Sustainability

Frisco, Texas -- The City of Frisco executed a Memorandum of Understanding with Forest City Development and its partner, Ernest Mahard Jr. to develop a 320-acre mixed-use development on the southwest corner of the Dallas North Tollway and U.S. Highway 380. 

Bounded by Virginia Parkway and County Road 26, this development will encompass retail, residential, office, entertainment, hospitality, municipal parks and services. 

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney Co. announced Thursday that it will up its participation in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program to 400 stores by the end of 2013. Energy Star certification is awarded to buildings that rank within the top 25% of similar commercial buildings nationwide by meeting strict energy performance levels set by the EPA.

J.C. Penney has a companywide goal to reduce facility energy use 20% by 2015.

Chicago -- As part of its $114.8 million federal stimulus grant to construct the country’s electric vehicle (EV) charging station infrastructure, ECOtality said Thursday it has chosen Jones Lang LaSalle’s Corporate Retail Solutions team to assist in location selection, conduct due diligence and negotiate contracts with potential host locations throughout EV Project regions to install ECOtality’s Blink EV Chargers.

Indianapolis -- KFC is looking to earn LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for its newest restaurant in Indianapolis. The building is designed to use 25% less energy and water than a conventional KFC restaurant. It features energy-efficient cooking equipment, LED lighting, locally sourced building materials, recycling for cooking oil and plastics, fixtures designed for lower water use, and parking preference for hybrid vehicles.

With a subtitle of “The Unlikely Story of Wal Mart’s Green Revolution,” this book, by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Edward Humes, is a must-read for anyone who remains doubtful that going green can actually be profitable.

Click here to learn more.

Wilmington, N.C. -- Efficient Energy America (E2America) announced that Platinum Corral, a multi-state franchise operator of Golden Corral restaurants, has signed an agreement to install the supplier’s intelligent heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) control system in all 30 of its stores.

Centennial, Col. -- Ikea on Tuesday officially plugged-in the solar energy system installed at its upcoming location in Centennial, Col. (the 415,000-sq.-ft. store is due to open on July 27).

The 60,000-sq.-ft. array consists of a 498-kW system, built with 2,212 panels. It will produce approximately 740,000 kWh of electricity annually, the equivalent of reducing at least 564 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), eliminating the emissions of 100 cars or powering 62 homes yearly.

New York City -- Smith’s Food & Drug Stores, a division of Kroger Co., has been recognized by the Utah Association of Energy Users as a leader in conservation and energy-use efficiency, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

The chain, which received the “Outstanding Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Conservation” award on Wednesday at the 26th Annual Western States Energy Conference in Salt Lake City, was recognized for retrofitting its 132 stores in seven states with more efficient energy systems.