MONTREAL, Sept. 29, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - National Bank is proud to announce that its head office, located at 600 De La Gauchetière West in Montreal, has received the LEED® Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (EB:O&M) Gold Certification in Canada. The official plaque from the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC), the organization responsible for granting LEED certifications in Canada, was given yesterday to Ghislain Parent, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice-President - Finance and Treasury at National Bank, by Robert Ladouceur, Executive Director of the CaGBC, Quebec Chapter, at an event held at the head office of the Bank.

The Bank obtained the Gold level thanks to the many improvements it has made to its operating and maintenance practices, jointly with the Tower manager. "National Bank has been actively reducing its ecological footprint for many years. Recently we have, among other things, aligned our design standards with the criteria of the LEED assessment system, to make sure that they are now systematically applied to all our projects. This LEED certification, granted after a rigorous process, attests to the Bank's commitment to always improve its ecological balance sheet," stated Mr. Parent.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a set of rating systems created in 1998 by the U.S. Green Building Council and recognized in 150 countries as the international mark of excellence for sustainable buildings.

National Bank's sustainable development efforts have been rewarded several times in recent years. In addition to garnering several branch interior design LEED certifications, the Bank has also received the highest level of BOMA BESt® certification for its head office. National Bank has achieved carbon neutral status and has also developed an energy efficiency program that has won many awards. It was also the first bank in North America to issue a green bond to fund a public-private partnership. In 2014, the Bank's efforts to reduce its ecological footprint and expand its role in financing renewable energy projects led to its being named one of the World's Greenest Banks by Bloomberg Markets magazine for the third year in a row.

About National Bank of Canada
With $216 billion in assets as at July 31, 2015, National Bank of Canada (nbc.ca), together with its subsidiaries, forms one of Canada's leading integrated financial groups. The Bank has more than 20,000 employees and is widely recognized as a top employer. Its securities are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: NA). Follow the Bank's activities via social media and learn more about its extensive community involvement at clearfacts.ca and commitment.nationalbank.ca.

SOURCE National Bank of Canada

Image with caption: "National Bank's head office has received the LEED EB Gold Certification in Canada. Pictured (left to right): Mr. Ghislain Parent, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice-President - Finance and Treasury at National Bank; Mr. Robert Ladouceur, Executive Director of the CaGBC, Quebec Chapter. (CNW Group/National Bank of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150929_C5596_PHOTO_EN_509482.jpg