Chipotle Green Restaurant Uses On-site Wind Power

Chipotle Wind Turbine

How good would a chicken (or veggie, if that's your style) burrito bowl taste, knowing that it's been cooked by the power of on-site green energy? I haven't tried one yet, but I can only imagine ... Chipotle Mexican Grill will be opening a green restaurant in Gurnee, Illinois, which restaurant features a prominent six-kilowatt wind turbine. Although mostly a symbol for the company's efforts to create more environmentally friendly store designs, the turbine will generate ~10% of the store's power. The Gurnee Chipotle will have some of the following green features:

a 2,500 gallon underground water cistern to harvest rainwater for landscape irrigation
energy and water conservation elements including LED lighting, highly efficient faucets and toilets, and Energy Star rated kitchen equipment
use of recycled drywall, recycled barn metal, and primers and paints that contain fewer chemicals
native plants outside that will require less watering and fertilizer
asphalt in the parking lot that will reflect the sun's heat, rather than absorb it, making the entire site cooler

Notably, as a participant in the USGBC's LEED for Retail pilot program, Chipotle is seeking LEED certification for this location, making it one of only a few restaurants to do so. Chipotle also operates two green locations in Austin and is seeking certification for one restaurant in Minnesota.

Wind Turbine