Wild Oats welcomes the opportunity to take the lead on building a forward-thinking approach to responsible environmental stewardship here in our community.

This commitment to sustainability includes not just helping to support a thriving local food system, supporting brands that carry the Fair Trade Certified seal and minimizing our carbon footprint, but also the long-term implications of product packaging, food containers and shopping bags.

Here are some of the ways we’re working to mitigate our environmental impact:

• In 2017, we switched to an electric service provider that delivers 100% of its energy from renewable sources

• We lowered our natural gas consumption by 21% by installing an air curtain at our entrance and worked with a consultant to replace outdated fixtures and bulbs with LEDs

• In 2019, we were the first business in our area to stop selling single-use plastic water bottles, replacing them with boxed and aluminum alternatives

• We continue to offer on-site composting for any food waste generated by customers eating on site as well as our store’s various departments, in addition to an extensive recycling program

• Even during the pandemic, our Bulk aisle provides a variety of alternatives to conventional product packaging, including paper bags and reusable Wild Oats cloth bags

• We are longtime members of National Co-op Grocers (NCG), which has partnered with the We Are Still In campaign since 2017 to call for national climate action and clean recovery

There’s still a great deal of work left to do, particularly as we slowly recover from the environmental impact of the pandemic and the requirement to offer everything from baked goods to eating utensils in individually-wrapped plastic. The conversation about best practices continues and we invite our member-owners to join in it with us!