Coca-Cola Enterprises and City of Coachella Celebrate Grand Opening of First LEED Certified Facility

COACHELLA, Calif., April 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Southern California celebrated the Grand Opening of the environmentally sustainable Coachella Sales Center today. The sales center is the first LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified facility in the Coca-Cola Enterprises system and in the city of Coachella.

The facility, located on Industrial Parkway in Coachella, is a newly constructed, 60,000 square foot building.  Among its environmentally sustainable features are solar panels, native plant landscaping, water conservation devices, cool roofing, comprehensive recycling and a 100 percent stormwater retention system.

"The LEED® Gold certification of the Coachella Sales Center represents positive progress toward our goal of improving the sustainability of our operations and to playing a positive role in the communities in which we live and work," said Terry Fitch, Vice President and General Manager of CCE's West Business Unit. "This recognition from the U.S. Green Building Council is further acknowledgement of Coca-Cola Enterprises' continued commitment to energy conservation throughout our operations."

Coachella Mayor Eduardo Garcia participated in the grand opening and presented a commendation to the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Southern California for its commitment to environmental sustainability and economic growth in the Coachella Valley.

The building was designed by Carlos Cadiz of Cadiz & Cadiz Architects, based in San Clemente, California. Christine Magar of Greenform served as a LEED consultant on the project.

About Coca-Cola Enterprises

Coca-Cola Enterprises is the world's largest marketer, distributor and producer of bottle and can liquid nonalcoholic refreshment. CCE sells approximately 80 percent of The Coca-Cola Company's

bottle and can volume in North America and is the sole licensed bottler for products of The Coca-Cola Company in Belgium, continental France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Monaco, and the Netherlands. For more information on the company, please visit www.cokecce.com. For more information about CCE's commitment to Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, please visit http://crs.cokecce.com.

About the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Southern California

The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Southern California has produced, marketed and distributed Coca-Cola products for over 100 years.  The local, franchised bottling company and its some 4,800 employees have a long tradition of being involved in the communities in which they do business.  The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Southern California is a division of Coca-Cola Enterprises.

About the U.S. Green Building Council

The Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a 501 c3 non-profit organization committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings.

With a community comprising 78 local affiliates, more than 18,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 140,000 LEED Professional Credential holders, USGBC is the driving force of an industry that is projected to contribute $554 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product from 2009-2013. USGBC leads an unlikely diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials and concerned citizens, and teachers and students.

About LEED®

LEED® is the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) internationally recognized green certification system that provides independent, third party verification that a building was designed and built using the highest performance standards in the areas of energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

SOURCE Coca-Cola Enterprises