Dunkin' Donuts Goes Green

The coffee and baked goods franchise marked the opening of its first LEED certified location last week in St. Petersburg, FL. The store, which broke ground in May 2008, will serve as a prototype for future green construction projects as well as enhance future building models.

The St. Petersburg restaurant is built in the Dunkin’ Donuts flagship model design and features include: energy-efficient insulated concrete foam walls to reduce air conditioning usage by approximately 40%, energy-efficient lighting, including motion sensors for restrooms and offices, water-efficient plumbing fixtures, low-flush toilets, and the usage of well water rather than potable water for all irrigation.

Marking the company’s foray into building and operating environmentally friendly facilities, the location’s green initiatives include recycling programs involving worm casting and food donations to the local food bank. Green cleaning is also being practiced at the store.

First LEED Certified Dunkin' Donuts Store In St. Petersburg, FL
First LEED Certified Dunkin' Donuts Store In St. Petersburg, FL

On October 17, 2008 Dunkin’ Donuts president & chief brand officer Will Kussell joined St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, the U.S. Green Building Council (which administers the LEED program), and the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the store opening by planting a tree on-site, located at the corner of 4th Street North and 76th Avenue North.

“At Dunkin’ Donuts we are committed to growing our business in a way that is both achievable and sustainable for our company, our franchisees, the communities we proudly serve, and the environment, said Kussell. “With the opening of our first LEED certified store in St. Petersburg we look forward not only to playing an important role in the daily lives of the people who live and work here, but also applying what we learn in this store to Dunkin’ Donuts overall, as we continue to evolve the brand.”

“We are proud to have Dunkin’ Donuts’ first ever LEED certified store in St. Petersburg,” said St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker. “We have the first city in Florida to be designated a Green City, and I salute Dunkin’ Donuts for embracing our efforts to create a sustainable future for our families.”

It looks like Starbucks is in for some competition in the green image arena. While that company has a history of sustainable actions, earlier this month U.K. newspaper The Sun reported that the purveyor of coffee was wasting up to 6 million gallons of water each day in its stores. The company has since stated that it has changed policies–water used to rinse utensils will now be turned off between rinsings, rather than constantly running during business hours as had previously been done.