Township of Pine Giant Eagle(R) and GetGo(R) to Receive LEED(R) Silver-Certification

PITTSBURGH, April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- In the spirit of Earth Day, multi-format retailer Giant Eagle®, Inc. today celebrated its receipt of a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Silver Certification for the Giant Eagle Supermarket and GetGo convenience store and fuel station located at 155 Towne Center Drive in Wexford.  

State officials joined representatives from Giant Eagle at its presentation at the store this morning. The presentation included a $1,000 check presentation from Giant Eagle and GetGo to the Allegheny County Parks Department, for the Latodami Nature Center in North Park, and was followed by store tours and refreshments.

"It's great that we are able to celebrate this recognition so close to Earth Day, an important time of year that we try and honor every day through our wealth of sustainable business practices," said Giant Eagle Vice President of Store Planning, Equipment Buying, Engineering and Construction, Kevin Shelton.  "Our now five LEED-certified stores -- four supermarkets and one fuel station and convenience store -- underscore Giant Eagle's commitment to environmental responsibility.  It is a continuation of our work thus far, and a step toward future initiatives."  

The Township of Pine Giant Eagle is the company's fourth LEED-certified supermarket.  In December 2004, Giant Eagle opened the first LEED-certified supermarket in the world in Brunswick, Ohio near Cleveland.  Since then, Giant Eagle has also been awarded LEED certification for its Shadyside Market District and New Albany (Columbus) Giant Eagle.  The LEED-certified certification of the Township of Pine GetGo marks the company's first fuel and convenience store location to receive such an honor.  It is also the first of its kind in the entire western Pennsylvania region and one of the first nationally.

LEED is a national green building rating system administered by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). To earn certification, a building project must meet certain prerequisites and performance benchmarks ("credits") within each category.  Projects are awarded Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum certification depending on the number of credits they achieve.  

The LEED Silver-certified Township of Pine Giant Eagle features:

• Naturally beautiful light -- 115 skylights integrated with the electrical lights, to deliver daylight to the store while offering a consistent lighting level and minimizing electricity usage;

• Fresh air -- Air quality is improved by the use of adhesives, sealants, paints, carpeting and wood products that are low in volatile organic compounds; the store uses cleaning products that meet the standards of Green Seal®, a national rating system for healthy cleaning and maintenance products;

• Water conservation -- Parking lot landscaping has been planted with drought-tolerant vegetation that requires no irrigation;

• Greater energy savings -- The store is designed to consume less energy than comparable, conventionally designed supermarkets, with all of the store's electricity offset by green energy sources;

• Energy Efficient Roofing -- A highly reflective white roof, which reduces the amount absorbed compared to typical black roofing;

• Cleaner atmosphere -- The store uses no-ozone-depleting refrigerants in its refrigeration and cooling systems;

• Recycling and recycled materials -- A majority of construction waste, such as steel and drywall, was sent to various companies for reuse.  Nearly all wood used in the site is harvested from sustainable sources.  Additionally, the store captures cardboard, plastic film, bottles, cans, paper, used cooking oils and proteins for recycling on an ongoing basis. And, like at the majority of Giant Eagle locations, Township of Pine Giant Eagle customers are encouraged to return used plastic bags for recycling.

Sustainable features of the GetGo include alternative fuels, daylighting and fresh air from building materials and cleaners that are environmentally friendly. The E85 alternative fuel offering can be pumped into flex fuel vehicles as an alternative to conventional gasoline.

The USGBC launched the LEED program in 2000 to promote integrated, whole-building design practices and to establish a common standard of measurement to define green building.  The centerpiece of the program is the LEED Green Building Rating System, a voluntary scorecard for buildings with "credit" awarded for specified green building criteria.  The system has become a nationally accepted benchmark for measuring the "greenness" of a project.

Celebrating the spirit of Earth Day, Giant Eagle builds on sustainable practice

Since 1992, Giant Eagle, Inc. has worked to help the organization and its multiple banners save energy, recycle packaging, and support long-term environmental initiatives.  Many of the processes and specifications of Giant Eagle's LEED stores have already been incorporated in supermarkets and convenience stores, including high-efficiency lighting, the purchase of wind energy, as well as the use of white roofing, and occupancy sensors.

The LEED designation builds on Giant Eagle's commitment to responsible resource use, as the company has been recognized repeatedly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) and with the ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year Award (2004, 2005) for adopting smart and efficient energy practices.  Additionally, as a partner of the Environmental Protection Agency's GreenChill and Green Power initiatives, Giant Eagle is among the leaders in both sustainable refrigeration practices and in its renewable energy efforts. The company currently purchases 17 million kWh of renewable energy electricity annually. Other recognitions include:

• Progressive Grocer Magazine Green Grocer Hall of Fame Inductee - 2010
• First, heavy-duty diesel engines certified for 2010 by both EPA and the California Air Resources Board
• American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) Business Leadership Recycling Award - 2009
• Ranked #13 on the October 2009 EPA Green Power Top 20 Retail List  
• International Carwash Association's (ICA) "WaterSavers" Program - 2009 member
• EPA GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership awards for environmental achievement and emissions reduction - August 2009
• EPA SmartWay Partner - March 2009

In 2009, Giant Eagle recycled more than 124 million pounds of materials, including cardboard, paper, plastic film, cooking oils and proteins, and continues to sell attractive, reusable bags for eco-conscious shopping at all stores.

About Giant Eagle, Inc.

Giant Eagle, Inc., ranked 40 on Forbes magazine's largest private corporations list and recipient of Grocery Headquarters' 2007 Retailer of the Year Award and the EPA's ENERGY STAR Retail Partner of the Year Award, is one of the nation's largest multi-format food retailers and food distributors with approximately $8.2 billion in annual sales.  Founded in 1931, Giant Eagle, Inc. has grown to be the number one supermarket retailer in the region with 164 corporate and 58 independently owned and operated supermarkets in addition to 155 fuel and convenience stores throughout western Pennsylvania, Ohio, north central West Virginia and Maryland. The company operates stores under the Giant Eagle, Market District, Giant Eagle Express, Valu King and GetGo banners.  

SOURCE Giant Eagle