News

California McDonald's awarded LEED Gold certification

January 12, 2012

A Riverside, Calif., McDonald's restaurant operated by McSpi Inc. turned its Golden Arches green in late 2010 after an extensive remodeling effort aimed to achieve eco-friendly features.

The unit was officially certified LEED Gold this week by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The restaurant, owned by Tom and Candace Spiel, is the first McDonald's west of the Mississippi, and the fourth in the U.S., to receive the Gold certification. Other LEED-certified McDonald's restaurants are located in Cary, N.C., Savannah, Ga., and Chicago.

LEED is the U.S. Green Building Council's rating system for designing and constructing the greenest, most energy efficient and high performing buildings. LEED is a system where building projects earn points for satisfying specific green building criteria. The five categories include sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality.

The restaurant is the first LEED Gold-certified restaurant in Riverside. The building, which is 44 years old, was completely rebuilt and reopened in October 2010 to include features such as low flow plumbing fixtures, recycled denim insulation inside the building, native drought tolerant plants to reduce water consumption by landscape and solar panels.

The restaurant also includes an interactive touchscreen display for visitors to learn about the building's features, environmental sustainability, and how individuals can reduce their carbon footprint.

With the installation of these features, the Riverside McDonald's restaurant has achieved the following savings:

• The restaurant's solar array has generated electrical energy which saves approximately 8,950 kWH per month of utility usage, equal to the power usage of 13 average Riverside homes for one month.
• Increased efficiencies such as low-E glass windows and LED lighting helped realize an additional energy savings of 2,870 kWH per month, which is equal to an additional four Riverside homes.
• Saved approximately 250,000 gallons of water, which is equal to the water of eight 20-by-40-foot swimming pools.
• Due to permeable pavers, about 283,000 gallons of rainfall water is diverted from storm water system per year which is equal to the water of nine 20-by-40-foot swimming pools.

"We are honored to receive this gold certification from LEED, which underscores our rigorous sustainability initiatives," said Candace Spiel. "We are proud of the many eco-friendly features included in our restaurant and the shining example of environmental stewardship it provides to the Riverside community."

Read more about sustainability.