Sustainability - 24/7: The NACS Blog

9/24/2009

U.K. retailer Tesco continues to make a name for itself in the U.S. — and its environmental strategy — with the opening of its first LEED-certified (gold level) grocery store in Cathedral City, California.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the retailer has opened about 125 Fresh and Easy stores in the United States since November 2007: “Its newly built stores share the same environmentally oriented design. The stores, focusing on Southern California and the Las Vegas and Phoenix metropolitan areas, use energy-efficient lighting and refrigerators, and most of their meat, vegetables and other fresh food arrives in reusable plastic containers rather than disposable cardboard boxes.”

To see photos and updates on the grand opening, check out the retailer’s Twitter page.

Posted at 2:25 PM by cblasinsky | Category: Sustainability | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

7/14/2009

Congress Considers Greenwashing

Greenwashing: It’s not a technique to remove grass stains from your clothing — it’s the “act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental benefits of a product or service or the environmental practices of a company” and “is being taken seriously by government and the public alike,” writes a recent blog by TerraChoice.

On June 9, Scot Case testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection, that greenwashing is "eroding consumer trust." You might recall Case as a speaker during the NACS Show workshop in 2007, “Going Green? A Retailer’s Guide to Being Environmentally Responsible.” He also penned an article for the September 2008 NACS Magazine on the steps to avoid greenwashing, “The Perils of Green Marketing.”

Posted at 2:55 PM by czuazua | Category: Sustainability | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

3/17/2009

Go Green With Eco-Friendly Foodservice

Feel the need to be green on St. Patrick’s Day? Lucky for you, a new Web site, SustainableFoodservice.com, can help foodservice operators adopt sustainable business practices.

QSR Magazine reports that the online resource center, launched by Sustainable Foodservice Consulting, offers free information on energy efficient kitchen equipment, green cleaning products, food waste management, rebates and tax incentives, disposable products, water and energy efficiency. The Web site provides tools such as energy calculators, energy tracking spreadsheets and other downloadable forms and checklists.

Posted at 11:20 AM by cblasinsky | Category: Sustainability | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

9/12/2008

Got Trash?

Convenience store operators and their employees don’t need to be reminded of how much trash their customers generate...and unfortunately fail to dispose of properly. You see it embedded in your landscape, parking lots and trash receptacles at the pump.

But, if “keeping America beautiful” is your passion, and if you’re looking for something to do for the environment on Saturday, September 20, how about picking up even more trash?

As glamorous as that may sound, the Ocean Conservancy is hosting its International Costal Cleanup. Last year, the worldwide event drew “378,000 volunteers from 76 countries and 45 states to clear 6 million pounds of trash from oceans and waterways.”

Not only is trash collected, it’s sorted and recorded. In 2007, improper disposal of “cigarette filters, cigar tips and tobacco product packaging” produced a considerable amount of garbage along the shorelines. The organization says that in 2007, event volunteers picked up nearly 2 million cigarettes, or an average of 5 cigarettes per volunteer. (FYI – Philip Morris is a sponsor of the event, as is Coca-Cola.)

The event also sends divers underwater to collect trash and debris. Here are the top 10 debris items found during the 2007 underwater cleanups:

Cigarettes/Cigarette Filters
Beverage Cans
Beverage Bottles (Glass)
Beverage Bottles (Plastic) 2 liters or less
Food Wrappers/Containers
Bags
Fishing Line
Caps/Lids
Cups/Plates/Forks/Knives/Spoons
Straws/Stirrers

If you’re interested in learning more about the International Costal Cleanup or participating, check out Ocean Conservancy’s Web site.

Posted at 2:29 PM by cblasinsky | Category: Sustainability | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

8/13/2008

Sustainability, Energy Efficiency and Green, Oh My!

Whatever you want to call it (probably green baby puke by now), eco-friendly business solutions are here to stay. Even if you're sick of hearing about "green," there are some great strategies that you can implement now, or incorporate into a long-term plan that will save your business valuable dollars, reduce utility costs, and ultimately create good will among your employees and customers for doing the right thing.

