Awe Sum Organics, a leading importer of organic apples, kiwifruit, pears and blueberries, announced the opening of its renovated headquarters in downtown Santa Cruz, CA, that has been LEED certified.

The new headquarters consist of a 5,200-square-foot building originally built in 1969 located in a prime area of downtown Santa Cruz. Once a dark and dated gallery, drywall that covered most of the windows was removed and skylights were widened to let in more natural light. Top-of-the-line energy-rated HVAC and LED lighting illuminates the new office.

"The remodeling began in June with an emphasis on green building," Elizabeth Posner, director of marketing and project manager for the new headquarters, said in a press release.

Awe Sum Organics recently renovated headquarters in downtown Santa Cruz, CA.Awe Sum did a lot of research to find the best materials, such as DIRTT walls, which are moveable glass walls that can grow with your business, thereby eliminating waste from landfills.

DIRTT, which stands for Doing It Right The First Time, are walls designed for reuse and reconfiguration, with integrated power and data that can be modified indefinitely over time (with little or no impact on the workplace and zero construction waste). DIRTT is made of recycled denim insulation, environmentally friendly MDF, and non-VOC paint.

The focus at DIRTT is on reuse rather than recycling, effectively "future proofing" commercial environments and eliminating waste and disruption caused by conventional construction, according to the press release.

"If you need to remodel or move, you just take them with you," Posner added in the press release.

DIRTT walls are currently being used in Silicon Valley by companies like EBay, Google and LinkedIn, who project future growth. Awe Sum Organics is the first to utilize the full DIRTT solution in Santa Cruz County.

"We also incorporated beautiful Breathe Walls made of plants which remove the negative ions and CO2 from the air, providing fresh, rich oxygen for the environment," Posner added.

Other features include eco-friendly carpet, tile and ceiling tiles with a minimum of 50 percent post-consumer recycled content, and green, non-toxic paint by YOLO.

Awe Sum Organics employees will have the added benefit of working with sustainable Knoll furniture and desks that (with the touch of a button) enable a user to sit or stand at a workstation.

"I also repurposed old wooden doors which possibly would have ended up in a landfill, turning them into beautiful new desks for David Posner (chief executive officer) and myself," said Posner.

The move will allow Awe Sum Organics to double the size of its work force and positioning itself for major growth in the near future. Phase two will include a roof top garden and solar panels.

"We are excited to immerse ourselves in a state of the art workspace equipped with a gourmet kitchen, ergonomic workstations, clean air and a high-tech conference room," said Posner. "It's ironic that what was once a gallery to showcase beautiful works of art has now become a work of art in of itself."