Goodwill’s business model of selling donated goods not only sustains its mission, but also diverts unwanted items from landfills. Goodwill also helps to sustain our environment when designing and constructing its stores and offices.
Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina currently owns and operates nine facilities that are certified by the U.S. Green Building Council’s stringent LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, the national benchmark for high performance “green” buildings. One of those buildings, Goodwill’s second retail store in Boone, was LEED certified last month.
“By receiving and reselling donated goods, Goodwill has been in the recycling business for more than 90 years. Constructing ‘green’ buildings was just a natural extension of our mission,” said Jaymie Eichorn, vice president of marketing for Goodwill. “Our goal was to create efficiencies through reduced energy and water consumption. By reducing expenses, we can channel more funding to our employment and training programs. We also sought to improve our facility for both employees and customers, and to reduce its impact on the environment.”
Goodwill’s other LEED certified buildings include stores in Elkin, Hendersonville, Mocksville, Weaverville and West Jefferson, and its regional operations center in Winston-Salem.