Safeway Wins Economic Leadership Award for Climate Change
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NOVEMBER 20, 2007
By Press Release, BusinessWire

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced that Safeway Inc. (NYSE:SWY) is a winner of the Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA) for the company's strong initiatives in promoting green business practices and implementing significant environmental initiatives throughout its operations.
Safeway specifically was honored for its Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Sustainability Initiative, a program focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the use of solar power, wind power, alternative fuels, green construction strategies, employee education and consumer outreach.
The Governor's Award, California's highest and most prestigious environmental honor, recognizes individuals, organizations and businesses that have demonstrated exceptional leadership for voluntary achievements in conserving California's resources, protecting and enhancing the environment, and building public-private partnerships. Awards are given in eight categories. Safeway is a winner in the Climate Change category.
"I applaud Safeway's climate initiative which is a good model for companies looking to reduce their carbon footprint," said Linda Adams, California's Secretary for Environmental Protection. "California's environmental leadership is supported by companies like Safeway that demonstrate the business world can make substantive changes that benefit the environment."
"What makes this award so exciting is that it recognizes all the efforts made throughout Safeway to reduce our carbon footprint," said Joe Pettus Senior Vice President of Fuel and Energy. "We are utilizing innovative and creative means -- from wind and solar power to energy efficient equipment and consumer education -- to make meaningful changes that are helping the environment. This award acknowledges a tremendous team effort."
In 2006 Safeway launched the comprehensive, long-term Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Sustainability Initiative to decrease the company's carbon footprint and improve air quality. Toward that end, Safeway's energy and fuel team calculated the company's carbon baseline -- the total amount of carbon dioxide emitted annually by operating facilities and the transportation fleet -- and implemented cost-effective measures to dramatically reduce emissions.
For example, the company purchased 87,000 megawatts of renewable wind energy to power its 295 U.S. fuel stations, its corporate campuses in Pleasanton and Walnut Creek, California and all of its San Francisco, California and Boulder, Colorado stores. Safeway is the largest retail purchaser of green wind energy in California and one of the top 25 Fortune 500 companies purchasing green energy nationwide, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Other changes include utilizing advanced technology in stores to reduce electricity use for refrigeration systems and installing no-heat freezer case doors that reduce electric consumption. The company also replaced exterior store neon lighting with LED lighting to significantly decrease electricity usage, and installed fluorescent lighting and other high-efficiency lamps. The result of these efforts was a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 350,000 tons in 2006.
This year Safeway continued efforts to decrease carbon emissions by launching the first of 23 California stores to solar power. The plan will remove 10.4 million pounds of carbon dioxide from the air, the equivalent of taking 1,000 cars off the road annually or planting 4,000 acres of pine trees.
Along with the energy-reduction and carbon-emissions programs, Safeway operates an extensive recycling program as part of an overall environmental focus. Nearly 500,000 tons of materials, such as cardboard, plastics, compostable materials and other food waste are recycled each year. This is the equivalent of filling six football fields stacked 35 feet high.
To learn more about Safeway's Sustainability Initiatives go to www.Safeway.com, click on "About Us" and "Going Green."
The Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Awards program was established in 1993. The award program is administered by the California Environmental Protection Agency and the Resources Agency in collaboration with the State and Consumer Services Agency, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency.
ABOUT SAFEWAY www.Safeway.com
Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 100 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America, based on sales. The company operates 1,738 stores in the United States and western Canada and had annual sales of $40.2 billion in 2006. Safeway supports a broad range of charitable and community programs and last year donated more than $154 million to important causes, such as cancer research, education, food banks and programs focused on assisting people with disabilities. The company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY.