green building/LEED

Phoenix — Vestar, one of the leading privately held shopping center owners and managers in the western United States, has joined forces with Arizona State University’s (ASU) Southwest Integrated Field Laboratory (SW-IFL) to launch the first-ever ‘Cool Pavement Project’ at a commercial retail center. The partnership comes on the heels of this summer’s record-breaking heat and aims to help mitigate elevated temperatures in communities dense with impervious and solar-absorbing materials — known as the ‘Urban Heat Island Effect.’ As stewards of the communities it serves in, Vestar is invested in …

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— By Scott Attman — The future of sustainability programs is more important and beneficial than ever. Sustainability and green programs in retail and commercial businesses are no longer fly-by-night industry trends. The call for sustainable and eco-friendly programs has grown louder over the past decade and many facility managers, owners and retail operators are heeding the call to reduce environmental impact and foster a culture of responsibility. By embracing green initiatives, facility managers can lower energy consumption, reduce waste and minimize carbon footprints.  Even beyond the environmental impacts are …

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Boise, Idaho — Albertsons Companies has released its 2023 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report, highlighting the company’s ESG progress and reaffirming its commitments to fight food insecurity in local communities and embed sustainability practices across its operations. “Our latest report further solidifies our long-standing commitment to support the thousands of communities we serve and the planet we share,” says Vivek Sankaran, CEO of Albertsons Cos. “In 2022, we made meaningful progress against our commitments, further aligning what we do with who we are as a company. We will continue …

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Salisbury, N.C. — As part of its recent $77 million capital investment, Food Lion has remodeled stores in Greenville, Jacksonville and New Bern, N.C. On Aug. 2, Food Lion will hold ribbon-cutting events at 47 stores in the Greenville, Jacksonville and New Bern area. The investment includes e-commerce options across all stores through pickup or home delivery and energy-efficient overhead LED lighting and refrigerated cases with doors. The modern solutions impart ambiance, enhance fresh product assortment and reduce energy costs, helping reduce Food Lion’s environmental footprint. Most stores are introducing …

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Jericho, N.Y. — Kimco Realty®, North America’s largest publicly traded owner and operator of open-air, grocery-anchored shopping centers and a growing portfolio of mixed-use assets, has published its 2022 Corporate Responsibility Report. The report highlights the company’s progress in addressing environmental, social and governance (ESG) topics, which have been a focus for Kimco and its stakeholders for over a decade. “We remain dedicated to our focus on ESG, acknowledging its inherent connection to the maximization of long term stakeholder value,” says Conor Flynn, CEO of Kimco. “Our 2022 achievements reflect …

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— By Mark Danzenbaker —   Smarter retail facilities for lower energy costs.     Decarbonization. Net zero. ESG. These terms, as part of corporate sustainability efforts, have garnered incredible momentum over the last year. With major climate policy and legislation, a renewed focus on the clean energy transition, growing concern for an overloaded power grid and aggressive goals to reduce environmental impact, one thing is for sure: climate impacts and sustainability are top of mind for every industry. For retail and restaurant facility owners and operators, the negative effects …

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Los Angeles — Creative restaurant design studio TNI Design has been enlisted to redesign Sizzler locations around the country. TNI, an acronym for ‘The Next Idea,’ has completed its pilot design for Sizzler’s Corona, Calif., location. It serves as the new remodel other locations will undergo over the next few years. “In partnership with Sizzler, we created Sizzler’s new interior design and now we are applying the design to around 60 locations over the next 2 years,” says Robert Ancill, CEO and creative officer at TNI Design. Several are currently …

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Louisville, Ky. — Yum! Brands, Inc. has released its annual Global Citizenship & Sustainability Report, highlighting the company’s strategic investments in socially responsible growth, risk management and stewardship of its people, food and impact on the planet. This includes addressing climate change, advancements in sustainable packaging and creating equity in the communities it serves. “We delivered strong business results in 2021, demonstrating that focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues is not incidental to growth, but an enabler of it,” says David Gibbs, CEO of Yum! Brands. “We continue …

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Atlanta — The Home Depot reduced its combined Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by approximately 172,000 metric tons in 2021, equivalent to taking more than 37,000 cars off the road for a year. The company reduced its electricity consumption by approximately 11% year-over-year in U.S. stores — while at the same time opening five new stores — and cut U.S. store electricity usage by 50% since 2010. These and other highlights are included in The Home Depot’s 2022 ESG Report. In 2021, The Home Depot estimates that customer purchases …

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Washington, D.C. — In July, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recognized Better Buildings Challenge partner Life Time, Inc. for energy efficiency advances made throughout its portfolio of athletic country clubs. DOE staff and Life Time leadership toured the organization’s Chanhassen, Minn., club to see firsthand the technologies and procedures that have allowed Life Time to increase its energy efficiency by nearly 40% across its buildings portfolio of 16 million square feet. In 2017, Life Time became the first health club to join the Better Buildings Challenge by committing to …

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