| EPA Region 4 Supermarkets Recognized for Environmental Achievement under GreenChill Partnership Farm Fresh, Whole Foods stores take steps to reduce harmful refrigerant emissions ATLANTA -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) GreenChill Partnership is announcing the recipients of the program’s 2012 Environmental Achievement Awards today. Several supermarket partners are being recognized for their achievements in refrigerant management in the past year. The refrigerants used by supermarkets, if not managed properly, contribute to climate change and harm the ozone layer, which protects people from cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation. GreenChill is an EPA partnership that works with supermarkets to transition to low-impact refrigerants; reduce the amount of refrigerant used, and eliminate harmful refrigerant leaks. GreenChill has 54 partners with almost 8,000 stores, representing over 20 percent of the supermarket industry. Whole Foods Market won GreenChill’s Superior Goal Achievement Award for exceeding their company’s annual target to reduce refrigerant emissions from their stores. Even though GreenChill Partners achieve emission rates well below national averages, all partners set ambitious, tough-to-achieve annual goals to continually improve their performance. “Whole Foods Market has invested enormous time and energy into improving their corporate-wide refrigerant emissions rate,” according to Keilly Witman, GreenChill Partnership Manager. “Everyone who works for the company should be very proud of this accomplishment.” Hillphoenix, based in Conyers, Georgia, earned the GreenChill Store Certification Excellence Award for Refrigeration Systems Manufacturers. Hill Phoenix technology was used in 49 GreenChill Certified Stores, including five Platinum Certified Stores. “Hillphoenix is at the cutting edge of advanced refrigeration technology to help supermarkets achieve environmental improvements through the GreenChill store certification program,” Keilly Witman, GreenChill Partnership Manager. “Hillphoenix works hard with supermarkets to design refrigeration systems to meet very challenging environmental standards.” SUPERVALU, which operates Farm Fresh Food & Pharmacy, earned this year’s Distinguished Partner Award. The Distinguished Partner Award is given to the supermarket partner company that goes above and beyond to advance the mission of the GreenChill Partnership. “SUPERVALU is a star GreenChill Partner,” said Keilly Witman, GreenChill Partnership Manager. “You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone more devoted to the goals of the Partnership.” Additionally, David Hinde earned GreenChill’s Distinguished Partner Award. Over his lifetime Hinde made significant contributions to the supermarket refrigeration industry and the GreenChill Partnership, especially in relation to new technology. “David Hinde served as mentor to many in the supermarket refrigeration industry,” said Wtiman. “David was crucial to the development and implementation of GreenChill's Store Certification Program, working to forward GreenChill’s mission to reduce harmful refrigerant emissions and protect the ozone layer. Enough can’t be said about Hinde’s contributions.” EPA estimates that if supermarkets nationwide reduced their emissions to the GreenChill average emissions rate, the industry would eliminate the equivalent of 22 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, equal to removing more than 4.3 million passenger vehicles from the road. This would also help restore the earth’s ozone layer, which protects the earth from the sun’s damaging ultraviolet radiation, a leading cause of skin cancer. More on EPA’s GreenChill Partnership: http://www.epa.gov/greenchill/
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Friday, September 14, 2012
News Release: EPA Region 4 Supermarkets Recognized for Environmental Achievement under GreenChill Partnership
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