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EPA Region 8 supermarkets recognized for environmental achievement under GreenChill partnership

Release Date: 09/19/2011
Contact Information: Keilly Witman, U.S. EPA, 202-343-9742

Albertsons, Hornbacher’s, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Whole Foods stores take steps to reduce harmful emissions from refrigerants

(September 19, 2011) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s GreenChill Partnership is announcing the recipients of the program’s 2011 Environmental Achievement Awards. Several supermarket companies, including Sprouts Farmers Market, Whole Foods, and SUPERVALU, which operates Alberstons and Hornbacher’s stores, are being recognized for their achievements in refrigerant management. The refrigerants used by supermarkets, if not managed properly, contribute to climate change, and harm the ozone layer, which protects people from cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation.

GreenChill is an EPA partnership with supermarkets to reduce harmful refrigerant emissions and decrease partners’ impact on the ozone layer and climate change. GreenChill works with supermarkets to help them transition to environmentally-friendlier refrigerants, reduce the amount of refrigerant they use, eliminate refrigerant leaks, and adopt green refrigeration technologies and environmental best practices. More than 7,300 stores belong to the GreenChill Partnership, a full 20 percent of the supermarket industry.

For the second consecutive year, Sprouts Farmers Market received GreenChill’s Best Emissions Rate Award for achieving the lowest corporate-wide emissions rate of all GreenChill supermarket companies. The Best Emissions Rate Award is the most prestigious of GreenChill's annual environmental achievement awards.

Sprouts was also recognized with GreenChill’s Best of the Best Award, given to the best new GreenChill-certified store each year, for the company’s store in the Westlake District of Thousand Oaks, California. The store uses refrigeration technology that prevents at least 95% of the harmful refrigerant emissions of a typical supermarket.

“To achieve GreenChill’s award for the best corporate-wide emissions rate and for the best certified store in the nation is an incredible achievement,” said Keilly Witman, Manager of EPA's GreenChill Partnership. “This is the first time in the history of the Partnership that both awards have gone to the same company.”

SUPERVALU, which operates Albertsons and Hornbacher’s, earned a GreenChill award for achieving the company’s challenging emissions reduction goal this past year. Even though GreenChill partners achieve emission rates well below national averages, all partners set ambitious, tough-to-achieve annual goals to continually improve their performance. Those who can accomplish this difficult task are recognized with GreenChill’s Superior Goal Achievement Award.

“SUPERVALU sought out every opportunity to stop refrigerant leaks and achieve the company’s ambitious voluntary emissions reduction goal,” said Witman. “The employees should be very proud of their hard work, and their customers can feel proud that their supermarkets take environmental protection seriously.”

For the second time since the beginning of the GreenChill Partnership, Whole Foods received the Most Improved Emissions Rate Award. This award acknowledges the GreenChill Partner with the most dramatic reduction in its corporate refrigerant emissions rate from the previous year.

"Whole Foods’ efforts to stop refrigerant leaks led to a 17% reduction in the company’s refrigerant emissions rate in one year," said Witman. "Whole Foods’ efforts show that it is possible to make significant gains in environmental protection in a short period of time when a company prioritizes emissions reductions.”

Additional information on EPA’s GreenChill Partnership is available at www.epa.gov/greenchill.

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Sprouts Farmers Market stores in Colorado:

Boulder, CO
Castle Rock, CO
Aurora, CO
Centennial, CO
Fort Collins, CO
Greeley, CO
Lone Tree, CO
Parker, CO
Westminster, CO


SUPERVALU operates under the Albertsons and Hornbacher's banners in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Utah and Wyoming:

Albertsons

1 store in Anaconda, MT
6 stores in Billing, MT
1 in Bozeman, MT
1 in Butte, MT
2 in Aurora, CO
4 in Colorado Springs, CO
2 in Denver, CO
1 in Durango, CO
1 in Thornton, CO
2 in Pueblo, CO
1 in Northglenn, CO
1 in Loveland, CO
1 in Louisville, CO
1 in Littleton, CO
2 in Grand Junction, CO
3 in Fort Collins, CO
1 in Centennial, CO
1 in Cut Bank, MT
1 in Glasgow, MT
1 in Glendive, MT
2 in Great Falls, MT
1 in Hamilton, MT
1 in Harlem, MT
2 in Helena, MT
1 in Kalispell, MT
1 in Williston, ND
2 in Casper, WY
2 in Cheyenne, WY
1 in Cody, WY
1 in Gillette, WY
1 in Jackson, WY
1 in Laramie, WY
1 in Rock Springs, WY
1 in Sheridan, WY
1 in Salt Lake City, UT
2 in Saint George, UT
1 in Tooele, UT
1 in Washington, UT
1 in West Valley City, UT

Hornbacher's

6 stores in Fargo, ND

Whole Foods stores in Colorado and Utah:

3 in Boulder, CO
1 in Centennial, CO
2 in Colorado Springs, CO
4 in Denver, CO
1 in Fort Collins, CO
1 in Glendale, CO
1 in Golden, CO
1 in Lakewood, CO
1 in Superior, CO
1 in Westminster, CO
1 in Cottonwood Heights, UT
1 in Park City, UT
2 in Salt Lake City, UT