When you go to Best Buy, the trip might revolve around getting a new flash drive or a spindle of blank CDs, or maybe you're there just to ogle the latest 60-inch flat-panel TV. While you stroll along the aisles thinking about DVD boxed sets and digital cameras, however, the largest consumer electronics company in the United States is thinking green. Starting next year, every new Best Buy store will be built according to strict environmental guidelines. The company has been working with the U.S. Green Building Council on getting a prototype building LEED-certified; it will then replicate that design for each new outlet.

The new eco-friendly stores will feature dimmable light fixtures, improved daylighting, better HVAC systems, efficient heat exchangers, low-flow plumbing fixtures, low-VOC paint, and carpeting made with post-consumer content. The company also plans to retrofit 20 percent of its 872 stores in the U.S. with energy-efficient lighting. "[The certification] gives us a benchmark-it helps guide us in our decisions," says Brenda Mathison, Best Buy's director of environmental affairs. "It helps us measure ourselves over time, not just against others but against ourselves, so that we can continue to improve.

Beyond this LEED effort, Best Buy is also recycling electronics through kiosks, hauling services, and special events. Over one weekend last summer, a recycling event at corporate headquarters in Minneapolis brought in more than a million pounds of consumer electronics. This year, to encourage electronics recycling efforts around the country, Best Buy began offering dozens of $500 to $1,500 grants to local programs hosted by nonprofit organizations, cities, counties, or public-private partnerships. So when your digital doohickeys are kaput, you can give them the best bye-bye.

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