Foreman Architects Engineers and Foreman Program and Construction Managers recently completed the full renovations and reconfiguration of the Deer Lakes High School into a sustainable facility that has garnered a LEED Gold certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). A review of the USGBC Website in May of 2012 revealed that this project is the only such renovation-only Gold Certification public high school in Pennsylvania; a true testament to this difficult achievement. While many of the early LEED projects were for new buildings where the complete design of the building and site could be manipulated to help achieve such a high level of certification, Deer Lakes and Foreman chose to attempt the Gold Certification with a renovation-only project, and succeeded. The award to the district was the result of the vision, hard work, and perseverance of the entire LEED project team – which included the owner, the design professionals, the construction managers, the contractors, and the material suppliers. This $38.5 million dollar project was 6 years in the making from initial design to completion of construction. It also represented a renewed relationship for Foreman and the Deer Lakes School District; since Foreman designed the original building some 40 years earlier. For the renovations, Foreman concentrated on natural lighting, energy efficient mechanical and electrical systems, air quality, acoustics, lighting, thermal control, non-toxic materials, minimal construction waste, minimal storm water run-off, and local and recycled materials. Like the USGBC, Foreman is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving "green" buildings. While every project is unique with different requirements and possibilities, Foreman believes all are capable of being more sustainable and friendly to our environment, as well as to our pocketbooks.