Lowe's Takes Top Environmental Honors ... Times Three

"To be the first retailer to simultaneously hold these three awards honors our leadership role in empowering consumers to make choices that are good for their homes, their wallets and the environment," said Nick Canter, Lowe's Executive Vice President of Merchandising. "We are proud to advance a model for conservation that benefits future generations."

Making smart choices helps preserve natural resources, and Lowe's work to share that message with consumers earned it the 2009 WaterSense Retail Partner of the Year Award. WaterSense, a program launched in 2006 by the EPA, honored Lowe's for making great strides in increasing water efficiency and awareness of the WaterSense label. The award was presented Wednesday at the WaterSmart Innovations and Conference Expo in Las Vegas.

Lowe's is helping to protect the future of our nation's water supply by educating consumers about water-efficient products and practices. Explaining the benefits of water conservation in stores and online through the "Build Your Savings" program, Lowe's has helped families reduce utility bills at a time when every dollar counts.

The number of WaterSense-labeled toilets and bathroom faucets Lowe's sold in 2008 can save enough water in a year to fill more than 180 Olympic-sized swimming pools and save customers more than $750,000 each year on water bills. The EPA estimates that a family of four can save more than $90 per year and more than $2,000 in reduced water utility bills over the toilet's lifetime when replacing older toilets with WaterSense-labeled options.

Beyond saving money for its customers, Lowe's conservation leadership is saving the nation's most precious resources. In 2008, Lowe's and more than 1,000 other WaterSense partners helped contribute to more than 9.3 billion gallons of water savings.

The ENERGY STAR label offers similar savings. Lowe's success educating consumers about those benefits led to its fourth ENERGY STAR Retail Partner of the Year Award in March. The award winners were selected from more than 12,000 organizations, and Lowe's was recognized for its exceptional contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Lowe's, an ENERGY STAR award winner for seven consecutive years, also was honored for continued leadership in marketing its comprehensive line of appliances, lighting and home improvement products that have earned the ENERGY STAR, as well as educating consumers about the cost-saving and environmental benefits of energy efficiency. ENERGY STAR-qualified products can save the typical household up to 30 percent on energy bills, or about $700 a year.

"Our many years of dedication to environmental stewardship are reflected in the awards we received this year," said Michael Chenard, Director of Environmental Affairs. "We look forward to extending our commitment far into the future."

Lowe's conservation strategies and continued contributions to the transportation industry were honored Tuesday as the company won its third consecutive SmartWay Environmental Excellence Award. The company was recognized for its leadership in conserving energy and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Lowe's was one of 37 companies and organizations, from among more than 2,100 partners, to receive this distinction. The awards were announced at the American Trucking Association's Management Conference and Exhibit in Las Vegas.

To earn the award, Lowe's implemented initiatives that resulted in reduced carbon dioxide emissions and less overall highway congestion. These included increasing shipping by rail, increasing efficiency of truckload shipments, allowing more products to be shipped on fewer trailers, and continuing to use a higher percentage of SmartWay carriers.

Since becoming a SmartWay partner in 2005, shortly after the EPA created the program, Lowe's has doubled the percentage of intermodal (truck and rail) loads it ships. In 2006, when about 75 percent of Lowe's truck shipments were moved by SmartWay carriers, Lowe's announced its goal to increase that number to 90 percent by 2010. Lowe's achieved that goal in 2008, and SmartWay participating carriers are now moving 98 percent of Lowe's products shipped domestically.

The impact has been significant. Since 2005, the SmartWay program has reduced Lowe's carriers' highway travel by 324 million miles and resulted in diesel fuel savings of more than 61 million gallons and carbon savings of more than 682,000 tons.

"I commend Lowe's for its leadership in promoting sustainable transportation practices through the SmartWay Transport Partnership," said Margo T. Oge, Director of the Office of Transportation and Air Quality, EPA. "These actions demonstrate a commitment to a cleaner environment and more secure energy supply."

About Lowe's

With fiscal year 2008 sales of $48.2 billion, Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a FORTUNE(R) 50 company that serves approximately 14 million customers a week at more than 1,675 home improvement stores in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1946 and based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe's is the second-largest home improvement retailer in the world. For more information, visit Lowes.com.

SOURCE: Lowe's

Lowe's Companies, Inc. 
Abby Buford, 704-758-3497 
Abby.b.buford@lowes.com 
or 
Lowe's Companies, Inc. 
Karen Cobb, 704-758-3504 
karen.s.cobb@lowes.com