Yum! Brands, parent of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC, has opened a green store in Northampton, Mass. The restaurant will be the company's first effort to seek LEED certification.
The dual-branded KFC/Taco Bell store uses 30 percent less energy and water than a conventionally built restaurant. It also uses solar energy, LED lighting, energy-efficient kitchen equipment, a low-flow water system and harvests rainwater for irrigation.
The interior of the store has been designed with recycled building materials. In addition, the new restaurant will also compost, recycle waste and convert its waste oil into biofuel.
Last December, the company released its first corporate responsibility report. Since 2006, the company has reduced 60,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions and cut $17 million in energy expenses.
Yum! Brands, based in Louisville, Ky., has more than 36,000 restaurants in more than 110 countries and territories. It had revenues of more than $11 billion in 2008.
