Costco Wholesale Corp. (Issaquah, Wash.) and Office Depot Inc. (Delray Beach, Fla.) have announced expansions of their green building programs.
Costco is extending its agreement with the contracting firm PermaCity Corp. (Long Beach, Calif.) to design and build solar-power systems for a number of its stores in Southern California. PermaCity, which designs and builds energy-independent buildings using solar power, first worked with Costco on its 580kW prototype system in Lancaster, Calif. According to Chain Store Age magazine, PermaCity is working with Schott Solar Inc. (Roseville, Calif.), a manufacturer of the solar panels, and Southern California Edison to install four more systems at Costco stores in the area.
Office Depot will build and open its first LEED-certified retail store in Austin, Texas, in mid-2008. The company will also investigate having its prototype certified under a new program by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design council. The office-supplies retailer said it will also continue to enhance its stores with concepts to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions. Last year, the company claimed it saved nearly 66 million kilowatt-hours of electricity due to energy efficiency and conservation efforts in North American warehouses and stores.