Chicago can tick off another accomplishment on a long to-do list of projects that could seal up its reputation as the greenest large city in the nation. After five years of planning and construction, Jewel-Osco today opened the city's first green grocery store in the River North neighborhood.

The company has applied for certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, standard. It's in line for "silver" status, which is the third-tier rating under criteria developed by the U.S. Green Buildings Council. Some of the store's "greenest" attributes:

A green roof, a heat-recycling system, non-ozone-depleting refrigerants, a cooling tower and refrigeration-leak detection system to reduce the use of refrigerants and an energy-recovery unit that cuts heating and cooling costs by 40 percent.

While there's no indication that the store incorporates any focus on locally produced food, the fact a major grocery retailer opted for an environmentally-friendly design is a step forward and will likely spur similar development in the future.

"It kind of raises the bar and sets new standards," the project's architect Domenic Pezzuto said.