The following is a snapshot of manufacturers and retailers in the "Green Movement" who are making an effort to reduce their environmental impact on the earth and/or contribute with socially responsible efforts. By no means does this represent a complete list of every effort in our community. Is your workplace doing something really different in the world of sustainability?
E-mail us at mmoran@gourmetretailer.com, and we'll post the most interesting practices we didn't know about online.

1. Look's Gourmet Food Company (www.barharborfoods.com) secured an investment from two private equity groups to help accelerate retail distribution of its sustainable seafood products. Look's maintains two brands, touting its sustainability principles through the Bar Harbor brand, while selling its Look's Atlantic brand through more mainstream channels. The Sea Change Investment Fund, one of the investors, is a San Francisco-based $20 million investment fund set up specifically for small to mid-sized companies committed to developing a sustainable seafood strategy. Look's financing marks the fourth investment for Sea Change. In June, Sea Change led a $7.8 million round of financing for Advanced BioNutrition Corp. to grow sales of its farmed shrimp and fish feed product, which is shown to completely replace the need for fishmeal and fish oil. In 2006, Sea Change invested $2 million in a new line of frozen organic meals, including the only one on the market made with wild Alaskan salmon certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council. In September 2005, the private equity group sank $1.5 million into sustainable seafood distributor EcoFish, based in New Hampshire. Launched in March 2005, Sea Change is capitalized with a $10 million program-related loan from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and matched by $10 million of private equity capital. In addition, Look's utilizes all of its products — specifically the shell byproduct. The Environmental Protection Agency has issued mandates to prevent the reintroduction of shell waste into water bodies and, in an effort to comply, Look's owns a piece of land that is utilized as a collection site. Shell eventually breaks down and can actually be utilized as a great fertilizer component; more importantly, they provide their shell byproduct to a Maine artisan who crushes the shell and utilizes it in the design of custom tableware, tabletops, counters, tiles, etc. In this way, the product is fully utilized and no waste is introduced back into the environment. (www.artfulwares.com/store/)

Cynthia Fisher, Look's VP of Marketing & Quality Assurance, goes far beyond packaging and promoting environmentally friendly products in her quest for a sustainable mission. She is also in discussion with Ocean's Conservancy with regard to how she may volunteer her time and experience from a manufacturer's point of view in balancing conservation with maintaining a positive bottom line. She also serves as a volunteer for an international organization, Business Council for Peace (www.bpeace.org); her work involves assisting four Afghanistan business women in food processing. In October of 2008, they will bring these women to Maine and host them. They will involve Maine businesses and service agencies, and the women will work in the U.S. for three weeks in an effort to gain insight to assist them in integrating better food practices and marketing initiatives aimed at enabling them to grow their businesses.

"Our mission is based on the belief that by supporting their families and communities, and building sustainable economies, peace can be regained in war-torn regions of the world," Fisher explained.

2. Birdbath Bakery — A traditional New York bakery reinvented in 2006, where the walls are made of wheat, just like the muffins. The retrofit construction cost was less than $10,000 using low-VOC paints and adhesives, recycled/recyclable floor covering, natural floor covering, and reclaimed wood. More information at buildagreenbakery.com.

3. NowDesigns — The Blaine, Wash.-based home decor company switched its shipping exclusively to used cartons in September 2007. While the boxes aren't pretty, their environmental impact will help make the world a little greener. NowDesigns, drawing on recent data supplied by J.Wooldridge (MSc.), 2006, Forest Sciences, University of British Columbia, estimates that by shipping with used cartons for one year, they will eliminate the consumption of 75,000 new cartons. This change will: eliminate the demand for 250 softwood trees; eliminate the demand for 1.1 billion BTUs — or enough energy to power 36 homes for a year; and reduce greenhouse gases by 205,000 lbs.


4. Online grocer FreshDirect partnered with Tri-State Biodiesel to start converting its fleet of 150 delivery trucks to biodiesel in January. The Web-based food retailer will also conduct tests on idling-reduction technologies that would allow its trucks' engines to automatically shut down during loading and delivery.

5. Terra Nostra Organic chocolate is paving the way to a cleaner, greener means of chocolate production with new energy-sustainable practices. It offsets 100 percent of its carbon emissions, 248,000 kWH annually (that is the equivalent of taking 512,145 lbs. of CO2 out of the environment). This energy is created by its U.S. chocolate bar production through the purchase of wind power RECs (Renewable Energy Credits); Terra Nostra purchases this wind power from Clean and Green and is third-party certified by Green-e.

6. Fagor America, a manufacturer of premium, high-quality appliances and cookware, announced the launch of its new interactive Web site accessible at www.fagoramerica.com. The new Web site focuses on rebranding of the corporate image to align with the company's "green" mission statement and Fagor's commitment to the environment via eco-friendly products. The site is designed to be easy to navigate, allowing users to quickly locate important product information for all appliances and cookware lines in a variety of ways. Users will find a more interactive experience allowing them to register product, view instructional videos, request literature and shop for accessories and replacement parts.

