Cub Foods First Minn. Grocer to Earn First LEED Gold NC2.2 Cert

A Cub Foods supermarket in St. Paul has become the first grocer in Minnesota and only one of three in the nation to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold NC2.2 Certification. Designed in cooperation with project teams from Cub Foods, Supervalu, Oppidan Investment Co. and Kraus Anderson, the high energy-efficient designation was awarded to the store in the Phalen neighborhood of St. Paul, for energy use, lighting, water and material use, as well as the incorporation of other sustainable strategies.

City leaders praised the exceptional commitment Cub Foods has made to the Phalen community, but executives at the Stillwater, Minn.-based Supervalu subsidiary note that the energy-efficient LEED award is just one important part of the regional food retailer’s dedication to “preserving the environment for future generations … supporting the communities where we do business, and contributing to the redevelopment of St. Paul’s East Side,” said Brian Huff, Cub Foods’ president.

Calling the project “a natural fit,” Huff said the Phalen Cub store’s designation is the second-highest that can be achieved for certification, which entails a rigorous process that assigns points for each green feature incorporated into the building. LEED Gold certification is based on a number of sustainable design and construction features that positively influence the project and the broader community.

Among the store’s LEED-friendly features are:

-- 44 skylights that illuminate 75 percent of regularly occupied spaces, using a solar-powered GPS system that tracks and redirects sunlight as needed

-- Half of the waste from buildings torn down on the construction site has been reused in the construction of the new building, or recycled

-- 35 percent savings in lighting costs compared with typical Cub stores

-- A maintenance-free floor eliminating the need for chemicals during the cleaning process

-- A landscape irrigation system that uses 50 percent less water than typical systems

- -75 percent of the building construction waste won’t end up in landfills. Instead, it will be recycled and turned into other useful materials.

“Cub Foods submitted 41 points to the USGBC for LEED Gold consideration,” added Scott Reinke, a senior project manager with Supervalu. “To have all 41 points approved is exceptional in the industry of green building development.”

Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of the Washington-based U.S. Green Building Council, said that with each new LEED-certified building, “We get one step closer to USGBC’s vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation. As the newest member of the LEED family of green buildings, Cub Foods is an important addition to the growing strength of the green building movement.”

Established in 1968 as one of the nation’s first discount grocery stores, Cub Foods was purchased in 1980 by Minneapolis-based Supervalu and currently operates 73 stores in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa.
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