La Palmera is always working to be a good steward of the environment. Following its initial two-year $50 million renovation, the mall was awarded LEED Silver for Core and Shell 2.0 in 2011, the first indoor mall in the U.S. to receive the prestigious designation. Shoppers can also see how La Palmera is going “green” through informative mall signage and ongoing programs such as recycling.
La Palmera was able to reduce its carbon footprint by reusing 95% of the existing mall during its two-year renovation (2008-2010) and was able to recycle or reuse 75% of its construction waste.
La Palmera recycles an average of 745 tons of material each year by collecting our shoppers’ plastic, paper and aluminum items, and encouraging our shops and restaurants to do their part by recycling paper, glass, plastic, cardboard and aluminum. Since 2010, the recycling efforts have saved the equivalent of approximately 550 football fields of material and saved the equivalent of 22,000 trees.
La Palmera’s highly efficient Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and lighting systems, including the use of solar tubes and windows, reduces the mall’s energy use by approximately 1.4 million kilowatts each year. That’s enough energy to power 100 homes.
La Palmera has worked to improve the air quality for our guests and employees with an Indoor Air Quality Management Plan that includes a smoke-free environment and use of low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and materials such as paints, adhesives, sealants and carpets.
Did you know? We reduced water usage by 46% —roughly 3,000 gallons — by having low flow toilets and faucets; that’s enough water saved to fill up 100 bathtubs a day. And, our Center Court fountain re-circulates 1,000 gallons of water approximately 28 times every day.
By using native and adapted plants, drip irrigation for all areas except lawns, and automated controllers with rain and freeze sensors, La Palmera uses about 50% less water for irrigation than standard developments of this size. That’s saving 356 gallons a day.
Did you know that driving a car to and from work generally uses more energy than what a person uses in an entire workday? That’s why La Palmera encourages smarter driving habits and provides preferred “e” parking spaces to low-emitting vehicles (LEV) and fuel-efficient vehicles.
Drivers of the Tesla Model S electric vehicle are able to plug in at La Palmera with our High Power Connector, the first, and currently only, free Tesla public destination charging location in the Coastal Bend. La Palmera also offers a traditional charger for other model electric vehicles. The stations are located adjacent to mall’s exterior wall in the parking area between JCPenney and Macy’s.
La Palmera is the first mall in the U.S. to be certified LEED-Silver, the third highest designation available, by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
The USGBC developed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system, an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impact.
P.F. Chang’s at La Palmera was the first location to receive LEED® Gold certification for Commercial Interiors for its use of sustainable materials in building the restaurant.