7. Icelandic Glacial sets itself apart as a pioneer in the bottled water industry by making an ongoing commitment in the following three environmental areas:
• Assessment: Icelandic Glacial continually monitors its carbon footprint in every area of activity within the entire company and throughout its supply chain.
• Reduction: The company's focus on reduction includes switching to local, geothermal and hydroelectric energy providers instead of using fossil fuel derived from energy vendors outside of Iceland; reducing the amount of packaging materials used in their product; restricting flights and travel wherever possible; using low-energy lighting throughout its manufacturing plants and other offices; recycling where possible; and encouraging suppliers, customers and employees to employ these same practices on an ongoing basis.
• Offset: Icelandic Glacial has also outlined specific ways the organization will offset any remaining emissions they are responsible for by investing in emission-offset programs around the world to achieve a net-zero carbon footprint. In fact, they have even taken this a step further by offsetting three times their carbon footprint, making the company carbon negative and achieving CarbonNeutral Certification.

8. Willamette Valley Vineyards' (WVV) founder & president Jim Bernau was presented the Agriculturalist of the Year Award from the Agri-Business Council of Oregon. The award is designed to recognize and honor a person for their noteworthy contribution to the agriculture industry as a whole. Bernau has grown Willamette Valley Vineyards into Oregon's leading Pinot Noir producer. His wines are rated among the highest in the world and they are enjoyed in fine restaurants from Manhattan, N.Y., to Tokyo, Japan. The winery has established several sustainable business practices, including using biofuel in all company vehicles. The vineyard also received the SOLV Citizenship Award for its efforts to promote a livable Oregon. Staff members are also working toward sustainable living with the support of WVV's employee biofuel program. In an effort to create a "green" working environment, WVV started its employee biofuel promotion in the fall of 2005. Currently, 10 full-time employees have purchased diesel vehicles and are taking advantage of the program. WVV has been using the fuel in its tractors for two years and its distribution department, Bacchus Fine Wines, started using biofuel in company delivery vehicles in July.

9. The Redmond, Wash., location of PCC Natural Markets was the first grocery store to have achieved LEED Gold certification in the U.S. from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED is the USGBC's rating system for the design, construction and operation of buildings that achieve outstanding levels of energy-efficiency and systems performance. The USGBC uses a "whole-building" approach in evaluating building projects, but addresses specific factors that support human and environmental health. Credits are earned for achievement in each of six environmental categories and one of four levels of certification is awarded based on total credits. Natural light from 28 skylights, specially glazed to block heat but not light; full-spectrum lighting systems that perform at a level 39 percent better than Washington State Energy Code; and timers that automatically turn off accent lighting when the store is closed are just some of the store's energy-saving attributes. Store cabinetry made from panels that are 100 percent recycled fiber, and glass tiles that are 100 percent recycled from a local source are examples of recycled materials used throughout. And everyone in the store breathes easier due to paints and building products with low VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that virtually eliminate harmful chemicals in the air, and the mechanical systems that circulate filtered fresh air throughout the store. Headquartered in Seattle, Wash., PCC Natural Markets is a certified organic retail cooperative with annual sales of $110 million.

10. Last year, U.S. sales of organic food increased 22 percent to $17 billion, but still accounted for only 3 percent of all food and beverage sales. To better understand this burgeoning market and the challenges faced by organic farmers, Wegmans supermarkets this year started a 50-acre organic research farm just outside of Rochester, N.Y. Starting small with just potatoes and tomatoes, the company hopes to develop best practices (read: cost-efficient as well as healthy) for organic farming in the Northeast. Once it gets it figured out, Wegmans hopes to share its findings with the 800 farmers who supply its stores.

11. First we counted calories, then carbs. Now it's carbon, as retailers introduce product labels that encourage customers to weigh their eco-sins. The most ambitious: British grocery giant Tesco, which has a program to label all 70,000 of its products with carbon breakdowns.

12. The Sierra Nevada Brewery installed four 250-kilowatt fuel-cell power units and officially dropped off the grid. Drunk with power (energy efficiency is expected to be double what it was getting from Pacific Gas & Electric), the Chico, Calif., brewery plans to sell the surplus wattage back to the electric company.

13. Australia's Suncoast Gold Macadamias teamed up with Ergon Energy to create a smart solution to an enormous waste problem which not only benefits their business bottom line but is also beneficial to the environment. Through a 20-year partnership, the company will initially turn about 5,000 tons of waste macadamia shells into enough electricity to power not only its entire manufacturing and processing facility but also around 1,200 Queensland homes every year. That's enough 'green energy' generation to reduce greenhouse gases by 9,500 tons annually — equivalent to taking more than 2,000 cars off the road every year. This innovative $3 million power plant has achieved several "firsts." It's the first of its kind in the world; it's the largest macadamia shell silo (400-ton capacity) in the world; and the boiler is believed to be the first in Australia with a touch-screen control for finger-touch combustion. In the process, they've turned a substantial waste stream into a profitable revenue earner.

