1st Green [LEED] Office Depot to break ground in Austin

[ATXboom]

Friday, February 8, 2008 - 3:02 PM CST
Office Depot going green in Austin
Austin Business Journal


Office Depot will break ground next week on its newest Austin store, which will double as the retailer's first "green" location.

The 21,000-square-foot store -- being designed and built for LEED certification -- is expected to open later this summer at 2620 Anderson Lane.

Office Depot has developed an environmental plan that calls for the Delray Beach, Fla. company to "increasingly buy green, be green and sell green." To meet those goals, the office products giant has implemented a number of initiatives in the areas of construction, transportation, product development and sales training.

The store will incorporate energy efficient lighting, light sensors in offices and restrooms, water efficient fixtures, floors made of 60 percent recycled materials and low carbon-emitting building materials.

Austin Mayor Will Wynn and executives from Office Depot will participate in a formal ground breaking ceremony on Tuesday Feb. 9.

Office Depot has annual sales of approximately $15.5 billion, and employs approximately 52,000 associates around the world. The company has more than 135 stores in Texas and a total of eight in Austin.