Going Green and Staying Cool

At Publix, we are dedicated to being responsible citizens in our communities and we want to make sure we’re taking measures to protect our environment. When you think of protecting the environment or going green, does refrigeration come to mind? It does for us! Refrigeration and air conditioning systems use special coolants that may release emissions, and if they do, these emissions can be harmful to the atmosphere. Since all of our stores have some type of refrigeration system, it is important to us that we follow the right guidelines to reduce the amount of emissions released into the air. See what steps we’re taking to make that happen.

EPA GreenChill Program

Publix works closely with the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) GreenChill program to develop innovative practices to incorporate refrigerants that are friendlier to the environment. Here are a few benefits of our partnership with GreenChill:

• It helps the environment by decreasing the impact of commercial refrigeration systems
  on the atmosphere.
• It allows us to regulate our refrigeration systems to prevent costly leaks. According to the EPA, a typical food retail store’s refrigeration system leaks about one quarter of its refrigerant charge
  each year.
• The EPA also mentions that in addition to the financial expense refrigerant leaks cause, they also contribute to climate change and can harm the ozone layer. GreenChill helps us strategically reduce emissions while also saving money.
• The GreenChill Program provides us with tools and guidelines for new technologies and
  servicing practices.
• It offers a way for us to show we care about the environment just like our customers do.

Going Green and Staying Cool

When following GreenChill Store Certification Criteria for reducing refrigerant emissions, the EPA rewards retailers who have successfully carried out these environmentally safe practices. Believe it or not, dozens of our stores have successfully  received this certification — many of which received Gold Certification for their green practices!

There are three levels of certification that a store can receive from the GreenChill program. It starts with Silver, moves up to Gold and at the top is the Platinum award. To qualify, stores must be using refrigerants with low ozone-depleting potential, have emissions rates of less than 15% and have successfully installed leak tested equipment — just to name a few requirements.

Pretty cool, right? Having a focus on sustainability is important to us. With thousands of refrigerators running each day, we want to make sure we are taking all the right steps to protect Mother Nature.

For more information about our sustainability efforts, we invite you to visit our sustainability website.