Sustainability

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney has secured Energy Star certifications in over 500 stores, one supply chain facility and its home office, far surpassing the company’s initial goal of having 400 locations certified by the end of 2013. (The Environmental Protection Agency awards Energy Star certification to buildings that rank within the top 25% of similar commercial buildings nationwide by meeting strict energy performance levels set by the EPA.)

EMERYVILLE, Calif. -- Whole Food Market will open its seventh San Francisco location — and 31st in the Bay Area — on Nov. 6. The store is the company’s 31st in the Bay Area.

“We’ll have all our regular healthy and über-local food options, plus some cool new services like a shoeshine station, fresh cut-to-order honeycomb, a Paleo bar, an oyster shuck pop-up and a coffee bar close to the entrance, so it’s easy to grab a cup while you’re waiting for the bus,” said Paula Richmond, store team leader.

Raymore, Mo. — Sam’s Club has opened its newest club in Raymore, Mo. Relocated from Grandview, the new 136,000-sq.-ft. warehouse club will anchor the Raymore Galleria.

The new club will feature a Fresh Bakery, Tire and Battery Center, Optical Center, Pharmacy, Hearing Aid Center, Café and Fuel Station.

Grand Rapids, Mich. -- Meijer announced that it is now operating one of the largest all-clean diesel fleets in North America. As part of its ongoing green initiatives, the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer's fleet utilized innovative technology to improve fuel efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint by nearly 60% since it first began implementing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2010 near-zero emissions standards three years ago.

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores plans to open as many as 110 stores in China between 2014 and 2016, as well as several new Sam’s Club locations there. The new stores will employ as many as 19,000 people.

Mooresville, N.C. - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded Lowe's Companies, Inc. the highest honors for industry leadership in its SmartWay and WaterSense programs. On Oct. 22, Lowe's received the 2013 SmartWay Excellence Award for its environmental performance in the freight transportation industry. This month, the EPA also recognized Lowe's with a 2013 WaterSense Sustained Excellence award for its long-standing efforts to educate consumers about water-efficient products and practices.

Rocky Mount, N.C. - QVC has opened a second solar farm comprising 11,564 panels on 11 acres at the Rocky Mount Distribution Center owned by QVC Rocky Mount, Inc. Now generating 5.8 million kilowatt-hours per year, this latest addition brings the combined total number of panels at the site to 17,244 over 18 acres. The first field of 5,680 solar panels on seven acres of land was completed in November 2008.

Watters Creek, in Allen, Texas, began life in a 2005 focus group with two-dozen women from Allen.

Organized by the property’s developer Trademark Property Co., the focus group asked participants what they would like to see in this new mixed-use center. What should it offer? What should it look like? What do you need in Allen, Texas?

Cheshire, Conn. -- Macy's and Bloom Energy announced that an innovative clean electricity generation system has been installed at Macy’s online fulfillment center in Cheshire, Conn. The servers, from Bloom Energy, use an advanced solid oxide fuel cell technology to produce electricity on-site.

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot, in partnership with TriplePundit and CSRwire, will convene a “Twitter Chat” on environmental transparency on Oct. 24, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. EST.

The chat will be hosted by Yalmaz Siddiqui, senior director of environmental strategy at Office Depot. To register, send the following tweet: Join me for the #transparency chat with @officedepot @yalmazsiddiqui @triplepundit @csrwire on Oct. 24.