Chipotle to Seek LEED Certification for Two Sites

(Oct.13) Chipotle Mexican Grill will seek LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for its restaurant in Gurnee, Ill.

The location includes a six-kilowatt wind turbine that is expected to generate approximately 10% of the site’s electricity.

Other environmentally friendly attributes of the new restaurant include a 2,500-gallon underground water cistern to harvest rainwater for landscape irrigation, LED lighting, water-saving faucets and toilets, ENERGY STAR-rated kitchen equipment and landscaping with native plants. Also featured: parking-lot asphalt that is expected to reflect the sun's heat instead of absorbing it, use of recycled material in building, and use of surface coatings that contain fewer chemicals.

In addition, Chipotle plans to seek LEED status for a restaurant that will be part of an existing shopping center in Minnetonka, Minn.