PLANO, Texas, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PepsiCo's Frito-Lay Casa Grande, Ariz., facility today became the nation's first food manufacturing site to be awarded LEED® Existing Building (EB) Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). LEED is the nation's preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. "Constructing a building from the ground up allows you to be more thoughtful about the sustainable choices you make, but it's extremely challenging to retrofit a 25-year-old building to make it more environmentally friendly," said Jason Gray, technical manager, Frito-Lay Casa Grande. "However, we think the investment to have our facility meet LEED EB Gold standards is an important part for our sustainability strategy and another step in our journey." "In today's economic climate, organizations are reframing the definition of smart economic growth to include renovating and retrofitting existing structures to make them more energy efficient. Transforming this existing stock toward economic and environmental viability is imperative," said USGBC President, CEO and Founding Chairman Rick Fedrizzi. "PepsiCo's Frito-Lay manufacturing facility in Arizona should be celebrated for achieving LEED gold certification and demonstrating immense leadership in the green movement." To achieve LEED EB Certification, the company's Casa Grande sustainability strategy included implementing a number of green design and construction features, water reduction technologies and practices, as well as improved waste management.
