Sewell Lexus of Fort Worth Pre-Owned - Fort Worth, Texas - LEED Buildings on Waymarking.com

Press release on 9/24/2009

Celebration at Fort Worth Lexus Location on Thursday, Sept. 24

FORT WORTH, Texas, Sept. 24 -- Sewell Automotive Companies has kicked off a new green building program with Fort Worth's first-ever structure earning Gold-level LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The new building, which houses pre-owned sales and the service team at Sewell Lexus of Fort Worth, is one of fewer than 20 buildings in North Texas to achieve the Gold-level LEED certification to date and the first Lexus sales facility nationwide to earn LEED certification.

"The Sewell family of automotive dealerships is committed to making environmentally sustainable building practices an integral part of our business," said Carl Sewell, chairman of Sewell Automotive. "By pursuing LEED certification with future new construction and building remodels, we aim to help conserve energy and North Texas' environment, as well as provide our customers and employees a better environment in which to carry out business."

The automotive dealer will give customers the opportunity to see the new LEED-certified building's green features, as well as preview the new Lexus hybrid sedan, the Lexus HS 250h, at a private celebration on Thursday, Sept. 24 from 6 to 8 pm attended by Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief.

Customers are not the first to see the building's green features. School children from the Fort Worth Independent School District have also toured the facility as a part of outreach efforts by Sewell. Additional school tours are being scheduled to educate future generations on the ways, some of them very simple, of creating responsible and healthy places to work.

Highlights of the building's green features are:
-- A storm water control system that uses a cistern to collect rainwater
running off the roof to be re-used for landscape irrigation.
-- Water-efficient landscaping reducing the need for watering by 50%.
-- Ultra-efficient lavatory fixtures reducing the use of potable water by
30%.
-- Approximately 90% of building waste recycled, diverting it from
landfills.
-- 90% of all regularly occupied spaces with direct line of sight to the
outdoors, reducing the need for electric light and creating a
healthier work environment.
-- Light-colored roof tile that reduces the amount of electricity needed
to cool the building.
-- Optimized energy efficiency by building to ASHRAE (American Society of
Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) Advanced Energy
Design Guide standards.
-- Air monitors that check the quality of air being supplied to the
building, monitoring for pollution and contamination.
-- Low-emitting carpets, paints, adhesives and sealants that reduce the
level of chemical gases in the air.
-- An in-house recycling center that encourages recycling of paper, glass
and metal.

-- Preferential parking for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles.

Certification Level: Gold Website: [Web Link] Rating:

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