Restaurant in Gurnee, Ill.
Represents Pinnacle of Green Building Design
Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG)(NYSE:CMG.B) announced today that it
has been awarded Platinum level LEED® certification by the
U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for its Gurnee, Ill. restaurant. The
restaurant was built in 2008 under the LEED for Retail pilot program and
is the first restaurant to receive Platinum level certification, the
USGBC’s highest LEED certification level.
“Part of changing the way the world thinks about and eats fast food is
designing and building restaurants in more environmentally friendly
ways,” said Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO of Chipotle. “Our
team worked hard to ensure that sustainable elements that made sense for
this location were seamlessly incorporated into the design of the
restaurant, while still giving it the iconic look of a Chipotle.”
The Gurnee, Ill. Chipotle restaurant opened in the fall of 2008 and was
designed to achieve LEED certification for energy use, lighting, water
and material use. The planning and construction process was carefully
managed by Chipotle in conjunction with the USGBC.
“Chipotle’s commitment to the LEED certification process has
demonstrated a passionate commitment to green building leadership,” said
Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, U.S. Green Building
Council. “The project’s effective use of natural resources and
sustainable design elements serve as a model for other LEED for Retail
projects, and Chipotle has become a driving force in the green building
movement.”
In addition to a variety of recycled building materials and
environmentally friendly systems, the Gurnee restaurant includes a six
kilowatt wind turbine that generates a portion of the restaurant’s
energy on site, as well as a 2,500 gallon underground water cistern that
harvests rainwater to irrigate the landscape.
Chipotle has designed and built other restaurants in Minneapolis and
Long Island, NY to comply with LEED certification standards and is
awaiting final certifications on those projects.
About Chipotle
Steve Ells, founder, chairman and co-CEO, started Chipotle with the idea
that food served fast did not have to be a typical fast food experience.
Today, Chipotle continues to offer a focused menu of burritos, tacos,
burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads made from
fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking
methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere. Through our vision of
Food with Integrity, Chipotle is seeking better food not only from using
fresh ingredients, but ingredients that are sustainably grown and
naturally raised with respect for the animals, the land, and the farmers
who produce the food. Chipotle opened its first restaurant in 1993 and
currently operates more than 860 restaurants. For more information,
visit Chipotle.com.
About LEED®
The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
Green Building Rating System™ is a feature-oriented rating system that
awards buildings points for satisfying specified green building
criteria. The six major environmental categories to review include:
Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials
and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation and Design.
Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum levels of LEED green building
certification are awarded based on the total number of points earned
within each LEED category. LEED can be applied to all building types
including new construction, commercial interiors, core & shell
developments, existing buildings, homes, neighborhood developments,
schools and retail facilities. Incentives for LEED are available at the
state and local level and LEED has also been adopted nationwide by
federal agencies, state and local governments and interested private
companies. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org/LEED.
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Chris Arnold, 303.222.5912
