Kohl's Corp. (NYSE: KSS) said this week that it will be "certifying" more than 80 if its retail locations in 28 states under a program that recognizes building design as environmentally sound. In other words, Kohl's is becoming green, at least environmentally speaking.

Beginning a year from now, Kohl's will open the first of its stores that will be certified under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. From late in 2008 to 2009, the company will be opening new locations that conform to LEED standards for environmental sustainability. This will give Kohl's a leg up as one of the very first retailers to adopt LEED standards in the field of retail. The standards are no joke: site planning, water management, energy use, material use, air quality and innovation in the design process for overall conservation.

Companies that are loathe to go green should take Kohl's under review as a case study. Not only does going green (under a national certified process, no less) buy a huge amount of PR with an eco-conscious buying public, but the hard costs that can be saved (and gasp, be measured too!) add up to a win-win for everyone. I'd expect more retailers to be trumpeting green initiatives in the near future, and especially with new locations where implementations are far easier than with existing retail location designs.