As environmental awareness becomes an increasingly important issue, Austinites may find themselves shifting from just keeping Austin weird to keeping Austin weird and green. In an effort to help lessen their carbon footprint, many Austin area companies are working to make their businesses more environmentally friendly through energy efficient and sustainable practices. Two national retailers, Recreational Equipment Inc. and Office Depot, are using the Austin area as the stage for their green transformations.

REI plans to open a store in Round Rock this fall to test its new green-building prototype design. The new retail location is the second of its kind for the company, which opened another eco-friendly store in Boulder, Colorado last October.

Office Depot plans to open its first green location on Anderson Lane this summer. This store will be one of the premier projects to qualify for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification under standards set forth by the United States Green Building Council.

According to the United States Green Building Council Website, “LEED is a third party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.”