Poland Spring earns LEED Gold status

KINGFIELD -– Last Sunday morning, Rep. Tom Saviello and Rep. Jarrod Crocket visited the Poland Spring Bottling Facility to present a sentiment from the 123rd Legislature. Their purpose was to recognize the company’s achievements in constructing an awardwinning, environmentally sustainable building.

The Poland Spring facility, built in 2008, has officially received the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design —LEED— Gold certification.

This makes it the first manufacturing facility in Maine to receive LEED Gold status. According to company sources, LEED is an internationally recognized certification system that measures how well a building performs across various sustainability metrics, including energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, and stewardship of resources.

“We are honored to receive the LEED certification and proud to be Maine’s first manufacturing facility to earn the Gold standard,” said Cameron Lorrain, Kingfield Plant Manager.

According to company officials, Poland Spring took extra measures to see that the development of the plant met such a high standard. It was not required of them to construct the building as energy efficient as it is, but Poland Spring felt a personal obligation to do so on its own accord, the officials noted.

“Not building a LEED factory would be totally against all of our company’s beliefs. It is the right thing to do and is what our company stands for, Lorrain said Sunday morning.

Saviello emphasized that Poland Spring has followed through with every promise it made before the construction of the facility was approved, including the construction of a low energy building, hiring locally, offering good wages and benefit packages and contributing to the community, he said.

“They are the best example of a corporation being part of the community in the whole State of Maine,” Saviello said.

“I love to see efficiency, the use of a natural resource in a responsible way, creating new jobs, while at the same time being a company that is a great community partner,” Crockett added.

“LEED certification is market driven. More and more, businesses are learning that doing what’s right for the environment can also be good for their bottom lines. Consumers expect companies to think about the environment; to recycle waste; to reduce packaging; and to utilize renewable forms of energy. We commend Poland Spring for being ahead of the curve,” said Naomi Mermin, Board President of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Maine Chapter.

The Kingfield facility now saves 70.4 million BTUs of energy each year, and conserves approximately 140,000 gallons of water a year by developing conservation practices in construction. During construction it recycled or diverted approximately 91 percent or 1,478 tons of construction waste from landfill disposal, or the equivalent weight of 850 cars.

The Kingfield facility is the second Poland Spring facility to be LEED certified in Maine. Poland Spring’s Hollis facility earned LEED Silver in 2009.