Considered the “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store,” Whole Foods Market has committed itself to making green choices while bringing natural and organic foods to the people.
Starting out as a small grocery store in 1980, Whole Foods has grown to be the world’s leader in natural and organic foods. They have dedicated themselves to selling the highest quality, nutritious foods that have been unadulterated by artificial flavors, sweeteners, dyes, and preservatives. Core values of Whole Foods includes organic farming, seafood sustainability, animal welfare standards, and caring for communities.
Whole Foods is on a green mission; they were the first major retailer to offset 100% of their energy use with wind energy. They strive for green building techniques, which conserve natural resources by “reducing the use of virgin raw materials and minimizing the amount of toxic resins.” In construction of their stores, they use green materials that have been recycled. Some of their stores in the U.S. also make use of solar energy, resulting in more than 1,650 tons of CO2 emissions avoided. Whole Foods’ green initiatives have earned them Environmental Protection Agency Green Power Partner of the Year for 2006, 2007 and 2010.
Whole Foods is also committed to sustainable, organic agriculture. In fact, they were the first nationally organic certified grocer in America. They support farmers who replenish and maintain soil fertility, eliminate use of toxic chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and build and support biologically diverse agriculture.
Whole Food’s is certainly leading by example; their practices have influenced some of the world’s largest retailers to make use of solar power, wind power, to introduce recycling programs, and to support organics.
To learn more about Whole Foods Market, check out their website!