ST. LOUIS, May 2, 2007…Vertegy, a St. Louis-based sustainable consulting firm known for its award-winning design and consulting services, has announced that two of its recent projects have earned LEED^® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Two clinics located in Appleton, WI and Brillion, WI and owned by Affinity Medical Group received the certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, bringing Vertegy’ total number of LEED-certified buildings to eight. This success, coupled with another 13 LEED projects in construction or in development, makes Vertegy the Midwest leader in sustainable consulting.  LEED is a nationally recognized green building rating system which is used to benchmark high performance and green buildings.

Vertegy was tapped by Hoffman, LLC, the project’s construction management firm, to coordinate the sustainable design and construction of the clinics, which are among the first LEED-certified healthcare clinics in Wisconsin. Highlights of the clinics include infrastructure to support carpooling, the use of public transportation and pedestrian and bicycle travel. Pressure-assisted flush water closets, low-flow lavatories and water-free hand sanitizing system contribute to an overall water use reduction of 48 percent over traditional systems. Dramatic reductions in lighting power densities were also made compared to traditional health clinics.

Over 50 percent of the construction waste was diverted from the landfill, and many of the construction and finish materials contained recycled content. Additionally, over 30 percent of the building materials were extracted, processed and manufactured regionally.

Both Clinics use “green” cleaners and practices exclusively, which helps to maintain a high level of indoor air quality for the patients and workers in the building. Affinity has also adopted an Education and Outreach program for the Appleton and Brillion Clinics to help spread the word about the benefits of sustainable construction.

Founded in February 2005, Vertegy provides clients with design, procurement and construction consulting services for green and sustainable facilities.  One of the key ways Vertegy serves clients is by helping them gain certification for their projects from various nationally and internationally recognized certification bodies, such as the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which provides LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification. Vertegy — which is derived from combining the Latin root for green and strategy — is based in St. Louis at the new LEED Platinum-certified Alberici headquarters. For more information, call 314.733.2666 or visit www.vertegyconsultants.com.