Chris Corman
Kohl’s an Innovative Company

I have worked for Kohl’s over eight years now. And I have never seen or heard of a company that is as environmentally friendly and dedicated to giving back to the community around as Kohl’s is. Through their associate volunteer programs, Kohl’s cares for kids merchandise items, and their go green initiative Kohl’s to me is by far exceeding the average “company standards” on being innovative. Kohl’s cares mission statement “We believe in giving back to the communities we serve, not just with money and resources but also with talent and time. Through our community giving and volunteer program, we support kids' health and education, environmental initiatives nationwide and women's health in Wisconsin, specifically the fight against breast cancer. We envision a future where kids are healthy and resources are plentiful, because the way we see it, giving back also means looking ahead. Since 2001 Kohl’s has been a part of 172,000 volunteer events. While donating over $97 million to charities. In all of those events over 1 million associates have volunteered over 3.2 million hours. Those charity events must meet certain criteria. A minimum of five Kohl's Associates from one Kohl’s location must volunteer for a minimum of three consecutive hours in one day. The activity must benefit a qualifying youth-serving organization, for children ages birth to 18 years of age, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations (or Wisconsin-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that focuses on breast cancer). Funds must be used to directly support youth, age’s birth to 18 years, community-wide (or breast cancer initiatives for women in the larger Wisconsin community) as classified by the IRS. Kohl's is committed to protecting and conserving the environment by seeking innovative solutions that encourage long-term sustainability. From large-scale initiatives, like constructing environmentally friendly buildings, to everyday practices, like recycling hangers, Kohl’s is taking large steps to ensure we leave a smaller footprint. Kohl’s has 162 stores that are run on solar power. They have 972 stores that our energy star certified (my store in St. Charles is one of them). Kohl's strives for energy efficiency in stores and corporate facilities through myriad avenues, such as a robust partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its many initiatives, participation in the Department of Energy's Better Business Challenge, and the use of responsible lighting technology, demand response systems and innovative water-use technology. Kohl’s uses the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) rating system to guide best practices in the design, construction and operations of new stores and corporate facilities. LEED is a nationally recognized benchmark for high-performing green buildings. They focus on three LEED rating systems: for New Construction, for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance and for Commercial Interiors. To be LEED-certified, a building must meet criteria set by the USGBC. LEED-certified buildings conserve natural resources, reduce operating costs and minimize strain on local infrastructures. Most emissions at Kohl’s are a result of operations-based electricity usage. Kohl’s set a goal in 2009 to achieve net zero carbon emissions for three years, from 2010 to 2012, through membership in the EPA Climate Leaders program. They were recognized in February 2014 with the Climate Leadership Award-Goal Achievement from the United States Environmental Protection Agency through its Center for Corporate Climate Leadership in collaboration with the Association for Climate Change Officers (ACCO), the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) and the Climate Registry. They’ve continued to meet this goal through use of renewable energy and energy-efficiency programs. Kohl’s voluntarily disclose our measurement of transportation emissions. This measurement is reported to the EPA SmartWay Shipper Program and the Carbon Disclosure Project. They measure our carbon footprint through the guidelines provided by the EPA. In 2011, Kohl’s became involved with two electric vehicle charge station pilot programs: the ChargePoint America Project and The EV Project. Sponsored in part by the Department of Energy (DOE), both projects aim to understand the usability and technology related to electric vehicles and to the charging infrastructure. The participation by Kohl’s in these projects supports their commitment to innovative, long-term sustainability solutions. Kohl's also sells kid-friendly cause merchandise, with 100% of the net profit donated to support kids' health and education initiatives in communities nationwide. Since 2000, more than $257 million has been raised. These items can be found at every store location as well as online. Kohl’s also gives out scholarships to two local children under the age of sixteen each year in each of their store districts. They have over 100 districts inside of six regions and three territories. In the future I see Kohl’s doing even more as it comes to helping the environment. I see the number of solar powered to at least double. Especially with the growing number of stores out west that get a very large amount of sun. The number of stores that are energy star certified will continue to grow exponentially as well. As Kohl’s keeps improving their already existing stores to become more energy efficient. Kohl’s as a company makes it a goal to at least match the number of charity events they participated in the previous year. So the amount of money the Kohl’s will donate will just keep growing. Kohl’s sets the standard for being environmentally friendly and caring about children in the community.