Being Green > Reducing Energy and Greenhouse Gases from Facilities
The best way to reduce energy and greenhouse gases from facilities is to design a building with efficiency in mind. Buildings account for over 30% of global greenhouse gases; as a major operator of buildings, it is in this area that Office Depot’s carbon reduction efforts begin.
In 2007, Office Depot became the first and only office products company to join the US Green Building Council (USGBC). We also joined the LEED for Retail Prototype pilot, a program for retailers who plan to pursue certification across multiple locations, not just one.
In 2008, Office Depot opened its first "Green" store in Austin, Texas. The store, certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold by the USGBC, was designed to use less energy and water in its daily operations, increase recycling and leave a much smaller overall environmental footprint than the typical store of its size. This is now the prototype for future stores we build from the ground up.
While our new green stores will deliver future carbon benefits, we know there is also potential for carbon reduction in our existing stores. Between 2005 and 2006, we reduced our carbon footprint from facilities by over 10%. We were not able to replicate this drop in 2007, but limited our increase in carbon emissions from facilities to 3% while increasing square footage under management by 5%. In 2008, we invested in another major set of efficiency upgrades, and hope to drive another absolute reduction in CO2.
One example of our ongoing carbon-reduction efforts is in our Global Data Center. Office Depot was the only office supplies company nominated for a Green Enterprise IT Award from the Uptime Institute, a think tank that works on computing reliability and energy efficiency. Office Depot was recognized for a series of efficiency steps.