Regina now home to Canada's first 'sustainable' Tim Hortons

After 60 years, Tim Hortons has opened its very first sustainable restaurant in Canada and has chosen Regina as the location.

The store, located in the Greens on Gardiner neighbourhood in the southeast are of the city, is owned by a Saskatchewan's Di Stasi family.

"We're super excited to show off this new location to the community," co-owner Mike Di Stasi said.

Di Stasi said the building was designed in partnership with Tim Horton's head office with a goal of minimizing the environmental impact.

Some of the features include the use of low-carbon concrete and a rainwater harvesting system for outdoor irrigation.

The walls of the building were designed to better insulate the restaurant in order to save on heating.

A moss wall with the company logo made from recycled scrap metal was also created in Saskatchewan by local artists to add appeal to the restaurant.

Electric charging stations are due to be operational in the new year, as is a green roof in the spring.

When the restaurant launched, customers were pulling their phones out to take photos, which surprised the employees.

"I love this restaurant and I love the moss wall," said Grace Tsougrianis, who had come to share a meal with her parents.

"I believe we should do more like this across Canada for the environment," her sister Anna Tsougrianis said.

The store will be monitored to evaluate the impact of the designs, with a plan to incorporate them into renovations and new builds across the country, Di Stasi said. This is part of the company's plan to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent by 2030 and to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Sophia Young, an environmental advocate, said she thinks it's great that Tim Horton's is trying to integrate sustainability into its plans.

"It's really exciting because once one company starts to do it, it's more likely that other companies will start to follow their leads," Young said.