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It's a little known fact that we are an incredibly green business. We believe it is a moral imperative to make green choices in the workplace every day. That's why, for 40 years, we have pledged to make our grocery store super green and non-toxic for our customers, for our fine city, and for this planet that we all share.
1. We compost. Our Deli + Juice bar creates, well, A LOT of waste... food scraps, that is. What doesn't go into our own gardens at home is available on a first come first serve basis to any farmer that stops by. We currently have a waiting list. Yeah, our food scraps are that good.
2. We recycle. All of the plastic, cardboard, and glass we use gets recycled. And all of our office paper is recycled. We make sure all of our recycled goods are truly recyclable (and clean), which is why we hand sort our boxes, bottles, and plastics. Why? We're aware that many unsorted recyclables do not always get recycled when what is considered trash (plastic bags, milk cartons, etc.) is mixed in. Charlottesville doesn't have as much of a problem with this, but we're still doing it. Actually, we're lucky to live in a city that holds recycling in such high esteem, as recycling here is as easy (if not more so) than taking out the trash. Kudos, Charlottesville. Kudos.
3. We use BPA free plastics. We have been using BPA-free plastics for over a decade. We are strong advocates of switching to BPA plastics for any food business. All of our juices, smoothies, and deli items come in BPA free plastic containers. Even our receipt paper is BPA free. For more on BPA, click here.
4. We carry only reusable and paper bags for our customers. The reusable bags have our logo on the front and are only $1. We don't carry any plastic bags.
5. We use all natural cleaning products. We use Seventh Generation soaps, botanical disinfectants, scrubs, floor cleaners, recycled paper products, and hand soaps; we also use earth-friendly scrubbing pads and chlorine-free bleach.
6. We reduce food waste. Grocery stores, in striving to offer customers the freshest foods, can produce a lot of waste. Because of our relatively small size, the amount of food that we waste is greatly reduced. We make foods that would otherwise be trashed useable by: 1. Offering damaged and scrap produce to local farmers who use it to feed their animals or supplement their compost piles. 2. Offering almost-expired foods to our employees to take home. 3. Sending food donations to Charlottesville's Food Not Bombs program, a group that makes meals for the needy every Sunday afternoon.
