Hy-Vee Earns Two EPA GreenChill Achievement Awards

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (Sept. 30, 2015) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that Hy-Vee, Inc. has been awarded two GreenChill program awards for its stores’ efforts to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease their impact on the ozone layer and climate change. Hy-Vee is being recognized with the achievement awards for its outstanding progress in this sustainability area over the past year.

"Hy-Vee's commitment to lowering its refrigerant emissions across its stores proves the company is serious about its role in protecting the ozone layer and climate," said Tom Land, manager of EPA's GreenChill Partnership. "Hy-Vee's success achieving annual goals to reduce refrigerant emissions shows an understanding that sustainability is the business model of the future."

Hy-Vee has been awarded the 2014 Superior Goal Achievement award, which goes to each partner that achieves its annual GreenChill refrigerant emissions reduction goal. Additionally, Hy-Vee has received the Exceptional Goal Achievement award, which is more difficult to earn. This award recognizes those who go above and beyond their emissions reduction goal.

“Hy-Vee believes a healthy environment and healthy communities go hand in hand. That’s why our sustainability mission is to promote the well-being of our customers, employees, communities and the global environment,” said Pat Hensley, Hy-Vee’s senior vice president of government/industry relations who oversees the company’s sustainability efforts. “Hy-Vee will continue to voluntarily and proactively commit to making sustainable choices.”

GreenChill is an EPA partnership with food retailers that helps them transition to environmentally friendlier refrigerants; reduce the amount of refrigerant used by stores and eliminate leaks; and to adopt green refrigeration technologies and environmental best practices.