Home Depot 2012 Annual Report Download - page 12

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Commitment to Environmentally Responsible Operations. The Home Depot is committed to conducting business in an
environmentally responsible manner. This commitment impacts all areas of our business, including energy usage, supply
chain, store construction and maintenance, and, as noted above under "Energy Saving Products and Programs," product
selection and delivery of product knowledge to our customers.
In fiscal 2012, we continued to implement strict operational standards that establish energy efficient practices in all of our
U.S. facilities. These include HVAC unit temperature regulation and adherence to strict lighting schedules, which are the
largest sources of energy consumption in our stores, as well as use of energy management systems in each store to monitor
energy efficiency. We estimate that by implementing and utilizing these energy saving programs, we have saved over 5.5
billion kilowatt hours (kWh) since 2004, and we are on track to meet our goal of a 20% reduction in kWh per square foot in
our U.S. stores by 2015.
Through our supply chain efficiencies described above under "Logistics," we are targeting a 20% reduction in our domestic
supply chain greenhouse gas emissions from 2008 to 2015, which would equate to annual fuel savings of approximately
25 million gallons. We also continued to monitor our "carbon footprint" from the operation of our stores as well as from our
transportation and supply chain activities. Through our energy conservation and supply chain initiatives, we reduced our
absolute carbon emissions by approximately 777,000 metric tons in 2011 compared to 2010.
With respect to construction of our stores, we partnered with the U.S. Green Building Council and have built seven LEED for
New Construction certified or similarly certified stores. In 2012, we opened a new store in Lodi, California and used a grant
from the U.S. Department of Energy to help design, monitor and verify the energy savings at that store. The building is
designed to consume substantially less energy than the 2007 90.1 ASHRAE standards established by the American Society of
Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, an international society that sets forth HVAC and refrigeration
standards to promote sustainability. We also implemented a rainwater reclamation pilot in 2010. As of the end of fiscal 2012,
we have retrofitted 81 of our stores with reclamation tanks to collect rainwater and condensation from HVAC units and
garden center roofs, which is in turn used to water plants in our outside garden centers. In September 2011, we opened a store
in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands with both ground mount and roof mount solar panel systems, and we estimate the
combined total annual energy production of these systems to be over 580 megawatt hours.
Our efforts have resulted in a number of environmental awards and recognitions. For example, in 2012, we were named
"Retail Partner of the Year" by the ENERGY STAR® division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the "EPA") for
our overall excellence in energy efficiency, and we received the EPA's WaterSense® "2012 Associate Education Excellence
Award." We were also recognized as a "High Performer" by the Carbon Disclosure Project.
We are strongly committed to maintaining a safe shopping and working environment for our customers and associates and
protecting the environment of the communities in which we do business. Our Environmental, Health & Safety ("EH&S")
function is dedicated to ensuring the health and safety of our customers and associates, with trained associates who evaluate,
develop, implement and enforce policies, processes and programs on a Company-wide basis. Our EH&S policies are woven
into our everyday operations and are part of The Home Depot culture. Some common program elements include: daily store
inspection checklists (by department); routine follow-up audits from our store-based safety team members and regional,
district and store operations field teams; equipment enhancements and preventative maintenance programs to promote
physical safety; departmental merchandising safety standards; training and education programs for all associates, with
varying degrees of training provided based on an associate's role and responsibilities; and awareness, communication and
recognition programs designed to drive operational awareness and understanding of EH&S issues.
Interconnected Retail
Our interconnected retail initiative supports and connects our three other key initiatives. In fiscal 2012, we focused on
leveraging technology to improve our customer's retail experience and provide better access to and information about our
products. As described above, these efforts included information technology solutions that take tasks out of the store and free
our associates to devote more time to customer-facing activities. They also included significant website enhancements that
allow customers to more easily find and purchase an expanded array of products and provide them with flexibility and
convenience for their purchases (for example, through our BOPIS, BORIS, BOSS and "Store to Store" programs). Through
our website, which can be accessed through computers, tablets, smart phones and other mobile devices, customers can
purchase products and track their installation projects through MyInstall and can connect with our associates and with one
another to gain product and project knowledge in areas that are important to them. For example, in fiscal 2012, we updated
the Eco Options® page on our website to provide more information for our environmentally-minded customers, and we had
convenience in mind when we introduced a mobile application that allows our customers to select and purchase products
quickly. Furthermore, to increase the productivity and efficiency of our associates, merchants and suppliers and ensure that