The United States awarded the Beijing Olympic Village its own gold medal Wednesday for its environmentally friendly design and efficient use of energy.

US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson presented the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Award to Chen Zhili, mayor of the Olympic Village and a vice-chairwoman of the National People's Congress.

Paulson called the village an example of US-China cooperation on energy and environmental issues.

Volonteers walk at the Beijing Olympic Village, on August 5, 2008, three days ahead of the start of the 2008 Beijing Olympic games. [Agencies]

He also urged more work on these issues.

The US Department of Energy provided technical assistance during the construction of the village.

"China's leaders know that the development of green buildings is a critical need, and the Olympic Village can serve as a model for this development," Paulson said.

"China, given its current economic growth and prosperity, can be a leader in deploying and using advanced energy and environmental technology."

US team takes up residence: The Stars and Stripes is unfurled during a flag-raising ceremony at the Olympic village on August 5 as the US team moves in. [China Daily]

Organizers have made "Green Olympics" one of the official slogans of the Games, and many of the venues have incorporated innovative systems, such as the collection of rain and wastewater for reuse.

The Olympic Village itself includes near-zero energy buildings that generate most of their power, heating and cooling through renewable sources such as solar cells and geothermal heat pumps.

This is one discipline, however, in which gold does not mean the top spot. The US Green Building Council, which issues the LEED certifications, has an even more elite category: platinum.

Agencies