FORT WORTH, Texas – A Chick-fil-A restaurant in Fort Worth, Texas, is the first restaurant in that city to receive LEED Gold Certification, the company announced on Feb. 17.

Based on the successful certification of the Chick-fil-A at Montgomery Plaza location, the company has committed to build four more LEED designed restaurants in 2012. Chick-fil-A at Montgomery Plaza was built as part of the company's environmental stewardship initiative, which places emphasis on four main areas of operation: cup recycling, energy and water efficiency in existing restaurants, sustainable new restaurant development, and sustainable supply chain, Chick-fil-A said.

Sustainable features of the restaurant include:

• Water Usage: The restaurant uses low-flow fixtures in both the restrooms and the kitchen. An underground cistern (the size of a swimming pool) collects rainwater for landscape irrigation. As a result, Montgomery Plaza uses 40 percent less water when compared to a typical Chick-fil-A restaurant.
• Energy Efficiency: The restaurant has skylights in the dining area and windows in the kitchen. It also has energy efficient appliances. Chick-fil-A at Montgomery Plaza uses 14 percent less energy than industry standards.
• Air Quality: The restaurant has 30 percent more fresh air compared to a typical building because materials used in construction do not emit harmful gasses.
• Diverting Waste: Recycled content accounted for 20 percent of the building material budget for Chick-fil-A at Montgomery Plaza. Also, more than 50 percent of construction waste was diverted from the landfill. All cardboard and foam cups used in the everyday operations of the restaurant are being recycled.

"Chick-fil-A is dedicated to demonstrating our commitment to the environment and the communities in which we operate," said Michael Garrison, senior director of Environmental Stewardship. "We have learned so much at our living laboratory at Montgomery Plaza. It truly has enabled us to explore and refine our environmental stewardship practices to the point where we can now implement them in many of our restaurants nationwide."