Mainstreaming Green: Motel 6 Gets LEED Certification

LEED certification: it isn't just for high-end apartment buildings, giant office complexes, and swanky hotels. Motel 6--yes, the famously low-rent motel chain we all know and love--expects to get Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for its newest franchise, located Northlake, Texas. According to Motel 6, this will be the first economy hotel in the country to become LEED certified.

The motel's laundry list of green features include thermal solar water heating, a...