There has been a growing concern about thermal cash register receipts containing the toxic substance BPA. Many of our shoppers have expressed concern over this issue, but we are happy to assure you here at Valley Natural Foods that our thermal register receipts are BPA-free!

For further information about receipts and BPA, please click here and read an interesting article from healthychild.org, passed on to us by one of our e-newsletter readers and shoppers.

Green Spotlight:  Notes From Nancy Grant

The usual advice for wise energy use includes saving gas by planning your driving route carefully to avoid backtracking.  But what if you’d like to leave your car or truck out of your errand-running loop altogether? Here are three good ideas:

Shank’s mare – This old-fashioned country term means using your own two legs for travel. Whether you’re starting from home or your workplace, just put on comfy shoes and it’s right foot, left foot all the way to the co-op. If you’re new to walking outdoors, you’ll find it’s quite different from a treadmill–traffic and signals to watch for, people to chat with, birds to watch–but you can estimate that each half mile will take ten to fifteen minutes. The return trip may take a bit longer because you’ll have the added weight of whatever you bought. A child’s wagon or other wheeled contraption to pull along can be a big help.

Bicycle – Whether your human powered two-wheeler has one gear or twenty, when you arrive at the co-op you’ll find a sturdy bike rack near the front door where you can park it safely. Before you leave, take a minute to balance your load of shopping bags in your front handlebar basket or pannier baskets over the rear wheel; small bungee cords or carabineer clips will help keep your packages in place as you pedal.

Bus –The co-op is on MVTA’s bus route #442. Help planning your public transportation travel route is just a click away at or www.mvta.com.

Bonus tip: In the store, look for the display of reusable thermal bags to carry your purchases home. Available in two sizes and costing less than a single gallon of gas, they’ll keep your hot items toasty or your frozen items icy cold.

Energy journalist and blogger Nancy S. Grant is a member of the Cooperative Communicators Association.

Click here to read the Valley Natural Foods Green Report 2010.

April is Earth Month so we thought it would be fitting to promote the 2011 Summer Institute!

All grades 3-12 educators are invited to join the Will Steger Foundation on an Exploration of Minnesota’s Changing Climate at the Summer Institute August 11- 12, 2011.

The Summer Institute will be held at the School of Environmental Studies in Apple Valley, MN. This year’s Institute will focus on the Will Steger Foundation’s new Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund project: Minnesota’s Changing Climate; Engaging Students in Environmental Stewardship Through Adventure Learning.

Participating grades 6-8 classrooms from the metro area are eligible for $500 grants due to a unique partnership with the National Park Foundation, Mississippi National River and Recreational Area (National Park Service) and Mississippi River Fund. For more information about the institute, please visit Will Steger Foundation Summer Institute

You can see what happened at last years institute by visiting: 2010 Summer Institute Recap

Green Spotlight:  Notes from Nancy Grant

Can a food co-op add sustainable ideas to its daily operations? Sure, the co-op encourages food producers to take the best care possible of their land and natural resources. But what about other opportunities for a “greener” approach?

At Valley Natural Foods the hunt is on to find ways to take better care of the environment right here in the store.

The first good idea: Replace the paper towel dispensers in the restrooms with electric hand dryers to cut down on paper waste. The second good idea: Encourage office staffers to use e-mail and other computer technology as often as possible, then print documents on paper only when absolutely necessary. Throughout the co-op, the idea is to use a little less paper, please.

Simple steps like these are part of a much larger effort to put the sustainability concepts in the co-op’s FRESH values statement into daily practice. Each greener choice must also make solid financial success, to support a healthy financial bottom line for co-op member-owners. In every department, managers and employees are making new, greener ideas part of the work day. The co-op recently published its first online Green Report describing these new approaches.

Watch for more ideas about energy efficient lighting, recycling programs, energy-wise choices for food storage and preparation (in the co-op’s kitchen and yours!) in upcoming issues of Healthy Updates.

Energy journalist and blogger Nancy S. Grant is a member of the Cooperative Communicators Association.