Environmental Leader

LoyaltyOne/AIR MILES is targeting LEED certification under the Canada Green Building Council’s rating system for its new 50,000-sq. ft. customer care center in Ontario. Scheduled to open in November 2009, the new building will feature  Canada’s largest solar rooftop project with over 800 panels.

The solar system will generate 147 kW on the roof and an additional 18 kW on the carport for a total of 165 kW. The annual output is estimated at approximately 159,500 kWh. Currently, the largest rooftop project in Canada generates 110 kW, according to the company.

The solar inverters inside the facility will be integrated into an educational feature for staff and visitors. Several installers are working on the entire solar project.

The core and shell of the building is being built out by owner bcIMC Realty Corp. and developer Bentall LP and is expected to be LEED Silver certified. The interior design, under the responsibility of LoyaltyOne, which will lease the building, is targeting LEED Gold certification thanks to numerous environmental and energy-efficient features.

Some highlights of the new facility include:

• Solar tubes that allow natural light to flow into the center of the space
• Low-emission materials used in construction
• Recycled content in materials used in construction
• Waste management practices used onsite
• Zero-waste strategies
• Hot water heated by solar energy
• Low-flow showers and energy-efficient dishwashers
• Preferential parking spaces close to the main door for fuel-efficient cars

The company has a range of other sustainability initiatives as well, including a fleet of smart cars available for staff at its headquarters in downtown Toronto to use for external meetings not accessible by public transit, to deter them from driving their own cars to work. Almost 50 percent of its employees purchase public transit passes from the company.

LoyaltyOne also operates the Air Miles Reward Program, which introduced the My Planet initiative earlier this year that will help its more than 9.5-million active members make more environmentally sustainable choices in their everyday lives through green rewards, information and an online community.

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