Yesterday we wrote a little post about how awesome the food and products at Whole Foods at Legacy Place in Dedham, MA are.  Well, today we want to tell you why the store itself is so awesome.  This is the real reason behind this two part post.  Whole Foods is a green market.  Like really green.  Whole Foods is taking amazing initiative with regards to being green.  They are clearly an industry leader in their thinking and actions.  You can read all about their green efforts on the “Green Action” section of their website.  It’s really impressive.  From seeking alternative energy sources to simply recycling their cardboard to even printing with soy ink, their efforts are not going unnoticed.

At the Whole Foods at Legacy Place, there are signs everywhere telling you what makes the market so green (check out the pictures in the gallery below).  Here’s a small snapshot of what they’ve done in the construction and running of their market:

• Added windows and 16 skylights to allow more natural light, reducing energy consumption
• Checkout stands are made with Marmoleum
• Painted the walls with 0% VOC paint
• All the wood is FSC certified
• The toilet partitions are made from recycled milk jugs (a personal favorite)
• They offer and use green cleaning supplies
• All the food containers are either recyclable, compostable or reusable
• They’ve used products like Trikeenan tiles and Lumicor resin panels
• The roof of the building houses an 80kW solar installation
• Even the receipt/register tape is made from recycled material
• And the list goes on and on and on

We were really excited to see all this effort put in to the construction of the market.  Not only will you feel good from the food you buy there, but you can feel good about the environment that Whole Foods has created.  Many of the products Whole Foods used in their construction process are available in consumer versions, and will be available via the bGreen showroom this Spring.  If you’re interested in greening your own home, give us a shout.  We’re here to help you “bGreen.”