3 Stop & Shop Stores Get LEED Silver Certification

Stop & Shop stores in Hyannis, Hyde Park and Wayland, Mass., have each received Leadership in Energy and Efficient Design (LEED) Silver certification from the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. LLC has a total of 13 LEED-certified superstores, four of them Silver.

All three locations implemented storm water management techniques to treat stormwater runoff and remove pollutants. The Hyannis store employed permeable pavers and bio filtration islands in the parking lots to reduce and treat runoff, and, through low-impact development (LID) techniques, the Wayland store significantly reduced the quantity of storm water runoff leaving the site, lessening runoff impacts to surrounding areas.

In the area of lighting, the Hyannis' store’s site-lighting design reduced light trespass and minimized the negative effects of nighttime light pollution.

The Wayland location was the first to achieve the LEED credit for On-Site Renewable Energy, with its 627 photovoltaic roof panels that use the sun’s energy to generate electricity for the store. The panels generate renewable energy that offsets 12.6 percent of the store's total energy costs and also lowers carbon emissions. Additionally, the location was the second to install a state-of-the-art carbon dioxide refrigeration system that boosts energy efficiency by about 40 percent and reduces global-warming impacts by almost 50 percent.

All three stores used an average of 26 percent recycled content materials, 45 percent percent regional materials and nearly 90 percent certified wood. Along with standard environmentally friendly interior materials used by Stop & Shop's parent company, Ahold, the Hyde Park and Hyannis locations installed ceiling and wall systems that met rigorous indoor air-quality standards.

As well as building LEED-certified stores, Stop & Shop is cutting energy consumption in all stores as part of its aim to reduce its carbon footprint by 20 percent by 2015, using 2008 as a baseline. The grocer is also reducing its cardboard, plastic, organic and food waste, with the goal of reaching zero waste by 2020, at which time at least 90 percent of its total waste will be diverted from landfills.

"We are utilizing innovative green building technologies, and building our new stores according to the LEED standards; this is part of our commitment to environmental stewardship and our promise to be a Better Neighbor," said Joe Kelley, president of the Stop & Shop New England division, reaffirming a companywide goal. "Stop & Shop has been building energy-efficient stores for over 15 years, and we are committed to using less energy in our operations. We are constantly working at reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and the environmental impact of our operations on the communities we serve."

There are four levels of LEED certifications: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. The number of points a project earns determines the level of certification that it will receive.

Quincy, Mass.-based Stop & Shop employs more than 59,000 associates and operates 395 stores throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey.