Lured by the recognition that comes with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating from the U.S. Green Building Council, many schools and universities have become aware of that certification process. But for years, the involvement was limited to a few trendsetters; according to the Green Building Council's database, only about 120 K-12 school facilities have received LEED certification since 2001. As of January 2009, the list of K-12 education construction projects that have applied for LEED certification has swelled to more than 1,000. It's clear that the interest in green design is building. With a new administration in place in Washington that openly acknowledges the need to reduce global warming and the benefits of more healthful and energy-efficient practices in building and operating facilities, the green movement will continue to evolve from a rare and unconventional approach into a routine and accepted way of doing business. Many college campuses have taken great strides to make their campuses more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, but one of the trendsetters in the green movement might seem unlikely. With more than $5.7 billion available in bond proceeds, the Los Angeles Community College District bills its construction program as one of the largest public sector green building efforts in the United States. The community college district's commitment to green design and construction has its roots around 2001 when it was preparing to put a $1.25 billion bond proposal on the ballot. Environmental and community activists lobbied the district to incorporate sustainable design practices into the projects it was planning. The green approaches on the community college system's nine campuses range from long-accepted environmental efforts, such as energy-efficient climate control systems, daylighting strategies and wind power, to more innovative and unfamiliar products, such as a coating known as UV-PCO (Ultra-Violet Photocatalytic Oxidation). The coating contains a chemical that, when it comes into contact with sunlight or fluorescent light, reacts and forms cleansing agents that make the facility virtually self-cleaning. Even more familiar techniques, such as solar power, are being carried out on such a massive scale that it's hard to ignore the district's green efforts. At East Los Angeles College, the district has installed a 1.2 megawatt solar farm. It consists of nearly 6,000 solar panels that are installed above carports that provide parking for 530 cars. The panels save the college $400,000 in energy costs and provide other benefits, too.