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September 25, 2007
Staples Getting Greener
By Tim Gray, TMCnet Web Editor
Office supply giant Staples is going green with plans to open the city of Miami’s first entirely green retail building.
The world’s largest office products company, along with Miami and MK Real Estate Group, will host the groundbreaking event for the city’s first ever green retail building registered with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
“Building green is smart growth and with partners like Staples, the City of Miami can achieve its goal of becoming a model city for sustainable living,” said Miami Mayor Manny Diaz.
Miami Mayor Manny Diaz and Staples Regional Vice President Royce Reed will preside over the Sept. 28 ground breaking to “celebrate the city’s progress in sustaining its future through eco-friendly practices,” Reed said.
Reed said the building will be in compliance with LEED silver certification standards, and will be the first LEED-certified retail store in the City of Miami, and the first store of its kind for Staples.
The eco-friendly design is expected to improve energy performance and reduce “heat island effect” contributing to higher city temperatures through a highly reflective roofing system. The design will also reduce the strain on municipal water and Florida aquifer reserves by collecting rainwater through rooftop gutter systems and installing waterless urinals and low-flow toilets.
Tom Hicks, vice president of LEED U.S. Green Building Council, said the sustained green planning helps preserve non-renewable, virgin resources by using drywall, steel, concrete, bathroom partitions, carpet and parking stops made from recycled materials.
"Green buildings are environmentally responsible, healthier for the building's users and employees and are more profitable structures," said Hicks.
LEED certification is a voluntary independent green building rating system. Buildings meeting LEED standards minimize negative environmental impacts and maximize energy efficiency and sustainability. Criteria evaluated for LEED certification include sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design process.
"It's wonderful to see a company like Staples making a commitment to green building," said Hicks.
Building a green store in South Florida is only one of Staples many eco-friendly practices, according to Reed. Other efforts include recycling, offering a wide assortment of eco-friendly products, investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy and educating customers and associates about sustainability.
“Staples is committed to sustainable business practices throughout our organization, and we make it easy for customers to make a difference for the environment – what we call EcoEasy,” Reed said.
Tim Gray is a Web Editor for TMCnet, covering news in the IP communications, call center and customer relationship management industries. To see more of his articles, please visit Tim Gray’s columnist page. Internet Protocol (IP) | X | | IP stands for Internet Protocol, a data-networking protocol developed throughout the 1980s. It is the established standard protocol for transmitting and receiving data
in packets over the Internet. I...more |
(source: http://www.tmcnet.com/green/articles/11324-staples-getting-greener.htm)
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