Environmental sustainability is not a new concept for PeoplesBank and its latest office is proof. Earlier this month it opened its second green office, a LEED registered building at 547 Memorial Ave. in West Springfield, the first building of its type in that town.

The bank has financed more than $40 million worth of renewable energy projects and recently opened a LEED Silver Certified office in Springfield.

"The green branch is a natural progression of a strategic direction we have been heading in for years," said Douglas A. Bowen, president and CEO of PeoplesBank. "PeoplesBank has always been connected to and supportive of our communities and now we extend that thought to the environment."

Like its Springfield predecessor, the new West Springfield office was constructed in a manner that minimizes its impact on the environment. For instance, approximately 98 percent of the demolition and construction materials were recycled rather than ending up in a landfill or at an incinerator.

"One thing that is immediately noticeable when you enter this office is that we have increased the amount of daylight in the building," said Stacy Sutton, first vice president at PeoplesBank. "That reduces the need for supplemental lighting."

Other environmentally friendly features of the building include the use of energy-saving HVAC and lighting systems, plumbing fixtures that use 40 percent less water than an ordinary building of the same size and drought-resistant landscaping.

As part of the grand opening celebration, PeoplesBank will donate more than $68,000 to area civic and charitable organizations including the West Springfield High School’s Clark Field scoreboard, the Council on Aging in support of its exercise room and the town of West Springfield for replanting trees destroyed by the recent tornado.