Conserving and restoring water in our stores & communities.

Publix supports the reforestation of the Florida’s damaged watersheds by funding tree planting efforts of the Arbor Day Foundation. Since 2016, we’ve donated a portion of our proceeds from the sale of standard reusable bags to support this collaboration and in early 2023, we officially reached over one million trees planted. They span more than 1,500 acres across several damaged watersheds in Florida including the Ecofina Creek, Chipola River, and E. Guy Revell, Jr. conservation area watersheds; Ocklawaha River watershed; and the Withlacoochee River watershed.

Watersheds are essential for supplying drinking water, creating habitats for plants and animals, and protecting ecosystems. Trees planted from Publix donations help protect watersheds by reducing runoff—allowing more water to soak into the soil, reach aquifers, and ultimately be transformed into drinking water.

Moving forward, Publix plans to expand tree plantings to other states within our operating area, creating an even more widespread impact.

The Everglades is one of the world’s most unique natural resources, spanning two million acres across Central and South Florida. It’s a habitat for numerous protected species and it plays a vital role in the lives of millions. The Everglades serves as a natural buffer to protect from hurricanes and is an important water source.

We are committed to helping protect, conserve, and restore this precious ecosystem as well as other major water resources in our footprint. In addition to our existing work with the Arbor Day Foundation in Florida, we are now working to restore the saline glades in Everglades National Park by supporting the National Audubon Society in the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary of the western Everglades and the National Park Foundation.

Publix has focused on water conservation within our own operations for many years. Since 2016, we’ve saved millions of gallons of water per year through innovative projects, improved cleaning techniques, and proactive leak detection. Our savings are expected to grow as we experiment with new ideas and projects.

Our distribution centers and manufacturing plants use water-cooled units for refrigeration with an external condenser to produce condensation. Facilities containing multiple water-cooled condensers use hundreds of thousands of gallons of water per week in order to operate their refrigeration. One of our refrigerated warehouses in Lakeland, Fla., has made modifications to collect rainwater and condensation runoff to cool the condensers used for refrigeration.

In addition, our irrigation specifications at Publix-controlled locations ensure that:

• Reclaimed or well water is used whenever possible.
• Rain and soil moisture sensors are installed with automatic control gauges to determine when landscaping needs water.
• Irrigation systems are integrated with plants and landscape design for efficient water use.
• Irrigation sprinklers don’t overlap into single zones.
• Drip irrigation and micro-sprinklers are used where appropriate.

Other water conservation efforts include installing low-flow faucets, toilets, and waterless urinals in our store bathrooms.