Wholesale data center provider Digital Realty Trust has brought the number of LEED-certified data centers in its portfolio to 19. The company announced Tuesday certification of three additional facilities by the US Green Building Council.

The USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a rating system for construction projects that use environmentally friendly processes, materials and designs. There are four rating levels: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum, Platinum being the most sustainable.

Digital recently received LEED certification for two buildings in Ashburn, Virginia, (one Gold and one Silver) and a Silver for a data center in Atlanta.

Jim Smith, Digital CTO, said the LEED program was the most widely recognized and respected standard for sustainable building. "We believe that it is an excellent standard for ensuring that our data center facilities support our customers'green strategies while helping to lower their total cost of occupancy," he said.

The company's 19 LEED-certified data centers include two Platinum, six Gold, 10 Silver and one Certified. More than 12 facilities are currently going through the certification process.

Digital's newly certified data centers:

• 43915 Devin Shafron Dr., Ashburn, Virginia ÔÇô LEED Gold
• 43830 Defin Shafron Dr., Ashburn, Virginia ÔÇô LEED Silver
• 375 Riverside Dr., Suite 135, Atlanta, Georgia ÔÇô LEED Silver

A total of about 40,000 commercial and institutional projects currently participate in the LEED program. They comprise about 8bn sq ft of space around the world.