How grocery stores are leading the green movement, one shopping cart at a time
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By Lauren Mang
The recent food scares from China are indicative of consumers’ growing consciousness about what goes into their bodies and where it comes from. More than 90 different food products imported from a Chinese food manufacturing facility were deemed contaminated by the Food and Drug Administration. So it’s no wonder that shoppers are flocking to supermarkets promoting freshness and eco-friendly principles.
“Consumers are more attentive to the kinds of food they’re buying and how it’s prepared,” says Bill Eberhard, principal-in-charge for Oliver Design Group (Cleveland), “and they want a store environment that reflects their growing environmental awareness.”
Across the globe, food retailers are making those ecological principles a top priority – grocery stores in San Francisco no longer use plastic bags, Giant Eagle achieved LEED certification and Canada has joined the crusade with SPUD, a grocery delivery service that distributes local and eco-friendly products and helps cut down on the number of cars on the road.
All retailers have the ability (some would argue the responsibility) to educate people who shop in their stores everyday about green building materials and initiatives. But when it comes to taking the lead, it’s food retailers who are at the helm.
That increased awareness of responsibility is just one piece in the proverbial green puzzle, however. Energy and cost concerns for lighting, heating and cooling systems have also prompted grocery retailers to adopt energy-efficient, sustainable methods more quickly than other retail sectors.
Thus there are a lot of green initiatives happening both on the sales floor and behind the scenes at grocery stores – lighting that reduces spoilage, insulated walls that maintain store temperatures and high-performance glass that reduces heat loss.
“Everybody understands that we need to start making better choices,” Eberhard says. “Grocery stores are taking the first steps in understanding that building materials need to have a more responsible selection process. It’s not just the food that consumers buy, but also what you put it on to sell it and how you light it.”
SAVING GREEN with GREEN
Supermarket staples such as dairy, frozen foods, prepared foods and produce all require extensive energy – refrigeration, lighting, heating or cooling. And with more stores switching to longer hours, keeping those elements running, coupled with rising energy costs, can add up to one hefty bill.
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