TAHOE CITY, Calif. — The North Tahoe Fire Protection District’s newest station was recently awarded with the highest of environmental honors.

North Tahoe Fire Station 51 has earned LEED Gold Certification for New Buildings, as established by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute, the district announced in a press release this week.

According to the district, Station 51 joins an elite group of 12 fire stations in California, and the only one in the Lake Tahoe Basin, that has attained LEED Gold Certification.

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“Situated in Lake Tahoe, we have always felt a responsibility for good environmental stewardship, whether it be protecting the basin from catastrophic wildfire through forest fuels management practices or as in this case, demonstrating environmental leadership,” said Michael Schwartz, NTFPD chief, in a statement.

LEED Gold Certification demonstrates ultimate green building leadership and signifies a model of sustainability that sets the standard in the industry.

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LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human environmental health: sustainable site development, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

“The North Tahoe Fire Protection District is an important part of the effort to protect Lake Tahoe by thinning forests and helping homeowners with defensible space evaluations,” said Joanne Marchetta, executive director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. “The environmental and community benefits coming from its station house go above and beyond traditional stewardship roles and show true environmental leadership.”

Station 51 is located at 222 Fairway Drive in Tahoe City. Ward-Young Architects of Truckee was the project’s architect.