Food Lion, LLC broke ground yesterday on what will be the grocer’s first green grocery store, as well as the first in the state of South Carolina. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified store in northeast Columbia will feature a number of environmentally friendly construction and energy-efficient services, among them an on-site recycling center, skylights for natural lighting, educational kiosks and preferred parking for low-emitting vehicles.

“Food Lion has a long-standing commitment to serving as a caring neighbor and is committed to being a strong corporate citizen in the communities in which we operate,” said Kyle Mitchell, VP of store development at the Delhaize subsidiary. “We are committed to protecting the environment and reducing energy consumption through green building construction.”

Additional environmentally friendly features of the store will include:

--High-efficiency lighting that dims lights based on natural sunlight in the store or when areas such as offices or restrooms are not in use
--LED lighting in the frozen food cases
--Low-flow and sensor-activated water fixtures in restrooms
Native plant species that minimize irrigation requirements
--Enhanced air quality for associates and customers by using low-toxicity materials and implementing proactive management plans throughout construction to ensure optimal indoor air quality
--Purchasing a significant amount of building materials manufactured within 500 miles of each location to boost local economies and reduce energy expended on transportation
--Waste management plans to divert construction waste from landfills through recycling

“By building the first LEED grocery store in our company’s history and in South Carolina, we will reduce energy costs by more than 20 percent compared to a typical supermarket, as well as conserve 44 percent more water than other Food Lion stores,” continued Mitchell. “Food Lion, LLC has one of the most advanced retail energy conservation programs in the country. For nearly a decade, Food Lion has been dedicated to numerous sustainability initiatives, such as energy conservation and reducing carbon dioxide emissions throughout its 11-state footprint, reducing its energy consumption by more than 27 percent since 2000, or 2.5 trillion BTUs.”

The store, which is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2009, will employ about 50 associates. Food Lion operates 145 South Carolina stores and employs over 7,600 associates in the state.

Customers can track the progress of the store or read more about Food Lion’s environmental initiatives at www.foodlion.com/greenstore.

In related news, see the Progressive Grocer article about sister chain Hannaford Supermarket’s soon-to-open sustainable store in Augusta, Maine, here.

Salisbury, N.C.-based Food Lion LLC operates more than 1,300 supermarkets, either directly or through affiliated entities, under the names of Food Lion, Bloom, Bottom Dollar Food, Harveys and Reid’s. The chain employs about 74,000 associates in 11 Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states.