Michael Cucchiara, an advisor to CaraGreen and partner in Greenbridge Developments - a mixed use development in Chapel Hill, NC seeking LEED Gold status, has just returned from William McDonough’s annual fishing trip in Iceland. We caught up with him to learn more about this trip, including the esteemed guest list, hot topics of discussion, and why it all happens in obscure Iceland.
In mid-July, North Carolina’s first green McDonald’s restaurant opened at 1299 Kildaire Farm Road in Cary, NC marking it as only the third of its kind nationwide to be built using eco-friendly materials and technologies. Development of the restaurant began with McDonald’s Owner/Operator Ric Richards who wanted to refurbish the 25-year-old building. As reconstruction options evolved, Richards said the environmental impact became clear: building a structure dedicated to sustainability would mean significant cost savings and reduced energy consumption. “Even though the costs to build this McDonald’s were higher in the near term, we knew that going forward with this green initiative we would set the stage for more savings long-term, both financially and environmentally,” Richards said.
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