We are the stewards of precious natural resources

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We've come a long way (Clerk culling into wax cardboard: image circa 2001) The grocery business provides a tremendous amount of food. This food comes from the green cell whether literally, as vegetables or grain, or as meat from animals that fed on the grain. In sustainable ecology there is no waste. What appears as waste is food for something else. This cyclic principle rules and is non-negotiable. All of the green "waste" in a supermarket can feed the cycle through composting. This compost becomes topsoil amendment and the cycle continues.

 

Into the Future What are some of the emerging trends for the WFM Green Mission? You tell us! Send us an email with your ideas, comments, or opinions!

 

"Organics is at the root of everything we do. Organic agriculture produces food that promotes the health of consumers, farmers and the earth, with an eye to maintaining that health far into the future. Organic farming is a hopeful enterprise, practiced with compassion and empathy for the land and the creatures upon it."

"We were the first major retailer to offset 100% of our energy use with wind energy credits. And we are glad to see that some of the world's largest retailers are following the example we've set in green building, the use of solar power, company-wide recycling programs, internal green mission programs and support for organics. When more companies take green steps, we all win."

"Green building techniques conserve natural resources by reducing the use of virgin raw materials and minimizing the amount of toxic resins and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) off-gassed by traditional building materials such as laminates, paint and carpeting. Our store in Sarasota, Florida received LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, the first-ever environmentally-friendly supermarket designed in accordance with the LEED Green Building Rating System�. As of March 2010 we had about ten LEED rated stores, including two LEED Gold; we also had two Green Globes certified stores�our Dedham, MA store earned 3 globes (the equivalent to LEED Gold), thanks in part to a fuel cell and solar panels that generate on site nearly 100% of the store's power needs."

"In addition to the major efforts listed above, we are doing the following:
Compostable food packaging- We are in the process of replacing traditional plastic and paper prepared food containers and utensils with all-natural fiber packaging. Made from renewable resources such as sugar cane pulp and bamboo, they are compostable and, because they are unbleached, free from chlorine and dioxins.
Biodiesel- We are gradually converting our truck fleet to biodiesel fuels, reducing CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
Water Conservation- �Some stores converted to flush-less urinals; each will save approximately 40,000 gallons of water per year (average use).
5% Day Donations- A significant number of our individual stores' 5% Days have an environmental mission: helping clean up air, rivers, oceans and landfills, to name a few.
Cleaning Supplies- Some stores are using Green Seal certified cleaning supplies and others are transitioning to the use of environmentally friendly cleaning and maintenance products.
Printing Standards- We carefully evaluate the need for everything we print, and when we do print, we insist on recycled paper, and we strive to use water-based inks and solvent-free printing processes where they are available."