As seen in The Arizona Republic.

Six years after agreeing to encourage environmentally friendly building, Phoenix is celebrating its first city building to be given a gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The designation went to the Glenrosa Service Center, which houses about 100 city employees from four departments on a site at Glenrosa and 43rd avenues.

The building, which opened in 2005, was designed to be more energy-efficient and to use fewer resources than traditional buildings.

The use of indigenous plants and water-efficient fixtures reduces water use by an estimated 340,000 gallons annually. City employees there use a fleet of 49 alternative-fuel and hybrid vehicles. And half the building's electricity comes from renewable power sources.

"We decided we needed to show people how easy this is to do and how important it is to do this," said Tammy Perkins, an executive assistant to the city manager. "It's out of respect for the desert environment and out of respect for saving resources."

The center is the third public building in Arizona to receive the designation under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, rating system. Two other buildings have been certified platinum, the highest LEED designation.