Buehler’s Recognized with Two GreenChill Awards
Buehler’s Fresh Food Supermarkets received two U.S. Environmental Protection Agency GreenChill Partnership Awards; one for lowering its refrigerant emissions rate the most out of all supermarkets and one for meeting its refrigerant emissions goal for 2013.
“GreenChill is pleased to honor Buehler’s Fresh Foods with its second GreenChill Most Improved Emissions Rate award and Superior Goal Achievement award,” said Tom Land, GreenChill program manager. “Buehler’s achieved two notable feats in 2013. First they achieved a larger reduction in their refrigerant emissions rate versus 2012 levels than any other GreenChill partner. Second, Buehler’s has achieved a larger reduction in their emissions rate compared to their first year in the partnership than any other partner.”
About the awards, Becky Foster, Buehler’s VP construction and maintenance, said that “…this is just one of many environmental and sustainability issues we address as a company. We were innovators in the 1970’s by reclaiming the heat generated from our refrigeration compressors to heat our stores. In recent years, we have undertaken many projects to decrease electricity usage, including evolving light technologies, refrigeration innovations, and recycling programs both within Buehler’s and for the communities we serve. We recycle food waste into our Buehler’s Bagged Compost sold in our stores and at select ACE Hardware stores in the region. Buehler’s demonstrates its commitment to environmentally responsible behavior through its actions.”
Buehler’s received the awards during the EPA GreenChill Partnership 2014 award ceremony that was held recently at the Food Marketing Institute Energy & Store Development Conference in St. Louis. The GreenChill Partnership’s purpose is to help supermarkets reduce refrigerant emissions and leak rates by transitioning to environmentally friendlier refrigerants. Currently, 8,000 stores are involved in the GreenChill partnership and according to the EPA, if all supermarkets reduced the leak rates to the GreenChill average, the industry could save $100 million in refrigerant replacement costs as well as reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 27 million metric tons.