MaineGeneral hospital in Augusta is the first in the state to be awarded LEED gold certification, according to an article on the Morning Sentinel.

The new 192-bed hospital, which opened in November 2013, is the second in the nation to be built successfully to the new 2010 LEED gold standard. 

The facility paid special attention to using recycle-based materials and materials sourced within a 500-mile radius, the article said.

Other green features include:

• high-tech heating and cooling systems that run on natural gas

• low-water-flow technology

• storm water systems that enhance natural resources, recover rainwater from roofs to replenish building systems and on-site retention and filtering ponds

• interior lighting that turns on automatically when someone enters the room and turns off after a brief delay when the system senses the room is empty

• recycling 81 percent of the 8,738,320 pounds of construction waste during construction

Read the article.