McDonald's is synonymous with quick-service restaurants; go anywhere in the world, and you'll probably see the golden arches. The quick-service icon is well known for introducing the world to the Big Mac and Chicken McNuggets, but now its reputation is growing to include sustainability.

McDonald's recently opened a location in Chicago that puts sustainability above all else. In fact, the Chicago restaurant recently received LEED certification. We sat down with John Rockwell, AIA, LEED AP, sustainability manager for McDonald's, to discuss its new sustainable Chicago restaurant. As a licensed professional architect and LEED AP, Rockwell serves on the board of directors of the Chicago chapter of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). He joined McDonald's in 2005.

Hobart: What was your building strategy for the Chicago location?

Rockwell: Our green building strategy encompassed a specific set of goals, including education and awareness. It also focused on ways to reduce, reuse and recycle while maintaining efficiency and productivity.

The Chicago location is a prototypical McDonald's, which means the consulting team and I did not drastically change the construction of the building to make it sustainable. Sustainable initiatives were already in place, including the use of ENERGY STAR® rated equipment and roofing systems that helped to reduce the amount of heat inside of the restaurant.

Hobart: Buildings consume 12 percent of the country's potable water (USGBC). One way to reduce energy use is to cut back on water, but it's an essential part of any restaurant operation. How did you reduce water use in the Chicago restaurant?

Rockwell: We targeted 50 percent water reduction through low-flow faucets, nozzles and plumbing fixtures. We also planted rain gardens and applied permeable paving to the parking lot to decrease storm-water runoff, pollution and to recharge the local aquifer by restoring ground water. Additionally, the restaurant uses native landscaping, which requires less irrigation and supports local ecosystems. A vegetative green roof reduces urban temperature and cuts down on storm-water runoff.

To identify how much water is saved and reused, McDonald's developed a documentation process that measures potable water use. The restaurant also installed an on-site storm-water cistern that promotes the reuse of captured rainwater for irrigation, reducing our demand for water. In fact, the restaurant uses zero percent of potable water to irrigate the facility.

Hobart: What other sustainable initiatives did you include?

Rockwell: We installed LED signage and lighting to save energy and reduce maintenance costs. Skylights bring natural light into the restaurant and decrease our demand for energy. We also used high-efficient HVAC equipment to reduce energy and improve indoor comfort for customers and staff.

Heat-recovery devices lower the overall energy demand and increase building efficiency. We also implemented preferred hybrid parking to support alternative-vehicle technology.

Hobart: One of your more innovative sustainability initiatives included using renewable and recycled materials for the decor. Tell us about that.

Rockwell: Yes, 10 percent of the décor is made from post-consumer waste. Tabletops are made from 100 percent recycled consumer milk and detergent containers. Ceramic tile is constructed out of 40 percent pre-consumer waste material. Using recycled materials reduces the volume of waste entering landfills and lessens the demand for new materials.

To encourage and enforce consumer recycling, McDonald's displays signs and plays videos to help educate customers about environmental initiatives and how recycling reduces the volume of waste entering landfills and decreases the demand for new materials. The restaurant also supplies maps for public transportation and uses walk-off mats to help restrict dirt particulates from entering the indoor space, which helps keep the environment cleaner and healthier.

Hobart: Is the Chicago restaurant a "test market" for McDonald's sustainability initiatives?

Rockwell: We like to think of it as a learning laboratory. It provides an opportunity to test potential applications that are site specific. Through various means of measurement, this particular location will determine key sustainable initiatives that should be implemented in other restaurant locations throughout the nation.

For example, depending on the geographic location of a McDonald's restaurant, permeable pavement could be included in its sustainable design initiatives to reduce storm-water runoff.

McDonald's Chicago restaurant opened three months ahead of schedule. Rockwell says this was a direct result of the company's sustainability initiatives as the green building strategy helped building plans to stay on course. McDonald's also received a building permit in just 35 days, which also helped keep the project on schedule. The Chicago Department of Buildings expedites the permit process for projects that incorporate green building strategies.

Through consistent measurement and innovations in energy reduction, water consumption and waste management, McDonald's is serving as a model for other quick-service restaurants striving to be green and also proving that it's good for business. It will be interesting to see if other quick-service restaurants follow suit.