 Get Into a Green Routine SM
- In 2001, Publix created Get Into a Green RoutineSM, a program for environmental responsibility. The program began with education and emphasis on energy conservation, and has extended to waste reduction, recycling, and conservation of other resources, including water.
- This program is designed to encourage environmentally responsible habits our associates can use at work and at home. As Florida's largest employer, we believe encouraging our associates to be aware of their consumption habits at home (as well as establishing policies at work) can make a difference.
- Through Get Into a Green RoutineSM, we've saved close to 643 million kilowatt hours through various lighting and refrigeration projects, which equals a reduction of more than 300,000 tons of greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide) or enough kilowatt hours to power 44,000 homes for a year (assuming the typical home uses 1,200 kWh a month for a year).
- The program has helped us reduce companywide electricity usage by 7 percent in existing stores and by 23 percent in new store designs.
|
|
 Refrigeration/Air Conditioning - We focus on energy-efficient refrigeration and air-conditioning designs in our stores and facilities. Several new stores now feature a secondary coolant technology that significantly reduces the refrigerant charge. Our low-temperature cases in these stores also use non-ozone-depleting refrigerant.
- Publix is partnering with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the GreenChill program to evaluate new refrigeration technologies. As part of the program, we'll be working with manufacturers, regulatory agencies and trade organizations to set and achieve more stringent emission reduction goals than currently required. Our goal is to further reduce emissions of ozone-depleting refrigerants and increase energy efficiency.
|
|
- We've incorporated the latest fluorescent technologies in our new store designs with up to a 50 percent lighting energy savings over stores with older designs. We are currently retrofitting existing stores with state-of-the-art metal halide* fixture components to improve lighting quality and generate up to 50 percent lighting energy reduction.
* Halide lamps produce a high light output for their size, making them a compact and powerful light source.
- We are testing and designing fixtures for freezer and cooler applications using Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology that can reduce energy usage by 50 to 80 percent. And our track lighting is being redesigned to use new high-efficiency lamps and gain up to a 70 percent energy savings.
|
|
 - We are working with the Florida Solar Energy Center and several companies proficient in solar integration to conduct Photovoltaic* Feasibility System Pilots to determine how best to integrate photovoltaic systems into our retail operations.
* "Photovoltaic" means voltage produced when exposed to radiant energy, especially light. - Publix is communicating with various utilities to see if we may partner with them on solar energy projects. We have been researching photovoltaics for some time and are hopeful that we will be able to incorporate solar energy into our overall energy management strategy. Our first photovoltaic installation will likely be at Publix GreenWise Market stores.
|
|
 Recycling Efforts
- In 2007 our companywide recycling rate was 42 percent and we are actively working to improve this figure. That year, we recycled 216,772 tons of cardboard, which helped save approximately 3.7 million trees, 1.5 billion gallons of water, as well as, 650,000 cubic yards of landfill space. In addition, we recycled 7,469 tons of plastic, which combined with our cardboard recycling, saved approximately 2.5 million barrels of oil. To obtain such a high recycling rate, we have had to look for ways to recycle traditionally less recycled materials such as fat, bone, meat scraps, bakery waste, damaged produce, and rotisserie grease.
Food Waste Recycling Project
- Several Publix stores in Broward County are participating in a food waste recycling project. If successful, the total amount of waste eligible to be recycled from our retail operations could increase from about 42 percent to 80 percent.
|
|
 - We now sell reusable bags in our stores. These bags reduce the use of paper and plastic bags that might otherwise be discarded and end up in landfills. Our reusable bags are 100 percent recyclable, with a base made from recycled product.
|
|
- Publix recycles up to two million floral buckets from our stores' floral departments annually. By recycling them instead of just tossing them away, our company will save as much as half a million cubic feet of landfill space and 5,550 barrels of oil each year. And that's not all—the energy saved by recycling the plastic buckets is equivalent to about 150,000 gallons of gas, which is the same as eliminating the emissions from 220 cars for one whole year.
|
|
- Publix continues to work with our truck manufacturers to get the highest miles per gallon possible for all of our delivery trucks. In less than two years, we have decreased miles traveled by our trucks by more than 28,000 miles per week and our greenhouse gas emissions by about 2,500 tons. We've examined our truck routes to reduce empty miles on the road, wear and tear on our vehicles, and increase fuel savings. We've changed the way we load our trailers to put more items on each truck and increase efficient use of truck space.
- We have 1,200 light duty cars, trucks and vans in our fleet, and are moving to using the most efficient traditional car models for this fleet. We've also been adding more gas-electric hybrids to our fleet. We currently have 140 hybrids, 331 flex fuel vehicles, and one global electric motorcar and will add to this figure in the future.
|
|
- Our policy with private label providers is that all packaging be either recycled or recyclable unless there is a food safety reason that prevents it.
- Publix and our vendors are converting from waxed cardboard shipping boxes to wax alternative boxes that are more recyclable, eliminating the disposal of millions of waxed boxes.
|
|
- We are committed to sourcing our product at the local level if a product meets our standards for price and quality. If not available locally, we then look to the state, regional, national and global levels. For example, we spent almost $700 million on fresh Florida products last year, almost $22 million of which was spent on Florida's Natural orange juice. While we source close to home as much as possible, we also consider what our customers want. Publix works hard to make our fresh product, like produce, available at the quality and price our customers expect, whenever they expect it.
|
|
- Publix is a member of the Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Leaders program. Its purpose is to forge partnerships between industry and government to help companies reduce their impact on the environment by keeping inventory of greenhouse gas emissions, setting aggressive reduction goals, and reporting progress. Learn more here.
|
|
|
