a satellite adoption center in PETCO in the El Paseo Shopping Center in San Jose. More information about HSSV can be found at www.hssv.org.

SOURCE Humane Society Silicon Valley