McDonald's global headquarters has received LEED Platinum certification, the highest level possible under the U.S. Green Building Council's rating and assessment system.

The building was constructed in 1988 on an 88-acre property, more than half of which was left as woodlands. Original building elements included an emphasis on natural lighting and landscaping with native plants.

Today, the site includes two man-made lakes for the capture and reuse of stormwater. In the office complex, the company maintains aggressive recycling and waste management programs that include conversion of the used fry oil from the restaurant in the headquarters to bio-diesel fuel. Forty-five percent of the energy used in the building is obtained from off-site solar or wind power sources.

Measures to increase resource efficiency in building operations and the practices of its occupants have resulted in an 8.3 percent (1.2M kwh) reduction in electrical consumption in 2008 and the recycling of about 130 tons of commingled occupant waste, 31 tons of scrap metal, more than 128 tons of paper and several tons of electronic equipment — all of which contributed to the high green rating from the USGBC, the company said.

More information about McDonald's headquarters and the company's environmental responsibility efforts is available here.

_{Image CC licensed by Flickr user Leonid Mamchenkov.}