More supermarkets certified by Green Building Initiative

Portland, Oregon -- The Green Building Initiative announced a wave of Green Globes certifications for new supermarkets across the nation. The properties include New Seasons Markets in Oregon, and Whole Foods Market, Price Chopper, Aldi’s, Harris Teeter, Wegmans, and Publix stores across the country.



“Grocers’ need for refrigeration make energy-efficient construction and operations especially critical, both from an environmental and an economic standpoint,” said Jerry Yudelson, president of Green Building Initiative. “Green Globes is ideal for retail environments because of its integration with the Energy Star program — which includes supermarkets as a building occupancy category — and because it accommodates different building scenarios by not applying penalties for features that aren’t applicable,” said Jerry Yudelson, president of the Green Building Initiative.



To date, nearly 50 Whole Foods stores have been certified or are now in the Green Globes process. In 2013 Whole Foods Market expanded its sustainability efforts by taking its first existing building through Green Globes, a store in the Hollywood district of Portland, Oregon, which earned a Three Green Globes Rating.



“If you’re looking for ways to reduce your building footprint or wondering where your facility stands on the green spectrum, this [Green Globes] process has a lot of merit,” Whole Foods Market Pacific Northwest Region construction manager Bob Gordon said. “The comprehensive evaluation looked at both how the building was built and is operated. It will help us piece together a preventative maintenance program for the whole region. In the long-term, the Green Globes suggestions save money and enhance the facility.”



The Green Globes certification process also incorporates the EPA’s GreenChill Store Certification Program for food retailers, which recognizes individual stores for using environmentally friendlier commercial refrigeration systems. Stores also can achieve certification under GreenChill itself.



The GBI is a nonprofit organization and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standards Developer dedicated to accelerating the adoption of green building practices.