Environmental Leader

McDonald’s pilot “green” restaurant in Chicago, Illinois, is estimated to use 25 percent less energy than a traditional McDonald’s restaurant, reported the UK Times Online. The restaurant features a storm water management system and a vegetative green roof together with the required installation of Energy Star-rated kitchen equipment and networked equipment to save energy.

The group is evaluating the performance of its pilot restaurant to see what “green” features can be replicated in its 14,000 restaurants in America and 31,000 in total worldwide. So far, the company has decided to add such locations in Canada, France and Brazil, Max Carmona, McDonald’s senior director of restaurant design, told UK Times.

At the Chicago location, recycled milk containers have been used in the tabletops and one of the restaurant’s partitions is built out of Coca-Cola bottles. Certain spots in the parking lot have a sign, indicating they are reserved for drivers of hybrid cars, according to the article.

The McDonald’s UK arm has been experimenting with ideas to make its restaurants a little greener, according to the UK Times. In Sheffield, the fast-food chain has been converting waste into energy, and twelve restaurants in Dorset took part last year in a trial to convert waste into compost for local farms, reported the UK Times.

In its most recent corporate sustainability report, McDonald’s indicated plans to incorporate sustainable forestry practices into its food packaging.