Whole Foods in Lake Grove Garners Numerous Environmental Accolades

Whole Foods Market's store in Lake Grove has become the first grocery store in the United States to be awarded with both a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council as well as a Three Green Globe certification from the Green Building Initiative, the company said in a statement this week.

The store opened in March and met building and energy efficiency standards during construction to receive this commendation.

"Minding the environment comes first and foremost in the design and building of our stores," said Tristam Coffin, Whole Foods Market's green mission specialist in the Northeast region. "Being the first dual-certified store in the nation gives us great motivation to continue being strong environmental stewards and continuing our goal of protecting the environment as our company grows."

The Lake Grove shop earned credits for its LEED Gold and Three Green Globe certification from a variety of sustainable features throughout the pre- and post-construction phases, including its location along a route easily accessible via alternative mode of transportation – mass transit and/or bike and walk – as well as offering preferred parking for customers with Low Emission Vehicles in an effort to support the growth of a sustainable community in Lake Grove.

The store boasts water efficiency fixtures that allowed it to reduce water usage by more than 40 percent from the calculated baseline design fixture performance requirements established by the Energy Policy Act of 1992. More than a 20 percent reduction in lighting power density was achieved over that allowed by the ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1 2004.

According to the USGBC, commercial buildings in the United States consume exorbitant amounts of energy and resources – more than 30 percent of the nation's total energy and 60 percent of our electricity annually.