Sears in Glen Burnie, Maryland Selected as Contestant in EPA National Building Competition
Will Compete to 'Work Off the Waste' with Help from ENERGY STAR Program
Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD) today announced that a Sears store in Glen Burnie, Maryland, has been selected to participate in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) first national competition among commercial buildings to save energy and fight climate change. In the spirit of popular weight-loss competitions, the Glenn Burnie Sears store will compete against 13 other buildings across the country to "work off the waste" through improvements in energy efficiency with help from the EPA's ENERGY STAR program. The building that sheds the most energy waste on a percentage basis will be recognized as the winner of the EPA's National Building Competition in late October 2010.
"We are honored to be a part of the EPA's National Building Competition," said Mike Brown, Director Environmental Sustainability. "Sears Holdings remains committed to continuing to improve our energy efficiency throughout our organization, and we look forward to seeing how the Glen Burnie Sears store measures up against other buildings across the nation."
Nearly 200 buildings applied to participate in the National Building Competition, which will judge the energy performance of the 14 finalists from September 1, 2009 to August 31, 2010. The energy use of each building is being monitored with EPA's online measurement and tracking tool, Portfolio Manager. Contestants will receive technical assistance from EPA as well as energy fitness advice from celebrity trainer, Bob Harper. Each building will participate in a mid-point weigh-in and post their results online at the competition website. Twitter updates by contestants will also be available at www.twitter.com/EnergyStarBldgs/contestants
"Buildings of all shapes and sizes are saving money and energy with help from EPA and ENERGY STAR," said Jean Lupinacci, Director of EPA's ENERGY STAR Commercial Buildings Program. "We applaud the contestants of EPA's National Building Competition for taking action to protect the environment and fight climate change."
According to EPA, energy use in commercial buildings accounts for 17 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of more than $100 billion per year. On average, 30% of the energy used in commercial buildings is wasted. Thousands of businesses and organizations work with the EPA's ENERGY STAR program and are saving billions of dollars and preventing millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions from entering our atmosphere each year.
Learn more about the National Building Competition: www.energystar.gov/BuildingContest Learn more about ENERGY STAR: www.energystar.gov/buildings Learn more about Sears Holdings: www.searsholdings.com About Sears Holdings Corporation
Sears Holdings Corporation is the nation's fourth largest broadline retailer with approximately 3,900 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada. Sears Holdings is the leading home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, home electronics and automotive repair and maintenance. Sears Holdings is the 2010 ENERGY STAR® Retail Partner of the Year. Key proprietary brands include Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard, and a broad apparel offering, including such well-known labels as Lands' End, Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer, as well as the Apostrophe and Covington brands. It also has the Country Living collection, which is offered by Sears and Kmart. We are the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 12 million service calls made annually. Sears Holdings Corporation operates through its subsidiaries, including Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corporation. For more information, visit Sears Holdings' website at www.searsholdings.com.
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FCMN Contact: kfreely@searshc.com
SOURCE: Sears Holdings Corporation
CONTACT: Kimberly Freely of Sears Holdings Corporation, +1-847-286-6093
Web Site: http://www.searsholdings.com/
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