Wells Fargo earns U.S. Green Building Council's 2011 Leadership Award

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Wells Fargo & Company WFC announced today it received a 2011 Leadership Award from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for its commitment to environmentally responsible building design, construction and operation.

“We're honored to be recognized for our efforts to build and operate our properties in a way that provides better banking experiences for our customers, a healthier work environment for our team members and a cleaner environment for the communities we serve,” said Bob Chlebowski, executive vice president, Distribution Strategies and Services Group.

Wells Fargo's “greener” building highlights include:

• Implemented Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) guidelines in more than half of its retail banking stores, with plans to implement LEED standards in all of its retail banking stores, representing about 6,000 buildings or approximately 30 million square feet.
• Recognized as one of the first companies to earn LEED pre-certification for its newly built stores.
• Integrated LEED guidelines into its contract negotiations for exterior signage, janitorial services, and waste management providers.
• Installed and activated solar panels on 11 banking stores in Denver, Colo, generating more than 300,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy combined.
• Earned LEED Platinum designation, the highest level of LEED certification for its Duke Energy Center in Charlotte, NC.
• Supported several USGBC programs, including underwriting the cost for nonprofit homebuilders to attend LEED training. Most recently supported the USGBC's Tri-State Chapter collaborative educational program designed to increase professional literacy in “greener” building practices across Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.
• Provided more than $3.8 billion in financing for LEED buildings since 2006.

To learn more about Wells Fargo's environmental initiatives, visit wellsfargo.com/environment and blog.wellsfargo.com/environment.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company WFC is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.3 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, the Internet (wellsfargo.com and wachovia.com), and other distribution channels across North America and internationally. We want to help all of our customers succeed financially and create long-term economic growth and quality of life for everyone in our communities. In 2010, the Company invested a record $219 million in grants in 19,000 nonprofits, and team members contributed more than 1.3 million volunteer hours around the country. For more information, please visit: www.wellsfargo.com/about/csr.

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