Walgreens Stores Built for Sustainability

Green from the Ground Up

In 2009, Walgreens opened the first drugstore nationwide to meet top environmental requirements for efficiency and design. The new store in Mira Mesa, California is designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards - a certification only granted by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).Last October, Walgreens received gold certification - the second-highest rating achievable in the LEED rating system - for this store.

One unique feature - it saves enough energy to power 19 homes a year.

A few months later, Walgreens opened a LEED-designed store in the company's hometown of Chicago - the first of its kind in the state of Illinois. On top of the store, a "green roof" with plants is growing. The roof also has a white coating to help reduce heating and cooling costs. The store saves nearly 34,000 gallons of water a year, uses energy-efficient LED lighting, has special parking for hybrid vehicles and is close to public transportation.

"It may look like a regular Walgreens from the outside, but once you take a closer look it really is green from the ground up," said Walgreens district manager Steven DiLullo.

Four more LEED-registered projects are in the works for 2010 in Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia.

Recycling for a Cause

Walgreens gives customers another reason to recycle.  Starting on Earth Day, April 22, drop off old printer cartridges and cell phones at any Walgreens photo counter.  As part of the program, the company will donate a total of $500,000 to the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association.

FAST FACT
Recycling one million cell phones saves enough energy to power more than 185 U.S. households with electricity for one year.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency