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Storefront: Water Conservation

In order to boost our water conservation efforts, we have invested in installing smart irrigation systems in some of our stores. The program began in 2014 with two pilot locations, and we have been working diligently to expand it ever since. So far, the program has allowed us to conserve more than 22.1 million gallons of water. Because of the fantastic results we’ve seen, we have now successfully implemented these systems in 16 stores, and continue to explore more locations.

Our irrigation specifications at our company-controlled locations ensure that:

• Reclaimed or well water is used whenever possible.
  
• Rain and soil moisture sensors are installed with automatic control gauges to determine when landscaping needs water.
  
• Irrigation systems are designed only after choosing plants and landscape design.
  
• Irrigation sprinklers don’t overlap into single zones.
  
• Drip irrigation and micro-sprinklers are used where appropriate.

Our Dairy Manufacturing team’s modifications to four Cleaning In Place (CIP) automatic wash systems also saves us 10.4 million gallons of water annually.
 
Other water conservation efforts include installing low-flow faucets, toilets, and waterless urinals in our store bathrooms.