Grocery Dive
Summary
Publix’s newly opened GreenWise Market in Tampa, Florida, marks the first time the grocer has attached the refrigeration system in one of its supermarkets to a district cooling system (DCS), a centralized facility that provides chilled water and helps improve energy efficiency and stability for cooling systems, according to a press release on Thursday.
The refrigeration equipment in the new store, which opened Thursday, is connected to the DCS in Tampa’s Water Street neighborhood along with the store's air-conditioning system. The new location is the second Publix store to use a DCS for air conditioning.
Publix's decision to use a centralized water-chilling facility to keep food in its new supermarket cold and manage the building's air temperature builds on the grocer's previous efforts to improve the sustainability of its business. In 2018, Publix announced it had started using carbon dioxide instead of chemical refrigerants in air-conditioning units at some of its stores to help reduce its impact on the environment.
Meanwhile, Publix is positioning its newly announced line of plant-based tenders, which it announced earlier this month, as a way for consumers to meet their sustainability goals. Last year, the grocer started working with a land-based salmon farm to further sustainable seafood. The grocer also sources local foods and works with local hydroponic growers and has donated to organizations working to support the environment, among other steps.
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