Fresh & Easy Opens Eighth GreenChill Store

SN STAFF

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — With the opening today of a store in Oceanside, Calif., Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market here now has eight stores certified by the Environmental Protection Agency's GreenChill Partnership — the most of any grocer in the country.

Fresh & Easy opened its first GreenChill-certified store in September 2010. The Oceanside store, which was gold-certified, is the fourth GreenChill-certified Fresh & Easy store to open this year.

GreenChill certification is awarded by the EPA to stores meeting benchmarks for cutting refrigerant emissions that harm the earth's protective ozone layer and contribute to global warming. Only 45 of the nation's more than 35,000 grocery stores have received GreenChill Store Certification awards

"The fact that Fresh & Easy has received the most GreenChill awards for its stores in the nation speaks volumes for the company's environmental commitment," said Keilly Witman, manager of EPA's GreenChill Partnership, in a statement. "We're happy to continue working with Fresh & Easy on bringing even more of its stores into the GreenChill program."

"We've worked hard to be thoughtful in the impact we have on the environment and we're excited to continue to innovate in this area," said Fresh & Easy Chief Executive Tim Mason. "On average, our stores use 30% less energy than a typical supermarket, which not only helps the environment, but also keeps our prices low so our customers can continue to save money."