Chipotle Seeks LEED Certification for New Restaurant Openings This Fall Chipotle Pushes Sustainable Design Powered by the Wind and Sun
DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Chipotle Mexican Grill, known as the leader in making high-end
dining and top quality ingredients available to everyone, is now
leading the charge on more environmentally responsible building
designs.
Chipotle will open a "green" restaurant in Gurnee, Illinois with a
six-kilowatt wind turbine on-site that will generate a portion of the
restaurant's electrical needs.
"The wind turbine is a symbol of our intent to design and build
our restaurants more efficiently and environmentally friendly," Steve
Ells, founder, chairman and CEO of Chipotle said. "We want to
incorporate some elements of sustainable design into all of our new
restaurants."
In addition to the wind turbine which will generate about ten
percent of the restaurant's electrical power, the free-standing
restaurant will feature:
- use of recycled drywall, recycled barn metal, and primers and
paints that contain fewer chemicals;
- a variety of energy and water conservation elements inside the
restaurant, including LED lighting, highly efficient faucets
and toilets, and Energy Star rated kitchen equipment;
- a 2,500 gallon underground water cistern that will harvest
rainwater to irrigate the landscape;
- native plants outside that will require less watering and
fertilizer;
- and asphalt in the parking lot that will reflect the sun's
heat, rather than absorb it, making the entire site cooler.
Chipotle will seek LEED certification for the new restaurant,
which would make it among the first LEED-certified restaurants in the
country. Chipotle is a participant in the U.S. Green Building
Council's LEED for Retail pilot program.
"By committing to sustainable restaurant operations and
considering the environment as they plan new restaurants, Chipotle can
help alter the way architects, designers and retailers in every
category think about the way stores and restaurants are constructed in
the future," Doug Gatlin, vice president of market development at the
U.S. Green Building Council said.
Chipotle is also seeking LEED for Retail certification for a
Minnetonka, Minnesota restaurant that is part of a pre-existing
building and shopping center. That restaurant will include energy
efficient plumbing, lighting, and other green initiatives. Chipotle
also operates two green restaurants in Austin, Texas (certified by the
city of Austin).
About Chipotle
Chipotle Mexican Grill offers a focused menu of burritos, tacos,
burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads made from
fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking
methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere. Through our vision of
Food With Integrity, Chipotle is seeking better food not only from
using fresh ingredients, but ingredients that are sustainably grown
and naturally raised with respect for the animals, the land, and the
farmers who produce the food. Chipotle opened its first restaurant in
1993 and currently operates more than 775 restaurants. For more
information, visit www.chipotle.com.
Source: Chipotle Mexican Grill
