King Kullen Marking Earth Day

In honor of Earth Day, which this year falls on April 22, King Kullen Grocery Co. is providing shoppers with advice on how to lower their own energy and water consumption, such as replacing standard light bulbs with LED bulbs, turning off lights and unplugging devices upon leaving a room, recycling paper and bottles, and taking shorter showers and not letting the water run when brushing their teeth.

As a way to get children interested in the annual observance, the grocer suggested making Earth Day Crayons using a tutorial pinned to its "Earth Day" Pinterest board or an Egg Carton Tree containing recycled materials, and also offered fun recipes for Earth Day-themed cookies and cupcakes.

Beyond Earth Day, the company prides itself on being energy-efficient year-round, through such ongoing improvements as installing LED lighting in all of its store cases. According to Steve Mitchell, King Kullen’s director of mechanical engineering, the new lighting reduces energy up to 90 percent versus fluorescent bulbs, emits no heat, lasts longer, cuts down on HVAC costs, contains no chemicals and emits no UV light. Additionally, every store now features high-efficient energy bulbs.

On hot days, King Kullen dims its store lights to save energy and relieve pressure on the power supply, without reducing refrigeration, so food quality and safety is ensured. "During the summer months, we also take care to avoid operating heavy equipment which drains energy, such as our balers and compactors, and we have them turned off at an earlier time each night," added VP of Store Operations Jeff Prince.

Further, the grocer has teamed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's GreenChill program, winning Superior Goal Achievement and Exceptional Goal Achievement awards two years in a row for reducing refrigerant emissions.

Bethpage, N.Y.-based King Kullen operates 37 supermarkets and five Wild by Nature stores across New York’s Long Island.