Everyday is Earth Day at your co-op! We operate your grocery store with the health of the planet in mind. Here are some examples:
Local Food
Local products at food co-ops around the country average 21% of total co-op sales, compared with a national grocery store average of just 1.8%. This cuts down on fossil fuel-burning trucks from delivering our food.
Organic Food
Organic farming methods are more sustainable and have been identified as a key way to slow down climate change. 1 out of every 3 products sold at the food co-ops is organic.
Tackling Food Waste
Did you know we hardly throw any food in the dumpster? In a year we donate about 24,000 pounds of edible nutritious food. The rest local farmers pick up for compost or animal feed. Food co-ops divert about twice as much food as similar-sized grocery stores.
Reusable Bags
When you shop with a reusable bag at the co-op we donate to a local charity through our Beans for Bags program. This reusable bag incentive program has been a great success. In just a few short years since it’s inception it’s helped reduce the use of more than 100,000 single-use paper bags and has resulted in donations of more than $5,000 to local charities. Click here for more information about Beans for Bags.
Co-ops Reduce Impact
Food co-ops have been looking for ways to reduce impact for decades—many co-ops were formed by communities that wanted to buy food grown without synthetic chemicals and get dry goods like flour, oats and rice in bulk to reduce packaging waste.