Moving Beyond the Green Buzzword

Hannaford Stores knows the growing awareness of climate change and the importance of social responsibility. In July of 2009, they opened the only LEED certified grocery store in the New England area. Today myself and about a dozen other members of New Hampshire Business for Social Responsibility (NHBSR) were able to see and discuss the store and other ways Hannaford is leading the way in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

As George Parmenter, Director of Corporate Responsibility, put it "business needs society, society needs business." Some of the key programs in motion for a few years now are:

1) Guiding Stars (registered trademark) - First in the nation storewide nutrition system

2) LEED Store - Cony Street store in Augusta Maine

3) Close to Home (registered trademark) - commitment to local communities and businesses with over 200 plus suppliers.

Hannaford is owned by Belguim-based Delhaize Group operating over 170 stores in NH, VT, ME, MA, and NY. The Just-in-Time processes allow for some of the freshest produce and fish in the market place. The organization has won the National Business Group on Health Award for 3 years in a row. They have contributed more than $1.4 million in helping schools purchase needed equipment.

Other initiatives underway at Hannaford are Responsible Sourcing, LEED stores, Energy Conservation, Sustainable Packaging, and Recycling and Composting. Joe Riley heads up the Composting initiative with 54 stores currently working with local compost firms in New England and New York region. Brick End Farm in Massachusetts handles some of the stores food scraps from stores in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. And, the plastic recycling get compacted and sent to a hub spot in Maine then on to a plastic recycling firm.

The design for the LEED certified store in Augusta incorporates a series of integrated sustainable and environmental elements that ultimately results in a 56% reduction over a comparable standard store. Some of the elements include:

a. Motion sensitive LED lighting in frozen food cases

c. Low water flow sinks

e. Engineered counter tops made from sunflowers

g. Recycled glass

i. Night shades on produce cases

k. Engineered skylights & window placement allowing for more natural light

l. GEO Thermal & solar panels

m. Iceless fish cases

n. Green roof using sedum & chives plantings

o. Closed in meat cases

p. 50% less refrigerant resulting in a big impact on greenhouse gas reduction

q. No VOC paints

Water efficiency is becoming more of a critical factor in green design and the LEED store is using 35% less water. Other efforts are improved indoor air quality and using green cleaning products in the store.

While some may say obtaining LEED certification is just part of the marketing expenditures, George Parmenter stated the stores associates are "Jazzed up about working there." This may be a benefit the leaders at Hannaford didn't initially see in their vision of a LEED certified building. The effects on employee morale and productivity in green buildings is still new and several studies are underway. One 2009 collaborative study by the University of San Diego, University of Baltimore, University of British Columbia and CB Richard Ellis states:

"Healthier buildings reduce sick time and increase productivity, making it easier to recruit and retain employees."

"Green" and "socially responsibility" has moved far away from marketing buzzwords and towards the way it must be. Unfortunately, there will always be the polluters and Gordon Gekko's in the world. We all can choose to walk the path with a lighter footprint and a stronger heart beat in our business and our life.

Do you agree? Do you patron businesses you know are environmentally and socially responsible or does that not factor into your decision? Leave a comment below.

Thanks to all the folks at Hannaford - George Parmenter, Joe Riley, Molly Tarleton and Brian Hayes and to Molly Hodgson-Smith and Kate Luczko of NHBSR.

Thank you for reading.