Michael Burnham, E&E senior reporter

Can a big box have a little environmental footprint? Office Depot Inc. thinks so.

The Boca Raton, Fla.-based office supplies retailer said today that it will pursue the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for the insides of new U.S. stores. Developers seeking the LEED for Commercial Interiors certification are awarded points for allowing sunlight to penetrate deep into the building, using energy- and water-efficient fixtures, integrating recycled materials, and providing access to public transportation.

Office Depot plans to open 14 LEED CI-certified stores this year, starting in June with a more than 15,000-square-foot retail outlet in Austin, Texas. The 14 buildings will include reflective roofs, skylights, preferred parking for carpoolers, sustainably harvested wood, sensors that adjust lights based on daylight, low-flush toilets and recycling centers for shoppers' electronics. The green stores' electricity consumption will be about about 14 percent lower and their carbon footprint about 23 percent smaller than those of a conventionally designed store, Office Depot estimates, based on savings at a LEED Gold-certified store it opened in May 2008.

The 18,000-square-foot store gets more than 10 percent of its electricity from photovoltaic panels.

"We intend to continue to make our stores as energy-efficient, water-efficient and cost-efficient as possible," said Edward Costa, the company's vice president for construction. "With LEED CI, we are now able to 'green' all of our store locations, regardless of whether we build it ourselves or take over an existing building."