Chick-fil-A Piloting Green Building Techniques

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Fast food chain Chick-fil-A is piloting environmental initiatives for possible roll-out across its 1,500 stores.

The company’s 4,617 square foot restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas is serving as a testing ground for a number of environmental improvements, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The location has low-flow plumbing fixtures, and a swimming pool-sized cistern that will be used to collect rainwater for plant irrigation. This will cut water use by 40 percent, Chick-fil-A says.

The Atlanta-based company also expects the store’s skylights and energy-efficient appliances to cut energy use by 14 percent.

Chick-fil-A is already planning to replace lighting and water fixtures at hundreds of restaurants. But the results from the Fort Worth store, for which the company is hoping to secure LEED certification, will determine the company’s approach on a number of sustainability measures.

The company said that it diverted more than half of construction waste from landfills, and that about 20 percent of the restaurant’s building material budget went towards products with recycled content.

The pilot restaurant has been about 15 percent more expensive than a standard Chick-fil-A, but should earn that back through greater efficiency, vice president of innovation and service David Farmer said.

"There's no question, this will change how we build stores going forward," Farmer said.

Recently Denny’s announced that it will install Cree LED lights in the dining areas and restrooms of all new restaurants, and Starbucks is also enacting plans to reduce the environmental impact of its stores.

Environment + Energy Leader