Office Depot Announces Major Environmental Initiative to Open Sustainable Retail Stores

Office Depot , a leading global provider of office products and services, today announced that the Company will pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Commercial Interiors (CI) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for all new Office Depot retail stores, beginning in June 2010. LEED CI is the recognized system for certifying high-performance green interiors that are healthy, productive places to work; are less costly to operate and maintain; and have a reduced environmental footprint. Realizing that the Company does not always have control of the building -- especially when occupying an existing site -- Office Depot will make sustainable choices wherever possible and seek LEED CI certification.

14 new Office Depot store locations will be LEED CI certified, starting with the Company's newest location in Austin, TX, which is scheduled to open in June 2010. At each of these locations, Office Depot will look to mirror the impressive energy and monetary savings seen at Office Depot's first LEED Gold-Certified store in Austin, TX, which opened in April 2008.

Office Depot LEED CI Green Store Highlights

Features of all new Office Depot LEED CI certified stores will include:

-- Preferred parking designated for low-emitting, fuel efficient vehicles and carpooling.

-- Skylights (where applicable) will be used to harvest daylight for 90% of the store.

-- Reflective roof which features a membrane that helps to prevent absorption of the heat from the sun and keeps the interior of the store much cooler.

-- Energy Star rated HVAC equipment that exceeds ASHRAE standards.

-- T5 energy-efficient lighting, which is over 30% more efficient than typical retail lighting and will contribute to over 20% reduction in energy use.

-- Daylight and occupancy sensors which reduce energy use.

-- Water conservation interior fixtures, including tankless instant hot water heaters, low flush toilets, low flow urinals, and automatic shutoff sensors in restrooms that will use over 30% less water than the typical facility.

-- Construction waste that will be recycled when waste recycling is available.

-- Construction materials that consist of at least 10% recycled content.

-- Wood, 50% of which will come from well managed forests verified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

-- All interior finishes are made up low VOC emitting materials and finishes.

-- Green Power purchases supplementing electrical use.

-- An Energy Management System that allows tracking of energy usage and trends from one central location.

-- 100% Energy Star rated building equipment and appliances.

-- Office supplies, technology and furniture featuring a range of green attributes, including recycled content, remanufactured, Energy Star rated and non-toxic.

-- An in-store Recycling Center with environmental solutions including Office Depot Ink and Toner Cartridge Recycling, Tech Recycling Service and Cell Phone and Rechargeable Battery Recycling.

US Retailer Food Lion to open first green store

US Retailer Food Lion (South Carolina) is planning to open the first green store of the formula and the first LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) grocery store in the region.

The store 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.By building the first LEED grocery store they plan to reduce energy costs by more than 20 per cent compared to a typical supermarket as well as conserve 44 per cent more water than other Food Lion stores.

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 per cent since 2000 or 2.5 trillion BTUs.”Food Lion’s first green store is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2009 and will provide employment for approximately 50 associates. Food Lion currently operates 145 South Carolina stores and employs more than 7,600 associates in the state.

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