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Kohl’s Department Stores Recognized As 2010 EPA Green Power Partner Of The Year

Retailer earns fourth Green Power Leadership Award and second Partner of the Year honor for purchase, leadership, strategy and impact on green power market

Kohl’s Department Stores Recognized As 2010 EPA Green Power Partner Of The Year

Retailer earns fourth Green Power Leadership Award and second Partner of the Year honor for purchase, leadership, strategy and impact on green power market

Published 10-20-10

Submitted by Kohl's Department Stores

Kohl's Department Stores (NYSE: KSS) will be recognized tonight with its second Green Power Partner of the Year honor at the Green Power Leadership Awards held in Portland, Ore. as part of the annual Renewable Energy Markets Conference. The awards are co-sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Energy and the Center for Resource Solutions and recognize the country's leading green power purchasers for their commitment and contribution to helping advance the development of green power sources. The Green Power Partner of the Year award recognizes partners who distinguish themselves through their green power purchase, leadership, overall strategy and overall impact on the green power market.

"Since joining the EPA Green Power Partnership in 2006, Kohl's has shown consistent leadership by increasing our commitment to renewable energy year after year," said Ken Bonning, Kohl's executive vice president of store planning and logistics. "Embracing the use of renewable energy was a natural fit for our overall goal to leave a smaller environmental footprint. Kohl's dedication to innovation in on-site solar power generation and the purchase of renewable energy credits demonstrate our continued focus on energy management as an important component of our sustainability initiatives."

This is the second year Kohl's has been named EPA Green Power Partner of the Year. Kohl's has also received EPA Green Power Partnership recognition for on-site generation and green power purchasing. In 2010, Kohl's purchased more than 1.3 billion kilowatt hours of renewable energy, a 60 percent increase over the company's 2009 green power purchase and enough to meet 100 percent of the company's purchased electricity use. According to EPA, this current green power purchase is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions of nearly 188,000 passenger vehicles per year, or is the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power more than 119,000 average American homes annually.

"EPA congratulates our leadership award winners for demonstrating by example the importance of using clean, renewable energy," said Gina McCarthy, Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation at EPA. "By using green power, Kohl's Department Stores is leading the way toward cleaner air and a healthier environment while helping advance the market for renewable energy."

In addition to purchasing renewable energy credits that support projects nationwide in the areas of wind, solar, small-hydro, biogas and biomass generation, Kohl's continues to increase its commitment to on-site power generation through the company's industry-leading solar program. As the largest retail host of solar power in North America, Kohl's currently operates 100 solar locations in seven states. In September the company announced plans to expand its solar program into its eighth state, Pennsylvania. Depending on the geographic location, solar provides 20-50 percent of the energy provided to the Kohl's location.

Energy management is a significant focus of sustainability at Kohl's, with efforts spanning several different initiatives. Kohl's operates central energy management systems at all stores to control most interior and exterior lighting, as well as heating and cooling systems. Through its stakeholder engagement program, Kohl's encourages business partners to consider sustainability and energy management as part of how they do business. In addition to the EPA Green Power Partnership, Kohl's is a member of the EPA SmartWay Transport Shipper and ENERGY STAR programs, as well as the U.S. Green Building Council. To learn more about Kohl's environmental initiatives, visit www.kohlsgreenscene.com.

About Kohl's Department Stores
Based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) is a family-focused, value-oriented specialty department store offering moderately priced, exclusive and national brand apparel, shoes, accessories, beauty and home products in an exciting shopping environment. Kohl's operates 1,089 stores in 49 states with a commitment to environmental leadership. In support of the communities it serves, Kohl's has raised more than $150 million for children's initiatives nationwide through its Kohl's Cares® cause merchandise program, which operates under Kohl's Cares, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kohl's Department Stores, Inc. For a list of store locations and information, or for the added convenience of shopping online, visit www.kohls.com.

About EPA's Green Power Partnership
The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to buy green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with purchased electricity use. The Partnership currently has nearly 1,300 Partner organizations voluntarily purchasing billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500® companies, small and medium sized businesses, local, state, and federal governments, and colleges and universities. For additional information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower.

About the Green Power Leadership Awards
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) co-sponsors the annual Green Power Leadership Awards in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy and the Center for Resource Solutions. EPA recognizes winners in the following awards categories; Green Power Partner of the Year; On-site Generation; Green Power Purchase, and Green Power Community of the Year. EPA's Purchaser awards recognize the exceptional achievement among EPA Green Power Partners who distinguish themselves through green power procurement, market leadership, overall green power strategy, and overall impact on the green power market. The Awards are held in conjunction with the Renewable Energy Markets Conference. For additional information please visit http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/awards/.

Kohl's Department Stores logo

Kohl's Department Stores

Kohl's Department Stores

Based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) is a family-focused, value-oriented specialty department store offering moderately priced, exclusive and national brand apparel, shoes, accessories, beauty and home products in an exciting shopping environment. With a commitment to environmental leadership, Kohl’s operates 1,155 stores in 49 states. In support of the communities it serves, Kohl’s has raised more than $231 million for children’s initiatives nationwide through its Kohl’s Cares® cause merchandise program, which operates under Kohl's Cares, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kohl's Department Stores, Inc. For a list of store locations and information, or for the added convenience of shopping online, visit www.Kohls.com, join the discussion on Facebook (facebook.com/Kohls) or Twitter (twitter.com/Kohls) or get inspired on Pinterest (pinterest.com/Kohls) and Instagram (instagram.com/Kohls).

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