New Office Depot stores to be LEED CI; how about the 1200 current North American stores?
In a press release today, Office Depot said that all 14 of their stores slated to open this year will be LEED certified for Commercial Interiors.
Office Depot, who sells $14B of office supplies annually, should be commended for that commitment in their new build strategy.
An Austin green concept store opened in 2008 is LEED gold and uses about 14 percent less electricity per square foot than other Office Depot locations.
Key features of note:
Solar equating to 10% of the store’s electric needs
High efficient HVAC
T5 lighting and timers/sensors
Reflective roof
Skylights
Low flow toilets and urinals
Office Depot is listed as the #16 retail purchaser of green power in the US, according to the EPA. Ironically, their competitor, Staples is #5 on the same list — they purchase almost ten times as much green power.
I commend the effort from Office Depot, including their “Office Depot Green’ product line, but the press release shines the light on the real power of energy efficiency retrofits.
They plan to open 14 new stores in 2010, yet they have 1200 in the United States and Canada already. I’d love to hear their plans to retrofit their current portfolio. That is where the savings can be made!
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