Sustainability

Sarasota, Fla. -- Taubman Centers celebrates two milestones for The Mall at University Town Center in Sarasota, Florida.

Oct. 16 marks the one year anniversary for the property and it has recently been named “Best Retail Development, Florida” by the International Property Awards and on.

Twenty-year Walmart veteran Laura Phillips is set to become the company's senior VP of sustainability, effective Jan. 1, according to GreenBiz. Manuel Gomez, who previously held the title, has accepted a new position with Walmart de Mexico and Central America as VP of strategy for e-commerce, the report said.

BrandsMart USA is giving its store in West Palm Beach, Florida, a comprehensive energy-efficient retrofit without tapping into its own capital.

The chain is the recipient of low-cost financing for the retrofit through the Florida Green Energy Works Program. BrandsMart received $2.225 million from a private investor for the project, which will include new HVAC systems, energy-efficient lighting and a new roof.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized Stater Bros. Markets with its GreenChill Partnership's "Best Emissions Rate" award.

The honor recognizes the supermarket chain for maintaining the lowest corporate-wide refrigerant emissions rate among large retail GreenChill partners — some 10,800 stores in all — in 2014. It is the third time Stater Bros. Markets has been recognized with this distinction.

Photo by Dominic Savini

For honeygrow founder Justin Rosenberg, the idea was simple: create a business based on his passion for fresh, healthy, wholesome and interesting food.

Subway has upped its commitment to sustainability. As a part of the restaurant chain's ongoing goal to make its restaurants and operations more socially responsible, the company has made LED lighting the standard for all new and remodeled restaurants. The upgrade will provide energy-efficient lighting that, in 2014 with a small percentage of stores participating, saved 21.9 million kilowatt hours – enough energy to power 1,996 households in a single year.

After a new donation pledge from Publix Super Markets, the international nonprofit Habitat for Humanity will be able to build 40 new houses in 2016 in the Southeast, where Publix serves all of its customers.

Location: Fort Worth, Texas

Size: 63-acre mixed-use development, 175,000 sq. ft. to 200,000 sq. ft. of retail space and riverside restaurants, 20 acres of multi-family and townhomes, 200,000 sq. ft. of office space, and a signature hotel site

Owner: Trademark Property Co. Key Tenants: Whole Foods Market, REI, Taco Diner, Zoes Kitchen, Blaze Fire’d Pizza and Sleep Train