Office Depot Opens First Green Store

Delray Beach, Fla. Office Depot is opening in Austin, Texas, its first "Green" store on Thursday.

Office Depot’s "Green" store, which is pre-certified to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards by the U.S. Green Building Council, will use less energy and water in its daily operations, increase recycling and leave a much smaller overall environmental footprint than the typical store of its size.

"We took a series of innovative green design elements used in Office Depot store locations across the country and brought them together in our new store prototype," said Ed Costa, VP of construction for Office Depot. "Through the construction phase of this prototype design we used a wide range of greener building products and practices."

The location will have T5 energy-efficient lighting, which is over 30% more efficient than traditional, incandescent lighting, the company said. In addition, the store will have over 50 active skylights that adjust with the path of the sun and provide natural light to over 90% of the store, as well as solar panels on the roof.