L to R: Yair Katz, chief executive, Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach; Cassidy Green, senior consultant, wellness lead, Brightworks Sustainability; Christina Bell, executive director, Cherese Mari Laulhere Children’s Village, Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach; Chad Kurz, executive director, Campus Development, Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach.
MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach has been awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification for its outpatient specialty care building, the Cherese Mari Laulhere Children’s Village. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and an international symbol of excellence. Through design and construction practices aimed to improve environmental and human health, LEED-certified buildings are helping to make the world more sustainable.
“At Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital, we are here to help ensure the health of our children’s future, so working to create a sustainable and health environment around them while they receive care just make sense,” says Yair Katz, chief executive, MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital. “We are honored to have our Children’s Village be recognized as a LEED Gold certified building, demonstrating the proactiveness we all need to take to reduce our contribution to global climate change and promote sustainable material cycles. As a children’s hospital, we want all children to grow up healthy, on a healthy planet.”
The Cherese Mari Laulhere Children’s Village achieved LEED Gold certification for implementing practical and measurable strategies in various areas, such as sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. Green buildings allow companies to operate more sustainably and give the people inside them a healthier, more comfortable space to work.
“The work of innovative building projects like the Cherese Mari Laulhere Children’s Village is a fundamental driving force in transforming the way our buildings are built, designed and operated,” says Peter Templeton, president and CEO, USGBC. “Buildings achieving LEED certification are not only reducing carbon emissions and operating costs but also conserving vital resources while prioritizing sustainable practices and human health. Through the commitment of MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach, we are increasing the number of green buildings and getting closer to USGBC’s goal to outpace conventional buildings, while being environmentally and socially responsible and improving quality of life for generations to come.”
Certification is proof that buildings are not merely meeting but surpassing the highest sustainability standards in their construction and operation. There are more than 110,000 total LEED-certified projects worldwide representing over 12 billion square feet of space. More than 2 million square feet is certified per day, with more than 185 countries and territories with LEED projects.
Celebrating Excellence: Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach Cherese Mari Laulhere Children’s Village staff and leadership proudly stand with LEED Gold plaque, recognizing commitment to sustainability in health care.