Weis Markets’ Hanover, PA., Store Gets GreenChill Silver
Sunbury, Pa.-based regional independent Weis Markets’ Hanover, Pa., store has earned silver certification from the GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership, a voluntary Environmental Protection Agency alliance with food retailers to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease their impact on the ozone layer and climate change.
The store attained the silver by meeting benchmarks for cutting emissions that harm the earth’s protective ozone layer and contribute to global warming. “While we have long focused on ways to conserve energy and lessen the environmental impact of our stores, this project represents an increased commitment on our part,” said David J. Hepfinger, Weis Markets’ president and CEO. “In the coming years, we will look for opportunities to incorporate these technologies into the stores we build or upgrade.”
“This newly remodeled store represents quite an environmental achievement for Weis Markets,” added Keilly Witman, manager of EPA’s GreenChill Partnership. “The silver-level Store Certification award puts them in a select group of environmental best-in-class supermarkets.”
Just 26 of the nation’s grocery stores have received GreenChill store certification awards, according to EPA.
To achieve silver certification, a store must meet stringent environmental criteria, including the following:
—Use refrigerants that don’t damage the Earth’s protective ozone layer
—Reduce the size of its refrigerant charge by at least 50 percent from the industry average
—Lower annual refrigerant emissions to 15 percent or less of total store capacity
—Test refrigeration systems for adherence to GreenChill’s leak-tightness guidelines
“Our Hanover project allowed us to simultaneously improve our store and efficiently reduce the environmental impact of our refrigeration systems,” said Charlie Dinsmore, Weis Markets’ director of engineering and store service.
Weis Markets operates 164 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, and West Virginia.
The store attained the silver by meeting benchmarks for cutting emissions that harm the earth’s protective ozone layer and contribute to global warming. “While we have long focused on ways to conserve energy and lessen the environmental impact of our stores, this project represents an increased commitment on our part,” said David J. Hepfinger, Weis Markets’ president and CEO. “In the coming years, we will look for opportunities to incorporate these technologies into the stores we build or upgrade.”
“This newly remodeled store represents quite an environmental achievement for Weis Markets,” added Keilly Witman, manager of EPA’s GreenChill Partnership. “The silver-level Store Certification award puts them in a select group of environmental best-in-class supermarkets.”
Just 26 of the nation’s grocery stores have received GreenChill store certification awards, according to EPA.
To achieve silver certification, a store must meet stringent environmental criteria, including the following:
—Use refrigerants that don’t damage the Earth’s protective ozone layer
—Reduce the size of its refrigerant charge by at least 50 percent from the industry average
—Lower annual refrigerant emissions to 15 percent or less of total store capacity
—Test refrigeration systems for adherence to GreenChill’s leak-tightness guidelines
“Our Hanover project allowed us to simultaneously improve our store and efficiently reduce the environmental impact of our refrigeration systems,” said Charlie Dinsmore, Weis Markets’ director of engineering and store service.
Weis Markets operates 164 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, and West Virginia.