October 21, 2009
PLANO, Texas, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PepsiCo's Frito-Lay North America today announced its Plano, Texas, headquarters has been awarded LEED® Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). LEED is the nation's preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.
The Frito-Lay North America headquarters is the only Existing Building (EB) in the state of Texas, to receive this distinction and one of only 12 corporate headquarters to receive this distinction nationally.
"There are many challenges to retrofitting a 25-year-old building to meet LEED EB Gold standards," said George Guck, Director of Facilities and Corporate Services, Frito-Lay North America. "Bolstered by the commitment of senior leadership, we completed a thorough analysis of our facility workings and evaluated new technologies to find strategic sustainable solutions that helped us meet LEED requirements."
"With each new LEED-certified building, we get one step closer to USGBC's vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. "As the newest member of the LEED family of green buildings, Frito-Lay is an important addition to the growing strength of the green building movement."
To achieve LEED EB Certification, Frito-Lay's sustainability strategy included implementing a number of green design and construction features, water reduction technologies and practices, as well as improved waste management.
Energy reduction:
- Solar thermal water heating system uses the sun's light to heat all the hot water in the headquarters building - including the kitchen, dish room and fitness center. This one change reduced energy consumption by 130,000 KWH and eliminated more than 154,000 pounds of greenhouse gases from being emitted into the atmosphere since installation in 2008.
- New high efficiency chillers reduce annual energy consumption by 975,000 KWH and eliminate the use of harmful, ozone-depleting refrigerants.
- New lighting control systems, including daylight harvesting, turns off indoor lights when there is enough sunlight in the area, saving 266,000 KWH per year.
Water reduction: Landscaping with native and adaptive plants reduces water needed for lawn maintenance and impedes soil erosion. The sustainable organic maintenance program minimizes environmental impacts from storm water run off.
Recycling: Frito-Lay is the city of Plano's No. 1 recycling customer. More than 70% of the company's wastes are diverted from the landfill.
Employee Education: Frito-Lay has leveraged its best practices to educate associates, and they in turn have positively impacted the community at large. Frito-Lay hosts an annual Eco Fair for its associates to showcase local green vendors. The information, services and products are resources employees can take home and to their communities.
U.S. Green Building Council
The Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings.
With a community comprising 78 local affiliates, more than 20,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 100,000 LEED Accredited Professionals, USGBC is the driving force of an industry that is projected to soar to $60 billion by 2010. The USGBC leads an unlikely diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials and concerned citizens, and teachers and students.
Buildings in the United States are responsible for 39% of CO2 emissions, 40% of energy consumption, 13% water consumption and 15% of GDP per year, making green building a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity. Greater building efficiency can meet 85% of future U.S. demand for energy, and a national commitment to green building has the potential to generate 2.5 million American jobs.
LEED
The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED green building certification system is the foremost program for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED rating system is the preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. 35,000 projects are currently participating in the LEED system, comprising over 5.6 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and 91 countries.
By using less energy, LEED-certified buildings save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community.
USGBC was co-founded by current President and CEO Rick Fedrizzi, who spent 25 years as a Fortune 500 executive. Under his 15-year leadership, the organization has become the preeminent green building, membership, policy, standards, influential, education and research organization in the nation. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org
Frito-Lay North America
Frito-Lay North America is the $12 billion convenient foods business unit of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. In addition to Frito-Lay, PepsiCo business units include Pepsi-Cola, Quaker Foods, Gatorade and Tropicana. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate Web site, http://www.fritolay.com/ , the Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com/ and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/fritolay. PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 18 different product lines that each generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade - also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in over 200 countries. With more than $43 billion in 2008 revenues, PepsiCo employs 198,000 people who are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. For more information, please visit http://www.pepsico.com.
SOURCE PepsiCo
SOURCE: PepsiCo
