EPA honors Dublin, California Whole Foods with Best of the Best GreenChill Award

Whole Foods Market in Dublin, California, recently won the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Best of the Best” GreenChill Award in recognition of the store’s new environmentally friendly refrigeration system that uses ammonia instead of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
 
“EPA’s GreenChill awardees are meeting the President’s challenge to curb emissions of these potent greenhouse gases head on,” Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, said. “This year’s award winners are making the smart choice to act on climate by switching to environmentally friendly refrigerants and innovative technologies.”
 
HFCs are a class of potent greenhouse gases that can significantly contribute to climate change if they enter the atmosphere. By replacing HFCs with ammonia in its refrigeration system, the Dublin Whole Foods is eliminating the risk of releasing HFCs into the atmosphere through leaks.
 
Other GreenChill partners, which collectively own approximately 10,800 stores across the country, are working to reduce their climate impact by either following the Dublin Whole Foods lead and using alternative refrigerants or working to better prevent leaks. The EPA estimates that supermarkets eliminating refrigerant leaks would lead to a 29 million metric ton reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, as well as $169 million in savings for the store owners.