Living Social and Whole Foods- Why We Love Them
LivingSocial's Half-Off Deal at Whole Foods caused an uproar
Living Social’s half-off deal at Whole Foods has caused such an uproar on the web, I just had to write my thoughts about it! After trudging through the twitter craziness, I’ve been aching to find out more about Whole Foods. I don’t live in a metropolitan area, and have only had a few opportunities to visit the store. I’ve always found it super crowded, but their high-quality products and emphasis on local and organic goods makes it worth it. Unfortunately, I’m young and of limited economic means, so it’s probably a good thing that there isn’t one nearby!
Here are a few reasons to love Whole Foods, and one reason not to:
They placed third of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s list of the “Top 25 Green Power Partners”
With the amount of green energy that the company purchases, they keep 700 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions out of the atmosphere (if only we could get Wal-Mart to sign on to this!). In 2007, Whole Foods was the second-highest purchaser of green power in the country. They also set off 100% of their energy costs with purchased wind-power credits in 2006.
Whole Foods is a member of the Marine Stewardship Council
In 1999, Whole Foods joined the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) to help promote sustainable fisheries (if you’ve been paying attention, you know that global fish stocks are under severe threat). The company now sells MSC-certified seafood.
They're involved in the Non-GMO Project
The company is involved in the Non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) project, despite pressure from huge food producers like Montsanto to completely liberate the sale of GMO products in the global market.
They've eliminated Reusable Plastic Grocery Bags
On Earth Day 2008, Whole Foods completely eliminated plastic grocery bags. Now shoppers can have paper grocery bags or reusable bags, some of which are made from recycled bottles. This eliminates pollution and encourages bag reuse.
They Founded the Animal Compassion Foundation
Whole Food Founded the Animal Compassion Foundation in 2005, a non-profit that helps food producers raise their animals naturally and humanely.
5% of their net yearly profits go to charity.
The company donates 5% of its profits to charity, in the form of food, money, or labor.
They fight poverty in rural areas
The Whole Planet Foundation fights against rural poverty in developing countried with microloans. It announced it 2006 that it was providing $10 million in microloans.
What is customers' biggest complaint about Whole Foods?
A quick Twitter survey on this subject reveals that it is the high prices. However, other critics have pointed out that the corporation promotes its own house brands over many local and independent brands, a tactic that undermines the principle of contributing to the local economy and weakens businesses in the area, aligning Whole Foods with other disreputable corporations such as Wal-Mart.
All facts included in this hub were found on the Whole Foods website.
