Construction disrupts the environment. To minimize the impact and reduce pollution from construction, Kohl's implements a nationwide Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan at every new store location. We work with a national SWPPP consultant to prepare a site-specific erosion- and sedimentation-control plan for every Kohl's site to control soil erosion, waterway sedimentation and airborne dust generation.

Reduction in private vehicle use reduces fuel consumption and air and water pollutants caused by vehicle exhaust. In some new store locations, bike racks and changing facilities are provided for employees and customers. Starting in 2009, all new Kohl's stores will have bike racks on site.

Heat islands are created as cities replace natural land cover with buildings, asphalt and other dark-colored, hard-surface infrastructure. This causes both the air and surface temperatures to be higher than temperatures in nearby rural areas, resulting in increased energy demands. Kohl's stores utilize a roofing material that is a Cool White ENERGY STAR-rated TPO roof. This material reduces each building's energy demand and mitigates its heat island impact.

Landscaping plants used nationwide are native or adaptive to their climates. This reduces the amount of water needed to irrigate plants. We primarily use drip emitters which prevent the loss of water through evapotranspiration, a process that occurs as water flies through the air during spray irrigation. The systems are controlled by a smart irrigation controller that monitors weather and climate conditions.

The innovations in landscape and irrigation reduce the potable water used by Kohl's for irrigation by 50%. At some new store sites, no permanent irrigation is installed or an alternative water source is utilized. As a result, no potable water is used to irrigate plants.

Two of every three people in the world will face water shortages by 2025. Water is a valuable resource and Kohl's knows it. We installed water-conserving plumbing fixtures in new stores to reduce water consumption by 20%. In some locations, a water savings of more than 30% will be achieved.

Clean construction waste accounts for about 30% of all materials in U.S. landfills. The waste generated by the construction of new Kohl's stores is carefully managed to ensure the least possible amount of debris is sent to landfills and incinerators. Nonhazardous construction waste materials are separated by contractors. These include concrete, cardboard, carpet, metal, drywall and wood. This effort diverts 50-75% of construction waste from local landfills!

To reduce the demand on virgin materials while reducing the environmental impact of material extraction and the manufacturing process, Kohl's uses many recycled building materials. Materials such as concrete, steel, carpet, ceiling tiles, drywall and insulation are selected with the maximum amounts of recycled content in mind. An estimated 20% of building materials in new Kohl's stores, as measured by cost, is recycled!

Regionally manufactured and harvested building materials are used in the construction of new Kohl's stores to reduce the environmental impact of transporting such heavy materials. Key building materials such as concrete and steel are sourced within 500 miles of each new store site. An estimated 20% of building materials in new Kohl's stores, as measured by cost, are sourced within 500 miles of their respective store sites!

Renewable Energy Credits have been purchased to "green" 100% of every new store's power in the form of mixed renewable energy sources including biomass and wind. These RECs are supplied to Kohl's from a variety of sources.

Building efficiency helps the environment and saves money. Kohl's installs mechanical controlling systems in its buildings to effectively monitor the heating and cooling of all new stores. Six to 10 months after new stores are occupied, a commissioning agent reevaluates and adjusts each building's heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems to optimize efficiency and enhance the thermal comfort of employees and customers. These systems are balanced and reviewed two times per year to assure a continual optimization of building energy use and continued thermal comfort.

Improved indoor air quality enhances the environment for Kohl's employees and customers. New Kohl's stores are constructed with materials containing few Volatile Organic Compounds. Using low VOC materials reduces fumes associated with paint, sealants, carpet, adhesives, insulation and wall systems.

In addition, there is a no-smoking policy at new Kohl's stores. No smoking is permitted indoors or outside stores within 25 feet of any entrances.

We monitor fresh air ventilation and carbon monoxide levels at all Kohl's stores. Increased ventilation adds to the overall air quality of the buildings during cold-weather seasons when air inside buildings often becomes stagnant. A centralized energy management system controls the HVAC within each store. The units are programmed to provide an adequate supply of outside air at times when cooling is not needed in the buildings. Fresh air will constantly be circulated throughout the new stores. The increased amount of ventilation in Kohl's stores adds to the overall air quality of the buildings during seasons when buildings often become stagnant and closed up.

The use of green cleaning supplies reduces the exposure of new store occupants and maintenance staff to potentially harmful chemicals. New Kohl's stores are cleaned using green housekeeping methods and green chemicals approved by Kohl's and supplied by our contract cleaning vendors. Restroom paper products are made from 100% recycled materials.

Did you know that by recycling one aluminum can enough energy is saved to run a TV for three hours? Or that every ton of office paper recycled saves 380 gallons of oil? Recycling is the right thing to do! New Kohl's stores recycle office paper, cans, glass, cardboard, hangers and plastic. Receptacles throughout the facilities are designated for the sorting and collection of recyclable materials. Employees and customers also can bring in plastic bags to be recycled.

Rapidly renewable building materials regenerate more quickly than the demand for the products, unlike nonrenewable, conventional building products which are mined or harvested, such as granite, marble and hardwood trees. The Photo Studio uses cork and bamboo flooring. These choices reduce the building's environmental impact.

