Arby’s first eco-friendly restaurant, located in Magnolia, Texas, was recently awarded Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The Magnolia Arby’s is the only Silver LEED-certified restaurant listed on the USGBC Web site for the state of Texas.
“I am so proud of the hard work the team put in to elevate our LEED Certification to Silver,” says Tom Garrett, president and CEO of Arby’s Restaurant Group Inc. “We’ll take key learnings from this location to help us understand more about energy efficiency and eco-friendly construction and design.”
Arby’s LEED-certified restaurant is environmentally friendly from the kitchen to the parking lot.
Energy and water conservation elements inside the restaurant consist of Energy Star-certified kitchen equipment; LED lighting, including motion sensors for restrooms and offices; low-flow toilets; two tankless water heaters; and an energy efficient HVAC system. Arby’s uses “Green Power” for the building, meaning that at least 35 percent of the building receives its electricity from renewable sources. The restaurant’s décor incorporates low-emitting materials that contain fewer pollutants in paints, coatings, adhesives, and sealants for flooring and wallpaper. The upholstery, laminate, and floor tile all contain recycled materials.
The exterior of the building features a thermoplastic membrane roof to help reduce the heat island effect, which can increase summertime peak energy demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and water quality. Solar glass and thermally-broken aluminum storefront materials are also in place to improve energy efficiency. The parking lot features preferred parking for those who drive fuel-efficient vehicles, and even drought-tolerant landscaping native to the area is planted around the restaurant.
The Magnolia Arby’s, a company-owned location, opened on April 23. Arby’s recycles cooking oil and cardboard in its company-owned restaurants.
