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Office Depot announced further achievements in the area of environmental sustainability and performance. The Company will both build and open its first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified retail store in Austin, Texas in mid-2008. The LEED Green Building Rating System(TM) is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.
Simultaneously, Office Depot continues to refine its master set of drawings and specifications that comprise its store prototype and will investigate having the format LEED-certified as well. Office Depot has already piloted the green building design concept of "daylight harvesting" in its Greensboro, NC store. This concept removes, on average, 250,000 lbs of carbon and greenhouse gases from the environment each year through high-performance daylighting.
Office Depot is already a leader in the area of green construction, having achieved the following during 2006:
Saved nearly 66 million kWh of electricity due to energy efficiency and conservation efforts in North American warehouses and stores;
"Office Depot has successfully implemented a number of
environmental construction initiatives over the past few years," said
Edward Costa, Vice President of Construction for Office Depot. "We see
both our membership in the U.S. Green Building Council and our
long-term strategy of having a retail store prototype LEED-certified
as examples of Office Depot's environmental vision to increasingly buy
green, be green and sell green." Staples, along with the City of
Miami and MK Real Estate Group, will host a groundbreaking event for
Miami's first green retail building registered with the U.S. Green
Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED). The event will take place at the Staples store building site
located at 2121 Biscayne Boulevard, on Fri., Sept. 28 at 11 a.m.,
where Mayor Manny Diaz and Staples Regional Vice President Royce Reed
will celebrate the City's progress in sustaining its future through
eco-friendly practices. "Building green is smart growth and with partners like Staples,
the City of Miami can achieve its goal of becoming a model city for
sustainable living," said Miami Mayor Manny Diaz. MK Real Estate Group is building the 2121 Biscayne Boulevard
Staples store in compliance with LEED silver certification standards.
If accomplished, this building will be the first LEED-certified retail
store in the City of Miami, and the first store of its kind for
Staples. "It's wonderful to see a company like Staples making a commitment
to green building," said Tom Hicks, vice president of LEED, U.S. Green
Building Council. "Green buildings are environmentally responsible,
healthier for the building's users and employees and are more
profitable structures." LEED certification is a voluntary independent green building
rating system. Buildings meeting LEED standards minimize negative
environmental impacts and maximize energy efficiency and
sustainability. Criteria evaluated for LEED certification include
sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials
and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design
process. "Staples is committed to sustainable business practices throughout
our organization, and we make it easy for customers to make a
difference for the environment - what we call EcoEasy," said Royce
Reed, regional vice president of sales and operations for Staples
stores in South Florida. "Sustainable building design helps us
conserve natural resources, reduce waste and create a healthier
environment for our local communities. It's also good, smart business.
When completed, the 2121 Biscayne Staples will make it easy for
customers to get the office products and services they need, including
many eco-friendly products and recycling offerings." Building a green store in South Florida is one of Staples many
eco-friendly practices, which also include recycling, offering a wide
assortment of eco-friendly products, investing in energy efficiency
and renewable energy and educating customers and associates about
sustainability. Through its EcoEasy commitment, Staples makes it easy
for customers to make a difference for the environment by offering
more than 2,900 recycled-content products and providing everyday,
in-store recycling for computers, office technology, personal
electronics and ink and toner cartridges. For more on Staples
environmental initiatives, please visit www.staples.com/ecoeasy. "We are very pleased to be a part of both Staples' and the Mayor's
commitment to green initiatives by building a store that will continue
to provide long-term economic, social and environmental benefits,"
says Bill Biondi, president of MK Real Estate Group. "Our goal is to
provide a healthy environment for Staples and the surrounding
neighborhood for years to come." The store's green design will help:
-- Improve energy performance and reduce "heat island effect"
contributing to higher city temperatures through a highly
reflective roofing system;
-- Reduce the strain on municipal water and Florida aquifer
reserves by collecting rainwater through rooftop gutter
systems and installing waterless urinals and low-flow toilets;
-- Preserve non-renewable, virgin resources by using drywall,
steel, concrete, bathroom partitions, carpet and parking stops
made from recycled materials;
-- Protect and restore habitats by landscaping with 100 percent
native plants and shrubs;
-- Encourage alternative transportation by installing bike racks
and showers;
-- Lead recycling efforts by having on-site recycling for paper,
plastic, glass, and cardboard, in addition to computer,
electronics and ink cartridge recycling offered by Staples
stores every day.
