Harnessing renewable and sustainable energy will play a pivotal role in the long-term health of our planet. Safeway will do its part, and we are proud of our progress. For example, Safeway was the first retailer to join the Chicago Climate Exchange. In doing so, we made a legally binding commitment to reduce our carbon footprint by 6% below our baseline over four years beginning in 2007. We recently completed our first audit and successfully reduced our carbon footprint by 11%, far surpassing our legal requirements.
Other highlights include:
• Safeway is one of the largest retail users of renewable energy in the United States, according to the EPA.
• We completed 14 solar projects in California and have nine new projects under development, which will help remove more than 10 million pounds of carbon dioxide from the air.
• We remove over 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually through procurement of electricity from high-efficiency generators.
Opening in the summer of 2009, Safeway’s Santa Cruz, California, store will shape the future of green in retail grocery. Being built from the ground up with sustainability in mind, this store is proof that sustainable innovation at Safeway knows no limits. Company developers chose an urban brownfield with ample access to public transportation. The construction materials are those with specified recycled content, much of which was sourced regionally. After the construction is complete, Safeway will apply to the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. LEED is a third-party certification program and a nationally recognized benchmark for the design, construction and operation of environmentally friendly buildings.
Some additional features of the Santa Cruz store will include:
• Water efficiency features including landscape and internal water reduction systems.
• A photovoltaic solar panel system will cover a majority of the roof surface and will serve 20% of the building’s energy load. A Fuel Cell will be installed on site to serve an additional 20% of the building’s total energy load.
• The store does not use CFCs, HCFCs or Halon refrigerants in the HVAC refrigeration or fire suppression systems.
• Indoor pollutants will be isolated and have been designed to exit the building through ducts without disturbing the air quality for customers and employees.
• Use of low-toxic materials, including paint, adhesives, sealants, coatings and particle board products.
Safeway joined EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership in 2006. SmartWay is a voluntary public private partnership launched by the freight industry and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to increase fuel efficiency while significantly reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) and other air pollutants. SmartWay Transport Partners commit to adopt fuel-saving and air pollution control strategies that reduce fuel costs and significantly decrease GHG emissions.
As part of SmartWay, Safeway committed to establishing the baseline fuel efficiency of its fleet of over 900 trucks and put an action plan in place to improve performance over the next three years. Establishing the baseline was completed in 2006, using SmartWay’s FLEET (Freight Logistics Environmental and Energy Tracking) Performance Model to analyze the fleet.
Safeway’s fuel savings result from a wide range of efficiency initiatives and technologies that include:
• Continued the corporate five-minute idle policy that keeps drivers from running trucks unnecessarily during loading and unloading.
• Purchasing tractors with most advanced aerodynamic profile.
• Focused training for drivers on the new tractors to maximize fuel economy.
• Continued using automatic tire inflation systems to keep tires inflated at levels that maximize efficiency.
• Choosing trailers with large capacity to limit the number of trips to each store.
• Running route optimization software to determine the most efficient delivery route.
• Implemented an extended oil drain process that saved over 36,000 gallons of oil in 2008.
• Testing new technologies with SmartWay low-rolling-resistance tires.
From the produce we harvest to the buildings we occupy, Safeway’s environmental philosophy starts from the ground up. Every store, distribution center or supply plant will have an impact on the earth beneath it, and we take great pride in our efforts to minimize our potential environmental impacts. Environmental assessments are performed for every real estate purchase, sale or lease to understand and minimize any adverse effect on the environment.
By implementing an array of sustainable features into the design and construction of our structures, Safeway has achieved dramatic results in reducing our energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Our corporate construction and design department has developed a sustainable construction process using the USGBC LEEDs portfolio program as a benchmark for improving our buildings’ environmental footprint. As a result of these initiatives and the ongoing focus in this area, benefits have been realized in reduced energy usage and reduced product waste.