Kum & Go L.C. announced today, Dec. 15, that two Des Moines area stores have received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, becoming the first convenience stores in Iowa with the distinction.
The LEED certified Kum & Go stores are located at 5800 Northglenn Drive, Johnston, Iowa and 2110 Guthrie Street, Des Moines, Iowa. The store in Johnston is the first convenience store in the Midwest to obtain a Silver LEED certification.
“Kum & Go is proud to continue our tradition of being marketplace pioneers by becoming the first convenience store in the Midwest to be Silver LEED certified,” said Kyle Krause, Kum & Go president and CEO. “In 1997 we were among the first to introduce E85 and hope to have the same industry impact with our LEED construction model. We strongly believe in our practice of environmental responsibility that benefits our customers.”
In order to become LEED certified the Kum & Go stores: used regional and recycled materials, improved energy performance, reflected the suns rays by using extra-white concrete and highly-reflective roofs which reduces heating of urban areas, reduced water usage and improved indoor air quality.
“Kum & Go’s LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of the U.S. Green Building Council. “The urgency of USGBC’s mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and Kum & Go serves as a prime example with just how much we can accomplish.”
LEED certification was applied for with the U.S. Green Building Council after completion of construction. The Council rated the store on a number of categories, including water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation and design. The two certified Kum & Go stores will serve as pilots for future company LEED builds.
“LEED certification was a natural progression of the efforts we have made the past three years. We made only minor modifications to our design and construction methods to assure LEED certification,” said John Feldman, vice president of construction for Kum & Go. “Our goal is to continue to incorporate these environmental features whenever possible as we construct new stores.”
As part of Kum & Go’s commitment to developing environmentally friendly building and operating practices, the majority of new stores are constructed with LEED standards in mind, and are all equipped with heavily insulated glass, LED cooler door lights, sun reflecting roofs and energy-efficient heating/air conditioning and refrigeration systems.
Additional measures for LEED certification include providing alternative transportation options such as electronic vehicle charging and carpool/van parking, construction waste management, 30% water use reduction and use of materials that do not emit solvent vapors and other harmful chemicals into the store environment.