A newly opened Cub Foods supermarket in Minnesota is the first store in the country to obtain gold-level certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for use of green refrigeration technology.

The 62,900-square-foot-grocery store opened on Halloween. The day before, the EPA announced that the new supermarket had been awarded gold status under the agency's GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership.

The EPA launched the program in 2007 to promote use of green refrigeration innovations, reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and recognize leading company efforts that support the GreenChill goals.

The new Cub Foods store in Saint Paul's Phalen neighborhood uses 65 percent less refrigeration than the industry standard. And its LED lights in refrigerated cases use 35 percent less energy and are motion-activated, shutting off when no one is in the aisle. 

Other green elements at the store include 44 skylights that illuminate 75 percent of regularly occupied space and use a solar powered GPS system to track and redirect sunlight as needed; use of LED lights in the parking lot — a first among commercial parking sites in the state and a move that provides a 50 percent energy savings, a landscape irrigation system that uses 50 percent less water than conventional systems, shower rooms to encourage employees to bike, walk or snow-shoe to work, and polished concrete floors, which do not require waxing.

Eco-friendly considerations during construction of the supermarket included recycling of waste. Half the waste from buildings torn down to make room for the store was used in the new structure or recycled, and 75 percent of the construction waste generated while building the store was recycled.

The company is seeking LEED Gold certification for the new store. If attained, the new Cub Foods market would become the first grocery in Minnesota to be certified at that level under the U.S. Green Building Council's standards for environmentally sound construction.

The store, which is open 24 hours seven days a week, brought 135 new part-time and full-time jobs to the community. To mark its opening, Cub Foods said it is making donations to local groups, including the Hmong American Association and Prosperity Campaign.

Established in 1968, Cub Foods operates 76 stores in Wisconsin, Ilinois, Iowa and MInnesota with 57 in the Twin Cities. Supervalu purchased the chain in 1980.