Jan. 15, 2009 - Office Depot's green store prototype, the blueprint for all of the retailer's new constructions moving forward, has received LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Office Depot earned the Gold rating both for the store prototype and for its first green retail store, located in Austin, Texas. The Austin store, which opened last July, was the first to be built following Office Depot's green prototype design.

"Achieving LEED Gold certification for our Austin store and prototype will make the certification process simpler and more efficient for future LEED-certified stores," says Ed Costa, VP of construction for Office Depot. ":As a result, we will be able to scale the operational efficiency that LEED certification enables across our store footprint at a more rapid pace."

Office Depot says the green prototype will be applied to "future stores where Office Depot manages the new construction process from the ground up."