Coffee giant in environmental milestone

Starbucks Corp. has opened its 1,000th LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) location.



The store, in Ames, Iowa, uses LED lighting to decrease energy use by 30%. Water use was reduced by more than 50% due to low flow sinks and other equipment.



Starbucks has LEED-certified stores in 20 countries and was the first retailer with buildings certified in France, Germany, Spain, Thailand and the Philippines. Starbucks stores currently make up 20% of LEED-certified retail projects globally.



“Sustainability is a key element of our approach to design at Starbucks. Our teams have worked hard to design, construct and operate our stores to meet LEED requirements on a global scale, as we continue to push the envelope of what our stores can be in the future,” said Tony Gale, Starbucks corporate architect.



Gale is one of the recipient of the United States Green Building Council 2016 Leadership Awards, an annual recognition of the outstanding individuals and organizations at the forefront of the green building movement.



Gale was honored for his long-time collaboration with USGBC and his dedication to expanding Starbuck’s sustainability model.USGBC noted that “Gale has uncovered new ways to achieve greater energy and water savings at each store, seeking to source ingredients and materials locally and addressing issues of transportation and location along the way.”