Old is gold, but new is platinum—and, according to a new designation that D.C. will be the first city to receive, being environmentally sustainable is platinum, too.

The student center is the centerpiece of a ten-year, campus-wide renovation. “It’s been a long time coming” was a constant sentiment.

The District led led the United States in 2012 in the amount of buildings and space for certification in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

We’re not a very tolerant city, but we do have a lot of green buildings.

Washington, D.C. has quickly become a pioneer for environmental sustainability. The new Nationals stadium, for example, is the first baseball stadium in the country to receive LEED certification. Certification for LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is given by the U.S. Green Building Council, when buildings qualify for a certain number of points in five categories: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. The District…