Walgreens Social Responsibility--Caring for our planet

Walgreens was named one of the greenest companies in the country in 2009 by Newsweek.

In the Greenlight

You've heard of being in the spotlight, but when it comes to the environment we like to shine good news under the greenlight. This September, Newsweek named it's top 500 greenest companies of 2009. Walgreens ranked 38th in the retail sector and 235th overall. When it comes to vehicle fleet management, we rounded out Automotive Fleet Magazine's Top 50 Green Fleets in America list.

Recycle logo

If it's our stores or fleet on the street, we are concerned about how our business impacts the environment and continue to find new ways to limit our carbon footprint.

Sustainability and Our Stores

Going "green" isn’t a trend or fad, but a way to approach how we view and use our resources. A decade ago, companies were on their own to determine what exactly makes a building or idea "green." Today, Walgreens works with national organizations to make our planet a priority.

Walgreens is one of 70 retailers – and the only drugstore – working with the U.S. Green Building Council to provide feedback on proposed standards known as "LEED for Retail" (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). This certification process provides independent, third-party verification that a building project meets the highest green building and performance measures.

We opened two LEED registered stores this summer. They are located in Mira Mesa, Calif., and in Chicago’s bustling Logan Square neighborhood. In October, we received gold certification from the USGBC LEED for Retail rating system. Gold is the second-highest rating achievable in the LEED rating system. At this store, 20,750 gallons of water are saved per year, 75 percent of the building is illuminated by natural light through skylights and enough energy is saved to power 19 homes a year.

Grand Opening Day at Mira Mesa, Calif. LEED certified store

Our Chicago LEED-designed store -- the first of its kind in the state of Illinois -- opened in June. Being in the Midwest, harnessing the sun for power isn’t ideal. But we found a way to help strengthen sustainability in an urban area. On top of our store, you’ll find a “green roof” with plants growing on it. The roof also has a white coating to help reduce heating and cooling costs.

Grand Opening Day at Chicago LEED registered store and a look at the store's green roof

Four more LEED-registered projects are in the works in Illinois, Maryland, Arizona and Virginia. Here’s a look at what features you’ll find.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

You can’t see it from the street but these stores are equipped with “white” roofs. This light-colored roof reflects the sun’s energy rather than absorbing it. This helps reduce the “heat island” effect. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, heat islands are densely populated areas that are hotter than nearby rural areas. They also affect summertime peak energy demand in communities, air conditioning costs and air pollution.

WATER QUALITY

These sites use no water for landscape maintenance. How? We use native and adapted plant species. This will reduce the demand on the limited supply of drinking water. It’ll also improve the existing water quality since native and adapted plant species require little or no fertilizer or pesticides.

SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY

95 percent of the wood used in the construction of these stores came from sustainable forests. In turn, this saves forests not influenced by human activity, reduces less soil erosion and air pollution, and also lessens the loss of plant and animal species.

CONSTRUCTION WASTE DIVERSION

During the construction of these stores, approximately 75 percent of the construction debris will be diverted from the landfill and recycled.

LED LIGHTING

LED lighting is used in the coolers, freezers and exterior building signage. LED lighting lasts longer and uses less energy than fluorescent lighting. As a result, pollution from energy production is reduced and less waste is sent to the landfill over the lifetime of the project.

Interesting Fact about LEED buildings

Several studies have shown that worker productivity increases in LEED certified buildings. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, higher indoor air quality reduces sickness and improves lighting, temperature control and access to daylight.