SAN FRANCISCO—Following an extensive review of the Axiom Hotel’s green initiatives, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has awarded the recently opened hotel the Silver level for its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. LEED is the USGBC’s leading rating system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy efficient, and high performing buildings. It is a feature-oriented rating system that awards buildings points for satisfying specified green building criteria. The six major environmental categories of review include: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation, and Design. Certification levels of LEED green buildings are awarded based on the total number of points earned within each LEED category. “We are thrilled with the design team’s ability to create such an environmentally responsible hotel for our guests and staff,” noted Garry Cox, the hotel’s General Manager. “The entire hotel team is extremely passionate about doing all they can to leave this world a better place for the next generation and earning the LEED Silver status is a giant step in the right direction.”