Cub Foods Hopes for LEED Gold

(Oct. 14) Cub Foods is upping the ante when it comes to its commitment to the environment by opening its first green supermarket.

The new location, in Phalen, Minn., has been built with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification in mind.

It features 44 skylights that will be controlled by a GPS system that can track and redirect sunlight. The lights are expected to provide a 14% energy savings for the store, according to a company statement.

LED lights illuminate the parking lot, and will be placed in the store’s refrigerated cases. Thee lights are expected to “provide energy savings of 50%, an average of approximately 6,500 a year,” said Scott Reinke, the grocer’s senior project manager.

The grocer also plans to cut water waste through a landscape irrigation system and drought-resistant plants. These additions will reduce the store’s water consumption by 50%, Cub reported.

The supermarket is also guaranteeing that 75% of the construction waste will not end up in landfills. All leftover materials will be recycled into new materials.

Cub is hoping Phalen store will achieve LEED Gold certification.