VIDEO: KFC Australia Opens Country’s First Green Restaurant

KFC Australia, a Yum! Brands company, made history this summer with the opening of the country's first, "green" quick-service restaurant. The Environment Minister and Maitland MP, Robyn Parker, and Mayor Peter Blackmore attended the grand opening. 

The East Maitland store in New South Wales is designed to save as much as 15 percent of the annual energy and 25 percent of the annual water costs, thanks to the latest in environmentally friendly building design.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a voluntary, market-driven program that provides third-party verification of green buildings. Once it is officially certified, the East Maitland restaurant will be KFC's ninth LEED restaurant globally.

Lighting is optimized throughout the restaurant with energy saving and long-lasting LED lighting, as well as innovative day-light and motion sensors to control when lighting is turned on or off. The kitchen features cutting-edge ventilation technology. Water use is optimized by the installation of water-efficient landscaping, faucets and restroom fixtures.

It is estimated that the new facility will divert up to 800 kilograms (1,734 pounds) of waste each week from landfills. Everyday materials such as cardboard, bottles, and cans are recyclable, while food scraps can be turned into compost for the local community. Used cooking oil is also repurposed as animal feed or bio-diesel.

"As one of the largest quick service restaurant brands in Australia, we believe it is our responsibility to minimize the impact of our business on the environment we live and operate in," said Michael Clark, Chief Supply Chain Officer for KFC Australia. "We are committed to making substantial investments in research and initiatives designed to reduce our environmental impact and to help ensure that all of our new restaurants are LEED certifiable by 2015."

Take a Virtual Tour of KFC Australia's East Maitland Restaurant.