Safeway lights up stores with solar power for Earth Day
by David Goll 7East Bay Business Times /April 21, 2008
Source: BizJournals.com
http://www.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2008/04/21/daily9.html
Two more stores operated by Safeway Inc. converted to solar power Monday in honor of the 39th annual Earth Day, being observed Tuesday. Pleasanton-based Safeway (NYSE: SWY) unveiled the new power systems at stores in Fairfield and Placerville, two of the 23 stores in California being converted to solar power. The solar systems reduce the stores’ reliance on traditional fossil fuels, the emissions of which most scientists implicate as the chief cause of global warming.
“With the addition of solar energy to our GHG (greenhouse gas) reduction tool kit, Safeway is taking a leadership role in the retail sector in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and focusing on operating a greener, more ecologically focused company,” Joe Pettus, Safeway’s senior vice president of fuel and energy, said in a statement. “Throughout our vast operations, we are taking a closer look at how we impact the environment, clarifying areas for improvement and acting on them.”
Safeway operates 1,743 stores throughout North America and has instituted a number of energy-use reduction programs companywide, including using LED lighting fixtures on the interior and exterior of stores, and cutting the amount of energy needed to power refrigerated units. The company has also instituted an aggressive recycling program.
Safeway is also the first retailer in the nation to join the Chicago Climate Exchange, the world’s first and North America’s only legally binding trading system for greenhouse gases, as well as the California Climate Registry, a program to commit companies to reduce their carbon footprints by 6 percent of 2000 output levels. And it uses 57 million kilowatt hours of wind energy each year.
The solar installations at the stores in Fairfield and Placerville will provide about 20 percent of the stores’ power on an annual basis, and up to 48 percent of its peak power usage. Along with the company’s first solar conversion, accomplished last year at one of its Dublin stores, Safeway officials estimate 1.6 million pounds of carbon dioxide is being removed from the air annually, the equivalent of taking 144 cars off the road for a year.
Safeway, which had sales of $42.3 billion during fiscal 2007, is also distributing pamphlets titled “10 Simple and Easy Eco Tips” to customers in all of its stores.