As the construction comes closer to an end - we increasingly focus on LEED commissioning. This is the process where our buildout gets audited and we tally our points to determine what level of certification we achieve. Some of it is straight forward. They review submittals on what kind of grouts and paints we use. They make sure our lumber is Forest Stewardship Council certified and all of our waste is recycled.

Our project is aiming to achieve LEED Gold. As we are building, certain items come into conflict. Currently, we are balancing the needs of our rooftop garden with our need to coat the roof in a soy-based reflective paint. The tomatoes and chiles are about ready to harvest, so we can't move them. But, we need to get our coating down over the entire surface of the rooftop. The answer might lay in waiting out the harvest and pushing back our certification.

In our efforts to build sustainably, we are pushing ourselves further and further to practice sustainable operations. Rick posed the challenge to operate with 100% compostable packaging materials for take our at XOCO. It is a struggle to source good quality cups, hot cups, and containers that are compostable, durable, attractive and accessible to our distributors - while not breaking the bank. There are a lot of great materials out there, and it is an innovative and quick growth industry.