Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) is a globally recognized certification system, which helps define how green constructions and communities around the world are. Eco-conscious global manufacturers in many countries strive to get their facilities LEED-certified, because it proves that their building projects are really «green.» So far, the list of manufacturers with buildings, which have already achieved certified status or pending it includes Toyota, Starbucks, BMW, Nike, Kraft Foods, L’Oréal and many more, including McDonald’s, which is adding another venue to the range of its environmentally friendly buildings.

A rebuilt McDonald’s restaurant in Riverside, California, became the first McDonald’s west of the Mississippi, and the fourth in the U.S., to seek LEED Gold certification. The restaurant opened to the public today, October 14. The building, which is owned and operated by Tom and Candace Spiel and has stood as a McDonald’s restaurant for 44 years, reopened more sustainable and energy-efficient with a host of «green» features including:

— Light colored hardscape to reduce heat emissions from site
— Native drought tolerant plants to reduce water consumption by landscape
— Low flow plumbing fixtures to reduce water usage
— 294 photovoltaic panels to generate a percentage of the restaurant’s power consumption
— Recycled denim insulation inside the building.

The restaurant features an interactive touch screen display for visitors to learn about the building, environmental sustainability, and how individuals can reduce their carbon footprint. Other LEED-certified McDonald’s restaurants are located in Cary, N.C., Savannah, Ga. and Chicago. The Riverside restaurant expects to receive LEED certification within one year.