Denver — Chipotle Mexican Grill has opened a LEED Silver-certified restaurant in Gurnee, Ill. The restaurant’s sustainable elements include a six-kilowatt wind turbine on-site that generates a portion of the restaurant’s electrical needs.

“The wind turbine is a symbol of our intent to design and build our restaurants more efficiently and environmentally friendly,” said Steve Ells, founder, chairman and CEO of Chipotle. “We want to incorporate some elements of sustainable design into all of our new restaurants.”

In addition to the wind turbine, the free-standing restaurant will feature recycled drywall, recycled barn metal, a variety of energy- and water- conservation elements inside the restaurant, a 2,500-gallon underground water cistern that will harvest rainwater, and asphalt in the parking lot that will reflect the sun’s heat, rather than absorb it.

Visit www.chipotle.com for more information.

*UPDATE

ED+C has been informed by Chipotle Mexican Grill's Director of Design, Scott L Shippey, LEED AP, that the restaurant had initially targeted LEED Silver as part of the LEED for Retail Pilot Program. After publication, Chipotle Mexican Grill's Gurnee, Ill., facility was in fact awarded LEED Platinum.