Food Lion store manager Dick Shannon (left center with scissors) and other dignitaries participated in Grand Opening festivities as the company celebrated the opening of Food Lion LLC’s and South Carolina’s first environmentally friendly store Wednesday morning. The store is located in Northeast Columbia in the Summit Commons Shopping Center. Food Lion LLC continued its commitment to environmental sustainability by opening the company’s first and South Carolina’s first environmentally– friendly grocery store December 9. The store, located in the Summit Commons Shopping Center, will seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification, having been designed and built to these strict guidelines.

“Food Lion has a long–standing commitment to being a caring neighbor and is committed to being a strong corporate citizen in the communities in which we operate,” said Rick LaCroix, vice president of Food Lion’s Southeastern Markets. “We are pleased to reinforce our environmental commitment to the citizens of South Carolina by opening the state’s first environmentally friendly grocery store. We are proud of this valuable investment in the Columbia community, and we look forward to continuing to serve Columbia residents from our new green store.”

The store, located at 4730 Hard Scrabble Road, features environmentally friendly construction and energy–efficient services, such as:

• High–efficiency lighting that dims lights based on natural sunlight in the store

• LED lighting in the frozen food cases

• Bike racks and preferred parking for low– emitting vehicles

• Low–flow and sensor– activated water fixtures in restrooms

• Bathroom partitions made from 100 percent post consumer recycled material, such as juice, milk, and water bottles

• Native plant species that minimize irrigation requirements, such as the Shumard Oak planted at the Groundbreaking Ceremony on July 14, 2009

• Enhanced air quali- ty for associates and customers from the use of low–toxicity materials and proactive management plans used throughout construction to ensure optimal indoor air quality

• Environmental education via kiosks and signage throughout the store

• Purchasing more than 50 percent of building materials manufactured within 500 miles of the store’s location. This helped boost the local economy and reduce energy expended on transportation. The construction materials had 25 percent recycled content and 50 percent of the wood was Forest Stewardship Council Certified

• Strong waste management plans, which diverted more than 85 percent of construction waste from landfills through recycling

• Customer and associate recycling programs at the store

“Food Lion LLC is committed to protecting the environment and reducing energy consumption through green building construction and other energy–saving measures,” said Kyle Mitchell, vice president of store development. “By building the first LEED grocery store in our company’s history and in South Carolina, we are reducing energy costs by more than 20 percent compared to a typical supermarket as well as conserving 44 percent more water.”

Food Lion’s first green store is approximately 35,000 square feet and employs approximately 50 associates. In South Carolina, Food Lion has 146 stores and employs more than 7,700 associates in the state.

Food Lion is also involved in a number of environmentally friendly initiatives, including encouraging customers to use reusable bags and recycling significant amounts of paper and plastic every year. Since the second quarter of 2009, the company distributed more than 700,000 reusable bags to customers.

Customers can view the construction of Food Lion’s environmentally friendly store as well as the educational kiosk, or read more about Food Lion’s environmental initiatives, at www.foodlion.com/ greenstore.