NACS is currently developing a toolkit that will help retailers develop eco-friendly blueprints by identifying best practices in sustainable retailing -- largely through case studies that highlight what global retail leaders in Europe and the United States are doing now to address these issues. Be on the lookout for the NACS Green Toolkit at the upcoming NACS Show. And while you're there, be sure take a look around the Congreenience Store and see what energy efficient and eco-friendly products and services are available to your stores.

Wait - what? You haven't registered yet for the NACS Show? Have no fear, just click here...and we'll see you in Chicago.

Posted at 2:41 PM by cblasinsky | Category: NACS Show; Sustainability | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

5/22/2008

Greener by Design

Greener by Design: Strategies, Tools and Markets for Product Innovation, is produced by GreenBiz.com and Global Executive. The event will feature green product and packaging design, and offer a ground-level view of the strategies employed by companies seeking to reduce costs and increase sales by attracting the growing corps of environmentally minded customers.

NACS members will receive a discount to the event by visiting www.greenerbydesign.com and using the code “nacs200” to receive $200 off the full registration fee. By registering now, you’ll also get first pick at the “Green Guru” of your choice. Learn more by visiting www.greenerbydesign.com or by calling (800) 516-4265.

Greener by Design takes place June 12-13 at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center in Alexandria, Virginia. NACS is a co-sponsor of this event.

Posted at 4:07 PM by cblasinsky | Category: Sustainability; NACS Events | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

5/20/2008

Food for Thought

The latest issue of Wired Magazine challenges readers to rethink what it means to be "green". For example, is there an obvious winner when it comes to organics versus conventional agriculture? The answer, according to the mag, might surprise you.

Noting that there may be “sound health reasons to avoid eating pesticide-laden food,” the “truth” is that organics may be a part of the problem and not the solution to reducing harmful greenhouse gases into the environment.

For example, 25 organic cows are needed to make as much milk as 23 industrial bovines. “More cows, more cow emissions.” As for meat, organic cattle take longer to reach the approved weight for slaughter, meaning they have more time “to emit polluting methane” into the atmosphere. And then there is fresh produce. “Plenty of pesticide-free foods are produced by industrial-scale farms and then shipped thousands of miles to their final destination. The result: refrigerator trucks belching carbon dioxide.”

So is it all just a matter of consumer preference? Is there a significant difference between organics and non-organics if you're trying to be more "green"? Seems that unless you grew your own vegetables and milked your own cow from your backyard, it took a bit of energy regardless for ag products to get from farm to store to dinner table.

“What matters is eating food that’s locally grown and in season,” concludes the article. “So skip the prewashed bag of organic greens trucked from two time zones away — the real virtue may come from that conventionally farmed head of lettuce grown in the next county."

Posted at 4:28 PM by cblasinsky | Category: Sustainability | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

4/22/2008

Daily Doses of 'Green'

Yep, today is Earth Day, in case you haven't heard. And now you can keep up with going green and climate change everyday by keeping up with the top 15 green Web sites, as recommended by Time Magazine. Yes, Treehugger.com is included...

Posted at 1:34 PM by cblasinsky | Category: Sustainability | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

4/21/2008

Green is Good

Earth Day is April 22, and the media is buzzing about which companies are doing what to promote sustainable and "green" business practices, entice consumers with environmentally friendly products and key in on the purchasing power of more eco-conscious consumers.

For example, New York-based convenience stores Wilson Farms, Sugarcreek and Wilson Farms Xpress are encouraging shoppers to go green by supporting its reusable tote bag campaign. The Wilson Farms-branded reusable tote bags are available year round for 99¢ each.

“In our ongoing effort to support environmental awareness in the community we are proud to offer our valued customers these reusable tote bag,” said Wilson Farms President and CEO Paul Nanula. “We encourage our customers to support Earth Day and the environment all year long by picking up a tote bag today.”

On the supplier side, Coca-Cola found another use for recycled plastic bottles in the form of clothing. The soft drink company began selling its "Drink 2 Wear" apparel last year at the World of Coca-Cola in downtown Atlanta and at about 400 Wal-Mart locations (and its Web site) on April 14.

Even though Earth Day is officially recognized on April 22, promoting and implementing sustainable business practices is an every day activity, 24/7, 365 days a year. From setting up recycling bins to replacing older light bulbs for more energy efficient ones, what is your company doing?

Posted at 9:59 AM by cblasinsky | Category: Sustainability | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

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