SALISBURY ó Two Food Lion stores have earned the 2011 Gold-Level GreenChill Store Certification Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, one of the agencyís highest honors for refrigeration.
The stores are located in Conyers, Ga., and Columbia, S.C.
Food Lion, which is based in Salisbury, is committed to conserving energy and protecting the environment, said Rick LaCroix, market vice president for Food Lionís Southeastern markets.
Food Lion became a founding partner with the EPAís GreenChill program in 2007. Since then, the grocer joined other food retailers to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease impact on the ozone layer and climate change. Food Lion has won GreenChillís Distinguished Partner Award and its Superior Environmental Achievement Award in the past.
ěFood Lion’s Conyers, Ga., and Columbia, S.C., stores are proof positive of Food Lion’s belief that protecting the environment is not a ëonce and doneí thing,î Keilly Witman, Manager of EPA’s GreenChill Partnership, said in a press release.
The company is committed to going beyond reducing refrigerants, said Susan Sollenberger, director of energy, maintenance and equipment purchasing at Delhaize America South.
Food Lion has more than half of the nationís Energy Star stores, with 1,015 certified stores. The company has partnered with utilities to evaluate a variety of energy saving opportunities, such as solar power.