LAKELAND, Fla. — Publix has been honored with three awards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) GreenChill Partnership: Store Certification Excellence 2013-2014 and two Store Re-Certification Excellence Awards 2009-2014.

Publix earned the Store Certification Excellence award for achieving 26 GreenChill store certifications in the past year. Two Publix stores have achieved GreenChill Certification for five consecutive years and are being honored with the Store Re-Certification Excellence award.

“Sustainability is ingrained in our culture and achieved throughout our company every day by valuing our associates, serving our customers, enhancing our ties to the communities we serve, and conserving natural resources,” said Maria Brous, Publix director of media and community relations. “We’re committed to reducing our carbon footprint and our dedication is reaffirmed with our numerous store certifications in one year and our investment in more sustainable equipment including refrigeration systems.”

“Publix Super Markets has shown itself to be a leader in the GreenChill Store Certification Program. Publix has achieved GreenChill certification for 26 stores in the past year, earning the Store Certification Excellence award,” said Tom Land, GreenChill program manager. “In addition, Publix locations in Suwanee, Georgia, and Winter Haven, Florida, have earned the Store Re-Certification Excellence award for achieving GreenChill certification for five consecutive years.”

GreenChill is an EPA partnership with food retailers to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease their impact on the ozone layer and climate change. The goals of the GreenChill Partnership are to provide supermarkets and other industry stakeholders with information and assistance to: transition to environmentally friendlier refrigerants; reduce the amount of refrigerant used by stores and eliminate leaks; and adopt green refrigeration technologies and environmental best practices.

To qualify for GreenChill’s Store Certification, a store must meet specific criteria including:

• The store must only use refrigerants with zero ozone-depleting potential.

• The store must only use refrigerants that have been found acceptable by EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program for use in retail food.

• The store must achieve a store-wide annual refrigerant emissions rate of 15 percent or less.

• All newly constructed stores must also be leak tight at installation to prevent against future refrigerant leaks.

For more information, visit www2.epa.gov/greenchill.

Publication date: 9/22/2014

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