TD Bank N.A. is going largely green in more than its color schemes at its New York branches and throughout its East Coast banking operations.
Based in Cherry Hill, N.J., and Portland, Maine, the bank this month announced it is the largest U.S.-based bank to go “carbon neutral,” taking steps to reduce and offset the climate-changing impact of greenhouse gas emissions from its business operations to achieve a net zero carbon footprint.
As part of their “environmentally friendly” carbon neutral planning, TD bank officials this month unveiled a “green” prototype design for the company”™s future branches, most of which will be built according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. TD Bank operates 14 branches in Westchester County and 24 in the Hudson Valley region.
The bank this spring will open its first LEED-certified prototype branch in the Queens Village neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. The Queens site is expected to reach LEED Platinum standards, the highest level of green-building certification.
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TD Bank officials expect to open five to 10 new green sites in all in 2010. Â In 2011, nearly all newly built TD Bank branches will be LEED- certified; in future years, all will meet LEED standards, bank officials said.
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The 3,800-square-foot prototype branches will reduce energy consumption by 50 percent compared with previous designs, according to TD Bank officials, with nearly 20 percent of the energy produced onsite through solar panels and solar drive-through canopies. The branches will feature wood from sustainably managed forests; products that emit little or no volatile organic materials; walk-off mats and air filters that trap particles of dirt, dust and pollen for improved indoor air quality; insulated, coated glass to help keep a balanced, temperate environment and sensors to control lighting. The stores will be maintained with green cleaning products and will recycle paper, cardboard, glass, metal, plastics and disposable batteries.
Fred Graziano, TD Bank”™s head of retail banking, said the company “will continue to look for opportunities to be as efficient as possible in our energy use. It is more important than ever to meet the needs of our planet in the same way we meet the service needs of our customers.”
As part of its environmental strategy, TD Bank also has made what bank officials called a significant investment in renewable energy from sources such as wind, solar and low-impact hydro power. The bank has bought a block of wind energy large enough to power its network of 2,600 ATMs from Maine to Florida.
TD Bank also has bought 31,000 metric tons of carbon offset credits to eliminate its remaining emissions from fossil-fuel use. The bank has invested in projects such as planting trees and protecting forests that capture and store carbon, capturing methane that escapes into the atmosphere from landfills and projects to help homes, schools and businesses emit less greenhouse gas through energy efficiency.
TD Bank N.A. is one of the 15 largest commercial banks in the U.S. with $142 billion in assets. It is a member of TD Bank Financial Group of Toronto, Canada, which this month also announced its global business operations are now carbon neutral.
