Sustainability at Sheetz


Coming soon: Electric car chargers! Reusable mugs, corporate recycling program also on project list


Soon Sheetz will be the first convenience retailer in the United States to offer customers a network of direct-current fast chargers for electric cars. This pioneering project is one of several coming up as part of our


Sheetz Sustainability Initiative. Corporate responsibility as it pertains to the environment, waste and


conservation is becoming increasingly important to the American public. As always, Sheetz wants to lead the way on the issues that matter to our customers and our employees. Since sustainability became one of our corporate initiatives, we formed


a Green Team to determine what projects make sense for our business and our customers. Using employee and customer surveys and focus groups, we gathered lots of valuable information about what type of environmentally friendly actions would be appreciated and supported. A few exciting programs are already in the works!


Electric car chargers One of our highest-profile green projects will be the introduction of five direct-current fast chargers, creating a central Pennsylva- nia corridor for customers driving electric cars. The locations we chose are spaced so drivers can have the confidence to travel the route without fear of running out of energy. A direct-current fast charger (480V), like


the ones that will be installed at our stores, can charge a Nissan Leaf to 80 percent in as little as 25 minutes. In comparison, it would take 10 to 12 hours to charge a car using a normal household outlet. California-based 350Green will install and manage the


charging stations, although Sheetz will get a share of the charging revenue. The rate for charging a vehicle is yet to be determined. Our petroleum team applied for and received alternative fuels grants


offered by the state to help offset the cost of purchasing and installing the electric chargers. Installation will be complete by June 2012 at Stores #193, Mif-


flintown, PA; #122, State College, PA; #257, Lancaster, PA; #195, Mechan- icsburg, PA; and #462, York, PA.


Mug washers Through their research, the Green Team learned that over 12 months, employees at the Distribution Center (DC) campus alone went through 327,180 Fizz City® cups and 283,500 Styrofoam® coffee cups as well as 69,264 bottles of water! Total cost: $62,000, not counting the money spent to haul away the trash to the landfill!


It’s easy to see that we can make a real difference, both to our bottom


line and the environment, by choosing reusable mugs. We recently began a test of FreshCUP mug washers at the DC. Each


test department received one of these machines, which clean and sanitize even the dirtiest reusable mugs in just 30 seconds with the press of a button. Each employee received their own reusable Sheetz mug to use in place of Styrofoam and Fizz City cups, although any appropriate-sized mug will work in the machine. We expect the program to roll out to all DC and corporate departments


over the next few months. During this time, we’ll be studying the feasibil- ity of implementing a similar reusable mug program for stores.


Recycling While cardboard and shrink-wrap recycling is well estab- lished at the DC, there is no corporate-wide recycling program … yet. Like reusable mugs, recycling is both an opportunity to keep trash from our landfills and a way to save money. According to Green Team calculations, a


corporate-wide recycling program along with the reusable mug program could result in a savings of $183,400 in its first year! Most of that savings would come from


reduced cost for trash removal services. Truly


a win-win situation! The plan, which will go to test soon, is for employees at the Altoona and Claysburg offices to each have small recycle bins in their work stations along with larger bins in common areas. We’d have the capability to recycle most everything, other than food. Plastic bottles, glass, metal cans, paper, junk mail, envelopes, books, magazines, cardboard, newspapers


and paper towels would all be accepted. We’ve got our sights set on store-level recycling as well. The Green


Team is working with an environmental vendor to conduct a waste audit at a store in the near future. This audit would provide data on the viability of recycling at stores.


The rollout of these programs is just the beginning of our ongoing commitment to sustainability. The Green Team has several subcom- mittees devoted to exploring additional opportunities in green facili- ties, products, waste reduction and alternative fuels. There are also two subcommittees dedicated to both sharing information and soliciting ideas and feedback from Sheetz employees and customers. Employees with ideas and feedback about sustainability at Sheetz should contact the Green Team at greenteam@sheetz.com.


Family Matters JANUARY


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