News
Fla. Subway store receives LEED certification
December 3, 2008
MILFORD, Conn. — A Subway Eco-Store in Kissimmee, Fla., is the chain's first store to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver certification. As part of the chain's commitment to make its restaurants and operations more environmentally accountable, there are currently five Subway Eco-Stores open and operating, three of which are currently pending LEED certification.
The Subway Eco-Stores are built following U.S. Green Building Council guidelines. LEED is a third-party certification program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
The elements of the Kissimmee Eco-Store include:
- High efficiency heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems
- Remote condensing units for refrigeration and ice-making equipment
- Day lighting and controls for high efficiency lighting
- LED interior and exterior signs
- Low-flow water fixtures and
- Building and decor materials from sustainable source
The restaurant construction included extensive use of recycled products and furnishings and an increased emphasis on recycling in customer areas.
The Kissimmee location opened in November 2007 and is providing an opportunity for the brand to measure and compare energy and water saving principles against a duplicate non-eco Subway restaurant three miles away. While it is too early to provide comparative information, preliminary figures show that the Eco-Store enjoys an energy savings of about 20 percent, according to a news release.
"Our Eco-Store program is just one area where we are trying to make our restaurants and operations more environmentally accountable," said Bill Schettini, chief marketing officer for the Subway chain. "As a worldwide chain, we have also taken steps to reduce packaging and develop more energy efficient distribution practices. We are proud of the efforts we have made, but we also recognize that there is much more to do."
Two new Eco-Stores opened recently in Chapel Hill, N.C., and La Place, La. The store in La Place was constructed by the franchisee to replace one of her four stores destroyed by Hurricane Katrina three years ago. The other Eco-Stores are in St. Helens and Keizer Station, Ore.
In addition, there are several more in various stages of planning and development plus a number of other Subway franchisees who have incorporated various eco-elements into their own stores.
"Sustainability is something that our customers, as well as those of us associated with Subway, expect of the brand," said La Place Eco-Store franchisee Rajender Pannu. "I felt it was important to rebuild my first store as an Eco-Store, so we can meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Whether it is our environmentally friendly store in La Place, or working with suppliers on reducing energy consumption and our environmental footprint, we are all trying to do our part to make a positive impact in this world."
Related Media
Subscribe
Get the latest news and resources from QSR Web.
