Jan 17, 2007
Dominick's grocery stores announced a conversion of its truck fleet
to biodiesel Thursday, a move it estimates will eliminate more than a
million pounds of carbon emissions annually.
President Don Keprta said Dominick's is the first retailer in
Illinois to convert its entire fleet -- including 78 tractors and 350
refrigerated trailers -- to biodiesel. “This is a huge step in
lessening our impact on the environment,” Keprta said at a news
conference Thursday.
Dominick's, which operates 99 stores in the Midwest, is owned
by retail food and drug giant Safeway Inc., which said it
will convert its entire national fleet to a biodiesel blend.
Mayor Daley attended the announcement at a Dominick's store in the
city's Ukrainian Village neighborhood, using the occasion to promote
his goal of making Chicago the nation's greenest city.
“We are able to carry out the message to the business community
that as the city moves forward it must do so in a way that saves
energy, saves money for businesses and its individuals, and creates
economic opportunity for its residents,” Daley said.
The grocery store chain also became the first retailer to join the
Chicago Climate Exchange, a trading system to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. Joining the exchange is voluntary, but members are legally
obligated to meet yearly emissions reductions.
Richard Sandor, chairman and CEO of the Chicago Climate Exchange,
lauded the "creativity" the grocery chain showed in converting its
vehicles to B20, a mixture of biodiesel and regular petroleum diesel.
He said switching to biodiesel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 78
percent.
“We think that Chicago is the natural home for environmentalism, and
it’s the natural home for exchanges and trading,” Sandor said. “The
marriage of those two will show that financial incentives can lead to
great social objectives.”
"I don't have all the answers. I don't need all the answers right now. All I have to do is solve the problems one at a time. More importantly, I won't be doing it by myself."-- Sean O'Hanlon
