Ascent Corporation, a leading provider of comprehensive data center solutions, today announced its membership to the U. S. Green Building Council, a non-profit organization committed to expanding sustainable building practices. USGBC membership provides a forum for Ascent to share knowledge of the most current green building strategies and how they apply to data centers, and contribute expertise to the USGBC community.

The U.S. Green Building Council, comprised of more than 13,500 member organizations, is the nation’s foremost coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating System™ developed by USGBC provides universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria for sustainable green building. The LEED Professional Accreditation program, managed by the Green Building Certification Institute, distinguishes building professionals who demonstrate a thorough understanding of green building practices and principles and the LEED Rating System.

“Ascent is committed to developing environmentally responsible structures to help our customers increase their green profile and cut energy consumption costs,” said Phil Horstmann, CEO, Ascent Corp. “Joining the U.S. Green Building Council was a natural step for us, and we are looking forward to working with other member companies to transform the data center industry and create a more sustainable building methodology for critical infrastructures.”

Current data center power requirements account for almost a quarter of the carbon dioxide emissions from the information and communications technology industry worldwide. Ascent specializes in the management of data center power intake and, through new data center developments and upgrades, provides companies attainable solutions to reach their green goals.

Ascent’s participation in USGBC has encouraged a number of Ascent project engineers to successfully earn the credential of LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP). The LEED Professional Accreditation program provides verification of individual expertise in the principles of green building design, construction, and operation.

“Becoming a LEED AP requires a strong professional commitment and a dedication to sustainable building,” said Bob Painter, Vice President of Engineering and Construction, Ascent Corp. “We are proud that a significant portion of our engineering team has achieved this distinction, and anticipate that several more team members will pursue LEED Accreditation later this year.”