PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A local university is making progress saving money and the environment.

The University of Pennsylvania has completed renovations on two more buildings which have achieved high LEED status, which is a federal program for building green.

Anne Papageorge, the vice president of facilities and real estate services, says contractors used recycled material and local plants to save on watering and energy saving lighting.

Local vendors were used and told to reduce shipping material.

“There’s less shipping and costs to bring materials to campus, but then we also have less garbage to take away if we reduce waste and with tipping fees at recycling plants. All of that saves money,” said Papageorge.

She adds that as more groups build environmentally friendly, the cost comes down and the savings go up.

Reported by Lynne Adkins, KYW Newsradio