14. Urban Rustic is a new Brooklyn grocery store whose shelves are almost exclusively stocked with food from within a 100-mile radius. The store's locavore angle is the brainchild of Aaron Woolf who, with his partners Dan Cipriani and Luis Illades, is stocking the store according to what local suppliers have fresh each week: the owners are promising a selection of vegetables that were in the ground two days prior. They're also placing an emphasis on farmers who use electricity from wind-powered sources. Breakfast and lunch can be ordered from the deli counter and eaten in the back dining area or, during better weather, in the small outdoor space behind the cafe. Items range from seitan stew to roast beef sandwiches, with smoothies, espresso and coffee. Dinner will feature table service and a variable menu dictated by the day's fresh haul from their local suppliers.

15. Three years ago, Portland, Ore.-based Esque Studios built its new studio with a conscience. To reduce waste, they built two electric furnaces that run on sustainable wind power. They also purchase blocks from the electric company that contribute to research for "greener" energy options. In addition, the glass studio recycles 100 pounds of excess glass into a smaller furnace. Clear glass is re-melted to make other products and colored glass goes into custom-made eclectic tiles and countertops.

16. Whole Foods Market, a leading natural and organic supermarket chain, purchases green power equal to 100 percent of their electricity usage, over 509,100,000 kWh annually. Their green power usage earned them the distinction of EPA Green Power Partnership Power Partner of the Year 2006 and ranks third among all green power purchasers. Whole Foods also gained LEED Silver certification for its Sarasota, Fla., store. The store recently replaced its plastic salad bar containers with ones made of sugar-cane waste. Salad containers have a useful life of about 35 minutes, but the plastic ones have an actual life of thousands of years; the new ones decompose in about 90 days.

17. Nourish America's urgent request for donations for victims of the California wildfires was met by the natural products industry with more than 300,000 protein bars, tens of thousands of bottles of multivitamins, immune and respiratory support products as well as healthy foods to fire victims, evacuees, firefighters and law enforcement officials. Companies donating product and dedicated to the Nourish America cause include: Au'some, Inc., Christie Communications, Promax Bars, SOYJOY, Steaz and Tiger's Milk Bars. Nourish America is a DBA of Vitamin Relief USA, a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization committed to improving the health status of children, families and seniors at risk for malnutrition, and those in need through vitamin supplementation, nourishing foods (including naturals and organics) and health education.

18. ITO EN Teas' Tea is encouraging consumers to go Green with a promotion this summer to win a new 2008 Toyota Hybrid, plus other prizes including a 1903 Felt Bicycle. The company also performs recycling efforts making an amazing array of products from its used tea leaves. Some of those products include poster boards, matt boards as well as synthetic resin that is used to make park benches, pens, and tableware. They even ship their product in cardboard boxes made from recycled tea leaves; and also clothe their workers in uniforms made from discarded PET bottles.

19. Caranda Fine Foods recently launched its Rescue Tea Collection in an effort to raise funds for humanitarian relief partnering with the International Rescue Committee (IRC). When one of the premium teas or exotic candles is purchased on the company's Web site, www.rescuetea.org, 50 percent of the sale is donated to the IRC. The company has committed to 10 percent of the sales being donated to IRC from wholesale orders.

20. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined with major supermarkets to launch the new GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership, a voluntary program to promote green technologies, strategies and practices that protect the stratospheric ozone layer, reduce greenhouse gases, and save money. The 10 GreenChill founding partners are: Whole Foods Market; Food Lion, LLC; Giant Eagle Inc.; Hannaford Bros. Co.; Harris Teeter; Hill PHOENIX; Honeywell International; Kysor//Warren; Publix Super Markets Inc.; and DuPont. As an example of GreenChill Partnership initiatives that decrease the impact of supermarkets on climate change, the EPA estimates that widespread adoption of advanced refrigeration technologies, best practices and improved equipment design and service could reduce refrigerant emissions by one million metric tons of carbon equivalent per year, the equivalent of taking 800,000 automobiles off the road every year. The EPA believes that GreenChill partners' adoption of advanced refrigeration technologies will lead to increased energy efficiency and reduce operating expenses to the industry by over $12 million annually.

21. Kohinoor's (www.kohinoorfoods.com) range of Indian products available in the U.S. not only provides consumers with a way to eat healthy, but also give back to the world community. The company is committed to sharing the principles of family values through providing food and support to Mother Teresa's Orphanages throughout India.

22. The Healthy Beverage Company, creators of Steaz, is another company with heart. Not only is the product Certified Organic and Fair Trade Certified, but they also launched the We CAN Make a Difference campaign, which unites world leaders and celebrities in an effort to raise funds for social betterment programs in Sri Lanka, the source of their green tea. Steaz has already helped to rebuild homes and lives in the tsunami-ravaged region.

23. The Royal Hawaiian Honey brand became the nation's first food product to offset its carbon footprint in July last year. When Tropical Traders Specialty Foods, LLC, which distributes the Royal Hawaiian Honey line, decided it could have a positive impact on climate change, it teamed up with the Maryland-based Carbonfund.org to perform a product life-cycle CO2 analysis, which determines a product's carbon footprint. In collaboration with Carbonfund.org, all carbon emissions generated in the production and shipping of its honeys are calculated, then offset by investing in carbon-reducing projects such as renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation.

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