Bayonne, N.J.’s third and newest Quick Chek store, which opened on Tuesday, Aug. 17, marks the company’s first LEED-certified store, complete with a heat-reflecting roof, local building materials and LED lighting, NJ.com reported.
The store is a test to determine whether the 122-location company will seek the eco-friendly certification in the future.
Quick Chek already uses eco-friendly practices such as high-efficiency heating and cooling systems, environmentally friendly cleaning products, paper coffee cups and lids, and solar panels at its Whitehouse Station headquarters, NJ.com reported.
The new Bayonne, N.J., store, however, is the first store in which the company decided to go for the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, a federal program that stamps buildings as environmentally friendly.
‘We’ve always tried to do the right thing for the environment,” Rick Wisler, Quick Chek’s director of engineering told NJ.com. “But we decided we should go for it (LEED certification) to let people know what we’re doing,” he said. “We didn’t have to make drastic changes from what we do everyday.”
The biggest changes the company had to make to qualify were installing LED lights outside the store and under the canopy, installing flow toilets that allow customers to pull up for “liquid” waste (using less water) and down for “solid” waste (using more), a water-saving irrigation system for the landscaping, the use of local and eco-friendly building materials and the recycling of construction waste. More than 80% of construction waste generated during the building of Quick Chek’s Bayonne, N.J., location was taken to a recycling facility helping to reduce impact on landfills.
“Since our company’s inception, Quick Chek has remained an industry leader in the exploration and implementation of energy conservation methods such as the use of energy management refrigeration systems and LED lighting packages,” noted Wisler in a press release. “We are proud to report overall energy use at our newest store is expected to be more than 15% lower than a typical building of similar size.”
Wisler told N.J.com that making the store qualify for LEED certification-which includes not only changes in building practices but also hiring a consultant to do inspections and help with paperwork-is expected to cost around $40,000.
Wisler noted the chain decided to go for LEED certification because it was the right thing to do. “You can buy a Snickers bar anywhere,” he said, but it’s all the little things, like using eco-friendly methods that make Quick Chek a great place to shop.