Environmental Leader

UK retailer Tesco has opened a location that it claims to be the world’s first “zero-carbon” supermarket.

The store in Ramsey, England, was built on a frame made from sustainable timber and has skylights calibrated to allow in natural lighting without raising the heat level, reports Supermarket News.

The location takes advantage of outside air, filtered in through strategically located vents, to reduce cooling expenses.

What power the store needs is generated on-site through a generator that runs on renewable materials, including spent vegetable oil. The generator also provides heating for the building.

The refrigeration units are low-emissions versions.

There also is a rainwater collection system to provide water to flush toilets, as well as to be used in the on-site car wash, reports the Cambridge News.

To encourage consumers to reduce their carbon footprints, a free bus will route shoppers to and from the town center.

Tesco recently adopted carbon accounting software to keep track of emissions and energy use at its UK stores.

Tesco subsidiary Fresh & Easy recently opened its first LEED story in the U.S., as well as adopting its own carbon accounting software.

When compared to energy used at other supermarkets, Fresh & Easy is using about 32 percent less energy per square foot across its 130 locations.