Celebrating the Wins for Sustainability

In my first environmental management class, the instructor posed a very simple question: “Do you wake up in the morning overwhelmed with all that is wrong with the world, or are you optimistic about where things are heading?” There was a very long pause and then the teacher replied, “I agree. It depends on the day.”

Today, Kum & Go is celebrating their 100^th LEED certified convenience store. This accomplishment puts them among the ranks of Kohl’s and Starbucks, and officially ranks the company as one of the top users of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system in the retail sector.

To give context to the awesomeness of this accomplishment, it’s notable that Kum & Go is not a publicly traded company or a global entity. Kum & Go: owns and operates 430 convenience stores in 11 states, is the fifth largest privately held convenience store chain in the United States and is led by the founder’s son, Kyle Krause.

“We want to be the best in the industry. We are doing a lot of things well, but we have to keep improving to get to where we want to be.” – Kyle J. Krause

While Kum & Go’s sustainability efforts are impressive, it is also important to note they share 10 percent of annual profits with charitable causes ranging from in-kind gifts supporting local communities to programs focused on early childhood education.

Less-informed critics often assume LEED is simply an added cost that only mega-corporations have the luxury to afford. Turner Construction has consistently debunked the costs of green building over the last decade by proving that the marginal investment required to achieve the higher performance found within the LEED framework averages between zero and 2% of a basic code-compliant building.

Kum & Go is proof that you don’t have to be a mega corporation to improve building, equipment and process efficiency. Kum & Go’s LEED stores use 30% less energy than a typical convenience store and consume 20% less water.

Even with management’s accomplishments in delivering 100 superior convenience stores, I am most impressed with the company’s Core Values as stated by the President and CEO: “We want to be the best in the industry. We are doing a lot of things well, but we have to keep improving to get to where we want to be.”

I whole-heartedly support the pursuit of continuous improvement, and today is one of those days where I can sit back and celebrate a win for the industry and congratulate sustainability leaders like Kum & Go.