Dunkin’ Donuts, the pastry chain, is working on greening its operations. It's building new stores that use Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, hoping to achieve certification, while making their everyday operational processes better for the environment.

The first LEED-certified store is open in St. Petersburg, Florida. It features insulated concrete foam walls that will reduce air conditioning use, the company projects by roughly 40 percent.

A press release mentions energy-efficient lighting (motion sensors for restrooms and offices), water-efficient plumbing fixtures, low-flush toilets and well water for irrigation.

The store uses an 80-pound worm tank running on solar power to process the store’s waste. The Earthworm Casting is a joint effort between Mother’s Organics, a local Florida farm that collects “tree trimmings, grass, leaves and other clean wood material” for composting and then converts it to humus, a mulch-like product.

Together, they created the worm tank to foster organic decomposition of coffee grounds and paper materials like coffee cups and napkins. Eighty pounds of small, red earthworms will feast on store leftovers and their waste will be collected and used as fertilizer for nearby farms.

Like other coffee chains, Dunkin’ Donuts will continue encouraging customers to bring in a reusable coffee mug or thermos for a discount on their morning java. If you forget your reusable cup at home or at the office, Dunkin’ Donuts will serve coffee in “paper cups made from renewable resources.”

The store will continue donating unsold pastries and other products to St. Petersburg’s food bank, America’s Second Harvest. And finally, the store will use cleaning products that are environmentally safe, free of the harsh chemicals (and corresponding odors) that affect indoor air quality and can cause respiratory reactions. The choice of cleaning products conform to both LEED’s and the California Air Resources Board safety specifications.

Dunkin' Donuts will use the St. Petersburg store as the prototype for future LEED stores among the 7,900 outlets it operates nationwide.