Energy Star Certification was started by the US Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 in order for citizens and companies to have a universal standard of energy efficient products and is one of the most successful voluntary government programs in history. This certification allows people to save money, protect the environment and allow for transparency between companies and consumers. According to the Energy Star Website: since 1992 Energy Star and it’s partners have helped prevent 3 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere and in 2020 alone the programs emissions reductions were equivalent to more than 5% of the total GHG emissions in the US.

Some of the interesting highlights from the LEED Scorecard are that The Verdesian was able to achieve 13 out of 14 possible points for Sustainable Sites only missing one point for Brownfield redevelopment. Seeing as the complex is located in lower Manhattan it is understandable that it is more difficult to redevelop much of that brownfield space. One aspect that the Verdisian can look at expanding upon is the Optimize Energy Performance credits within the Energy & Atmosphere category as they achieved 4 out of 10 credits and missed all 3 credits for On-Site Renewable Energy. In upgrading energy performance the building can become more energy efficient saving the tenants of the building money when it comes to utilizes. Within the renewable energy on site category it is difficult to have renewable energy on site as lower Manhattan is quite dense and there are many regulations regarding on site solar panels in New York City.