Earth Day 50th Anniversary
This month marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. The first Earth Day came about thanks to Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson with teach-ins on college campuses, raising awareness of environmental issues like oil spills and air pollution. In the subsequent 50 years, Earth Day has spawned the Environmental Protection Agency and Clean Air Act, kicked off countless trailblazing environmental laws, and has grown to be one of the largest secular observances in the world. Honoring the health of our community and planet through eco-conscious conscious shopping behaviors is a foundational value of Wedge Community Co-ops, so concurrent with the 50th anniversary of Wedge Lyndale, we want to share some of the ways shopping at the Wedge can help you integrate environmental sustainability into daily life.
Sustainable Staff Picks
Our staff are passionate about quality, flavor, and developing a strong local food system- from seed to shelf. Eating locally sourced foods is one of the most impactful lifestyle choices you can make to lessen your environmental impact. Not only is eating locally grown and sourced foods a lower impact on the environment, foods that travel fewer miles to get to you largely taste better and stay fresher longer. Longer shelf life means more time to enjoy, and less wasted food!
As followers of an eco-conscious lifestyle, our staff continually try and discover products throughout our stores, and share their favorites with you through our “Staff Picks” program. You may have noticed these small signs around the stores highlighting some of our staff’s favorite products. This spring, in addition to being locally produced, we’re sharing foods and items that are:
- packaging-free or come in compostable or recyclable packaging
- reusable, or can replace single-use products
- help support a lower-impact, more sustainable lifestyle overall
On your next shopping trip, look for these handwritten recommendations throughout our stores.
Eco-conscious Shopping Tips
By shopping at the co-op, you’re already well on your way to an eco-conscious lifestyle. Did you know that on a given day, approximately 20% of the products on our shelves come from growers and vendors in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and the Dakotas? We believe local is best, so our sourcing team strives to bring the highest-quality, most responsibly sourced foods to you- all year round. Try switching to laundry detergent strips in a cardboard package, or to refillable bulk maple syrup, olive oil, and bulk liquid soap in your own reusable container. Pick up MN grown mushrooms in your washable produce bags and pack your own bulk eggs in the last egg carton you finished. When you run errands, remember your bags, combine trips, and support neighborhood businesses to keep your dollars in the local economy. These are simple but impactful steps toward lessening your carbon footprint and living lower impact.
Interested in learning more and joining the global Earth Day movement? Visit earthday.org.