MADISON, Wis. ? GreenBiz blogger Gregg Hoffmann wrote in WisPolitics.com that if you stop to gas up and get something to eat at a Kwik Trip store, ?pause to look around for a moment.?
?The signs might be somewhat inconspicuous, but you very likely could be standing in one of the ?green? stores that is making La Crosse-based Kwik Trip a national leader in sustainable energy convenience stores,? he writes, adding that roughly half of the convenience stores in the country that have qualified for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification are owned and operated by Kwik Trip.
David Ring, community relations coordinator for Kwik Trip, commented that most customers probably don?t notice the green initiatives that have taken place, ?but we believe they and the community as a whole are benefiting from them.? Ring also emphasizes that going green is the right thing to do and makes business sense.��
According to Leah Nicklaus Berlin, development coordinator for Kwik Trip, most of the green initiatives have payback periods of five years or less. ?Anything under five years is a no-brainer,? she told the new source.
Those initiatives include LED lighting, skylights and additional windows, using more concrete than asphalt, recycling efforts, low-flow toilets and sinks, water reclamation at the car wash, an energy management systems, more efficient motors for coolers and other in-store equipment to help cut costs and save energy.
Discussions on greening of the chain started about three to five years ago, according to Berlin. ?We felt it was the right approach for our customers and the community as a whole,? she told the news source, adding, ?But, we also felt it has to make sense from a business standpoint. It has to be cost effective.?
Ring commented that other initiatives are in very early stages, including electric vehicle re-charging stations, and offering more ethanol blends, biodiesel and natural gas at some stores. ?As the market for those alternative sources develop, we plan on adapting,? Ring commented.
Kwik Trip also operates its own commissary, which allows the retailer to prepare and package most of its own food. Under the Nature?s Touch brand, Kwik Trip sells bagged milk and orange juice with a free pitcher. ?The result is a 95 percent reduction in compacted volume in landfills and a 75 percent reduction in package weight,? notes the news source.
The retailer also sells potatoes, onions, carrots and dairy products as much as possible from local farmers. ?We see the local food movement very much as part of the overall sustainability initiatives we have undertaken,? Ring noted.
Be among the first to learn more about Kwik Trip during the NACS ?Ideas 2 Go? General Session on October 3 at the NACS Show.
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