Muckle is a manager of government relations for Safeway, which recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of Georgetown’s “Social Safeway” with the announcement that it received a LEED certification. He says getting the building certified as environmentally friendly will better connect the store with the community. It’s the first grocery store in the District to be noted for being green by the U.S. Green Building Council. Why get LEED certification?
At the time, it wasn’t something we had to do, but something we wanted to do. It helped build a relationship with the community. We have another LEED-certified Safeway in Santa Cruz, Calif.
Why should customers care?
Customers shop at a store for any number of reasons. In this area there are a number of customers who are concerned about sustainability and the environment. … They may care enough to go somewhere else if we didn’t do this.
Why this Safeway and not others?
Many existing Safeways have been remodeled, but this was completely knocked down and rebuilt from scratch. Other new stores, like the one on the Southwest waterfront, were in situations where developers controlled the construction and we weren’t as closely involved. We do plan to get LEED certification for a store in Bethesda. … Just because a store isn’t LEED certified doesn’t mean it doesn’t have sustainable elements to it. We have sustainable elements in all of our stores.
How is the “Social Safeway” doing?
Very well. We’re pleased with how customers have come back after we closed the store for 11 months and forced shoppers to go elsewhere. The challenge is getting all of our customers back, and we continue to reach out the community in different ways.
– Freeman Klopott
