It is no secret that Aquinas College leads the country in sustainable business education for the undergraduate.

Since the inception of the sustainability movement — in both the Center for Sustainability and the Sustainability Initiative — Aquinas College has made a point to sift new building and logistics proposals through these resources. The Grace Hauenstein Library was, and still is one of these projects, and many people at Aquinas are working quite diligently to secure LEED certification.

LEED certification is a term quite familiar to our “green washed” culture, and is the insignia sought after by many, including Aquinas’ stalwart student committee, staff, library directors and building contractors in charge of the project.

The LEED designation stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The number of difficulties that have delayed the certification seem to finally be clearing.

“I would expect to hear that we have LEED certification for the Library project within the next 45 days,” said William Shefferly, Vice President of Finance and Operations.

The problems encountered in the process indeed legitimize the seeming lag. First, to LEED certify the Library, the whole building, including Lacks and Jarecki centers, must be taken into consideration, which has lengthened and complicated the process.

Senior Peter Gole, a member of the student education committee, indicated that the certification process didn’t work directly alongside the construction as it should have, but instead began after construction was largely completed.

Compounding the difficulty was the fact that somewhere in the submission of work, the certification council had problems finding the College’s check for payment of their review.

Despite these hurdles and difficulties, the LEED certification will soon be attained.

The certification consists of earning a number of credits, and one of those credits is the student educational committee. In working with “the contractor, the library staff and the Center for Sustainability,” Gole explained, the committee hopes to share the impact of the sustainable construction.

Gole likened the project to a “major stepping stone for Aquinas College in its effort to achieve sustainability and reduce its ecological footprint.” A quite innovative stepping stone at that, including: “efficient day and motion sensor lighting; low VOC (volatile organic compound) paints, adhesives and flooring; and 32 percent less water use than a standard building of the same size.”

Soon to receive the LEED stamp of approval, the Grace Hauenstein Library will be seen as a beacon of environmental responsibility for years to come (The lights will be turning off at night, however, just as soon as a few technical issues are resolved).