Building designed to save energy, environmentCOLUMBIA, S.C. ó Food Lion LLC broke ground Tuesday on both the company’s and South Carolina’s first green grocery store.
The store, located in northeast Columbia, will be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified.
The store at 4730 Hard Scrabble Road will feature a number of environmentally friendly construction and energy-efficient services, including an on-site recycling center, skylights for natural lighting, educational kiosks and preferred parking for low-emitting vehicles.
“Food Lion has a long-standing commitment to serving as a caring neighbor and is committed to being a strong corporate citizen in the communities in which we operate,” said Kyle Mitchell, vice president of store development.
“We are committed to protecting the environment and reducing energy consumption through green building construction.”
Salisbury-based Food Lion’s new LEED store will feature a number of environmentally friendly features, including:
– High-efficiency lighting that dims lights based on natural sunlight in the store or when areas such as offices or restrooms are not in use.
– LED lighting in the frozen food cases.
– Bike racks and preferred parking for low-emitting vehicles.
– Low-flow and sensor-activated water fixtures in restrooms.
– Native plant species that minimize landscape irrigation requirements.
– Enhanced air quality for associates and customers by using low-toxicity materials and implementing proactive management plans throughout construction to ensure optimal indoor air quality.
– Environmental education via kiosks in the store.
– Purchasing a significant amount of building materials manufactured within 500 miles of each location to boost local economies and reduce energy expended on transportation.
– Waste management plans to divert construction waste from landfills through recycling.
– Customer and associate recycling programs at the store.
“By building the first LEED grocery store in our company’s history and in South Carolina, we will reduce energy costs by more than 20 percent compared to a typical supermarket, as well as conserve 44 percent more water than other Food Lion stores,” Mitchell said.
“Food Lion LLC has one of the most advanced retail energy conservation programs in the country. For nearly a decade, Food Lion has been dedicated to numerous sustainability initiatives, such as energy conservation and reducing carbon dioxide emissions throughout its 11-state footprint, reducing its energy consumption by more than 27 percent since 2000 or 2.5 trillion BTUs.”
Food Lion’s first green store is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2009.
The store will employ approximately 50 people. Food Lion has 145 S.C. stores and employs more than 7,600 associates in the state.
“This store will further our commitment to the South Carolina community,” said Gene Faller, market vice president for Food Lion’s Southeastern Markets.
“We believe this is a valuable investment in the Columbia community and we look forward to continuing to serve local organizations from our new green store.
“We believe Columbia residents will benefit from the environmentally friendly features of the store from preferred parking for low-emitting vehicles to environmental education kiosks at the store.”
Food Lion is also involved in a number of environmentally friendly initiatives, including encouraging customers to use reusable bags and through recycling significant amounts of paper and plastic every year.
Since the first quarter of 2009, the company distributed more than 700,000 reusable bags to customers.
Customers can track the progress of the store or read more about Food Lion’s environmental initiatives at www.foodlion.com/greenstore.
Food Lion is a subsidiary of Brussels-based Delhaize Group. Food Lion operates more than 1,300 supermarkets, either directly or through affiliated entities, under the names of Food Lion, Bloom, Bottom Dollar Food, Harveys and Reid’s.
The company employs approximately 74,000 associates in 11 Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states.