The American Red Cross of Ventura County is revamping its Camarillo center into an environmentally friendly headquarters.

The work to have its 11,000-square-foot building go green started last month, and will include efficient water and lighting fixtures, recycled materials and wood from certified renewable sources, said Mike Ross, a project volunteer.

Once the renovation is finished in October, the chapter will move its headquarters from 2355 Portola Road in Ventura to the Betty R. Plotkin center at 836 Calle Plano in Camarillo.

Chris Johnson, chief executive of the Ventura County chapter, said the green renovation follows the American Red Cross's mission of "cots, blankets and hugs."

"Going green is just like adding icing to the cake," he said.

The chapter is aiming for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver certification.

Part of the U.S. Green Building Council, the third-party LEED Green Building Rating System is considered the industry standard in verifying a building's ecological impact, according to the council's Web site.

Buildings can be rated as certified, silver, gold or platinum based on how a project does in addressing six categories — sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation in design.

Ventura County is the first Red Cross chapter in the country to transition to a LEED-certified, green building, Johnson said.

While certification is not required, Ross, who is a LEED-accredited professional, said the American Red Cross of Ventura County is opting for certification to prove that the chapter lived up to its standards.

"We're setting out to ... show the public that we are in fact building sustainably," Ross said.

The renovation will add more windows for natural light and expand the workspace by knocking down walls.

The makeover was intended, in part, to create a better working environment, considering the stress that workers and volunteers may endure during disaster relief, Johnson said.

"Who knows? We might even get higher productivity out of this," he said.

The renovation will double the size of the chapter's warehouse so it will be able to stock more supplies needed during natural disasters, Johnson said.

He noted that savings earned from being energy- and water-efficient will be invested in more supplies and services in the county.

Johnson added that the chapter now doesn't have space to house enough supplies to sustain the entire county in a natural disaster.

The renovation is being funded from $600,000 in local donations.

The Camarillo building, which Johnson said is worth about $1 million, was a bequest from Peter Plotkin in honor of his late wife, Betty R. Plotkin, who was a regular volunteer for the American Red Cross.

Betty Plotkin died in 1999.