Many of the permanent wood features, such as cabinets and doors utilized in the construction of the Photo Studio, were constructed from Forest Stewardship Council wood. Using certified wood products means U.S. forests will be available for generations to come.

All of the waste generated by the construction of the Photo Studio was managed to ensure the least possible amount of debris went to landfills and incinerators. Nonhazardous construction waste materials were separated by the contractor. These include concrete, cardboard, carpet, metal, drywall and wood. This effort diverted 206 tons of waste from local landfills – that's about 64% of the waste generated by weight.

The Photo Studio site utilizes an existing regional detention basin located east of the property. In addition, this site has a pretreatment pond located on the east side of the property.The pond removes 80% of pollutants from storm water that flows from the parking lot and landscaped areas. The pond also provides irrigation for on-site landscaping.

All landscaping plants at the Photo Studio are native adaptive trees, shrubs and ground cover that require 50% less water than non-native plants. The irrigation system for the Photo Studio is a drip system that uses on-site pond water.

This system is controlled by the Weather TRAK controller that monitors weather and climate conditions prior to activating the irrigation system. The Weather TRAK system reduces irrigation by 50%. No potable water is used to irrigate any plants at the Photo Studio.

Heat islands are created as cities replace natural land cover with buildings, asphalt and other dark-colored, hard-surface infrastructure. This causes both the air and surface temperatures to be higher than temperatures in nearby rural areas, resulting in increased energy demands.

Kohl's Photo Studio uses an ENERGY STAR-rated roofing material that reduces the building's energy demand and mitigates its heat island impact. The roof is a Cool White ENERGY STAR-rated construction that helps reduce the building's energy demand. The roof also contains vegetated trays that absorb sunlight without contributing to the heat island effect.

The amount of asphalt used in the parking lot was reduced and areas of high-albedo concrete pavements were added. The high-albedo materials reduce reflection and outside temperature. The majority of the remaining parking lot asphalt is shaded by trees and other landscape elements.

About 2,500 individual stars should be visible to the human eye in an unpolluted night sky; but in a typical suburb only 200 to 300 stars are visible and in a city (like Milwaukee) fewer than a dozen stars may shine through the artificially lit sky. Several design choices were made to minimize light pollution at the Photo Studio. It has no exterior upward-facing lights. The sign on the outside of the building is illuminated using LED technology. Full cutoff light fixtures used in the parking areas reduce light trespass off site and up into the night sky. Light pollution wastes energy and can be a detriment to the quality of the environment.

Renewable energy accounts for only 2.3% of the energy supply in the U.S. Kohl's partnered with We Energies and SunEdison to install a photovoltaic array on the roof of the Photo Studio. The system was installed in April 2008 and became operational in July 2008. It supplies 20% of the building's power directly to the building. This system has more than 800 solar panels that generate clean, silent renewable power in Milwaukee, Wis.

Renewable Energy Credits have been purchased to "green" 100% of the Photo Studio's power in the form of mixed renewable energy sources including biomass and wind. These RECs are supplied to Kohl's from Sterling Planet.

Energy efficiency helps the environment and saves money. Kohl's has installed mechanical controlling systems in our Photo Studio to effectively supply both heating and cooling to the facility. These systems are balanced and reviewed two times per year to assure optimal energy use.

Improved indoor air quality enhances the environment for Kohl's employees and customers. New Kohl's stores are constructed with materials containing few volatile organic compounds. Using low VOC materials reduces fumes associated with paint, sealants, carpet, adhesives, insulation and wall systems.

In addition, there is a no smoking policy at new Kohl's stores. No smoking is permitted indoors or outside stores within 25 feet of any entrances.

A centralized energy management system controls the HVAC units on this building. We monitor fresh air ventilation and carbon monoxide levels at all Kohl's stores. Fresh air circulates through the stores. Increased ventilation adds to the overall air quality of the buildings during cold-weather seasons when air inside buildings often becomes stagnant.

A centralized energy management system controls the heating, ventilating and air conditioning units on this building. This assures the supply of outside air at times when cooling is not needed in the building. Fresh air will constantly be circulated throughout the building. The increased amount of ventilation adds to the overall air quality of the building during seasons when buildings often become stagnant and closed up.

Windows cover the façade of the Photo Studio, and the southern orientation of the building brings in sunlight throughout the day. Windows provide borrowed light in the central stockroom area. The use of glass doors in some conference rooms allows even greater penetration of sunlight into the building's interior. A roof deck/outdoor photo studio space accommodates photo shoots.

The use of green cleaning supplies reduces the exposure of occupants and maintenance staff to potentially harmful chemicals. The Photo Studio is cleaned using green housekeeping methods and green chemicals approved by Kohl's and supplied by our contract cleaning vendors. Restroom paper products are made from 100% recycled materials.

The Photo Studio recycles office paper, cans, glass, cardboard, hangers and plastic. Receptacles throughout the facilities are designated for the sorting and collection of recyclable materials. Employees and customers also can bring in plastic bags to be recycled.