Boca Raton, Fla. — Office Depot’s global headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., has been awarded Gold Re-Certification under the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)’s Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance rating system.
“By achieving and maintaining Office Depot Headquarters’ Gold LEED certification throughout the past 6 years, we’ve been able to provide environmentally sustainable benefits to both our associates and our community,” says Michael Allison, executive vice president and chief people officer for Office Depot, Inc. “As we continue to run our facility with sustainable practices in mind, we’re able to provide healthy indoor air quality, save energy and encourage greener practices from our associates such as recycling and carpooling.”
To achieve LEED Re-Certification for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance certification, Office Depot focused primarily on monitoring and documenting environmentally sustainable programs and elements within the four walls of the facility. Features of Office Depot’s LEED Gold Certified headquarters include:
Sustainable Sites
• Landscaping staff utilizes fuel efficient equipment.
• Underground water retention system designed to handle storm water run-off.
• Commuter program that encourages use of public transit.
• Parking spots designated for carpools.
Water Efficiency
• Rain sensor system designed to reduce water usage during landscaping.
• Low flow aerators installed in sinks to conserve water.
Energy & Atmosphere
• Replaced 467 128-watt (on average) metal halide fixtures with LED 50-watt fixtures, which led to a total of over 8 million kWh savings and $1 million in lifetime savings.
• Facility is Carbon Neutral as a result of Green-e Certified Renewable Energy Credits; renewable power is equivalent to total electricity use of building.
• Motion detectors in all conference rooms, offices and restrooms ensure that lights are off when a space is not occupied.
• Reduced atmospheric light pollution by removing all 28 400-watt metal halide wall wash lighting.
Materials & Resources
• Sustainable purchasing policies for ongoing consumables, technology, furniture, lighting and cleaning products continue to be written to meet or exceed LEED for Existing Buildings sustainable purchasing guidelines.
• Solid waste management policies continue to be implemented.
• Low mercury lamps are located throughout the building.
• Steel case furniture triple-certified to the highest green furniture standards: MBDC Cradle to Cradle® Silver, BIFMA Level 2 and SCS (Scientific Certification Systems) Indoor Advantage GoldTM.
• Carpet used in building is 100% recyclable (pile and backing).
Indoor Air Quality
• Green cleaning products for indoor janitorial use are Green Seal and EcoLogo certified.
• Reusable microfiber cloths are used in place of disposable paper cleaning products.
• 95% of cleaning chemicals were replaced with Orbio water solution, produced onsite with water and electricity.
Innovation
• Fourteen on-site lime, grapefruit, orange and tangerine fruit trees are planted on campus.
• Approximately 75% of waste is diverted from landfills and recycled.
• Signage is placed throughout the building to showcase the green strategies implemented.
• Periodic events, such as Earth Week celebration, include such initiatives as providing occupant surveys for transportation and comfort, staff-wide e-waste and recycling drives, as well as forums to teach about LEED principles and the importance of working in a green building.
“At Office Depot, we not only support our customers in achieving their sustainability goals, but also work to decrease our own environmental impact,” says Rob Koch, executive vice president of business development for Office Depot, Inc. “We are proud to receive the Gold LEED Re-Certification for our global headquarters. The green features and elements of our corporate campus are good for the environment, and also impact the thousands of people who work in and visit our building every day.”
Office Depot partnered with LEED consultant TangibleGreen, Inc. to manage the project.
Office Depot, Inc. has approximately 1,800 retail stores operating under several banner brands including Office Depot, OfficeMax, Grand & Toy and Viking.
For more information, visit http://news.officedepot.com.
SOURCE: Office Depot, Inc.