How one Staples is going “green”

Ongoing discussions between the city of Asheville and Staples have focused on signage, landscaping and measures like a “green screen” that would soften the store’s appearance from the street at its Merrimon Avenue location.

But the effort to smooth tensions stirred by the Asheville office-supply store by planting more shrubs pales in comparison to the lengths Staples has gone to in Miami, Fla. There, the world’s largest office-products company is building its very first LEED-certified retail building. The “green” Staples will feature, among other things, waterless urinals, parking stops made from recycled materials and even showers — for customers who bike to the store and want to freshen up before they shop.

The new “green” Staples is the first to be built by the office-supply company. With sales of $18.2 billion in 2006, Staples — which is headquartered outside of Boston — operates more than 1,900 office superstores, according to a company press release.

Miami Mayor Manny Diaz was quoted in a Staples press release as saying that the green-building project can help the city to “achieve its goal of becoming a model city for sustainable living.”

— Rebecca Bowe, contributing editor

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.