Dunkin' Donuts' first "green" restaurant, located in St. Petersburg, Fla., has achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
Dunkin' Donuts joined the USGBC in 2008 and is part of LEED's Retail Pilot Program. To earn a LEED certification, specific benchmarks must be achieved for design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.
The company is targeting LEED certification when it breaks ground on a second green restaurant in St. Petersburg later this year.
The first restaurant serves as a prototype for future projects and remodels. It features:
- Energy-efficient insulated concrete foam walls, which reduces air conditioning usage by about 40 percent;
- Energy-efficient lighting, including motion sensors for restrooms and offices;
- Water-efficient plumbing fixtures;
- Low-flush toilets;
- The usage of well water instead of potable water for all irrigation;
- A Reusable Mug Program – customers are encouraged to bring their own mug, and will receive a discount toward the purchase of a beverage.
- Paper Hot Cups - hot drinks are served in paper cups made from renewable resources.
- Food Donation – leftover baked goods are donated to America’s Second Harvest, a local food bank.
- Green Cleaning – cleaning products meet LEED requirements and California Air Resources Board (CARB) standards.
- Used Coffee Ground Composting. Through a partnership with Mother’s Organics (www.mothersorganics.com,) the restaurant has composted more than 50,000 pounds of used coffee grounds and paper products since opening in 2008.
"At Dunkin’ Donuts we are committed to growing our business in a way that is both achievable and sustainable for our franchisees, our company, the communities we proudly serve and the environment,” said Nigel Travis, Dunkin' Donuts president. “On behalf of our franchisee, we are very proud to have achieved Silver LEED certification, and believe that the lessons we have learned from this restaurant will help us as we continue to evolve our sustainable best practices."
