Solar at City Market!

We partnered with Vermont-based groSolar and now have 136 solar panels on our roof! For the full story...

Greening Up the World, One Light Bulb at a Time.

City Market has teamed up with Efficiency Vermont to offer a low cost Earthmate Bulbs for $.99 each. The Earthmate bulbs have up to 75% less mercury than competitive brands, have an energy star rating and are sold in packaging made of 100% post-consumer waste, which is printed with soy-based inks. The bulb package can also be recycled. As an added incentive to make the switch, City Market will recycle old light bulbs free of charge when an Earthmate CFL is purchased. Bulbs offered include 15 watt (60w equivalent), 20 watt (75w equivalent) and 23 watt (100w equivalent). More information about Earthmate Bulbs can be found at www.earthmatelighting.com.

Our Bags are Degradable. Reusing Bags Saves Customers Money. Providing consumers with a low-cost energy efficient light bulb is just one step that City Market is taking to strengthen its commitment to the environment. In 2007, the Co-op switched its conventional plastic grocery bags to degradable bags and further encouraged the use of canvas bags by cutting the price in half to just $5 and offering a five cent refund when shoppers bring their own bags. In 2009, we were able to refund over $14,000 to customers that brought their own bags. That helped us to reduce our plastic bag use as an overall store by 14%.

It is estimated that the United States goes through 100 billion plastic bags a year, which take an estimated 12 million barrels of oil to produce. According to ReusableBags.com one plastic bag takes about 1,000 years to biodegrade in a landfill. City Market plastic grocery and produce bags are made with oxo-biodegradable technology. Exposure to sunlight or heat triggers a two-step process, wherein the plastic breaks down through oxidation into small fragments, which then decompose into the natural elements of carbon dioxide, water, biomass, and minerals. These bags are just as strong as conventional plastic bags; they are not affected by moisture and can be used repeatedly until the breakdown process begins. More information can be found about the degradable bags at www.epi-global.com.

City Market's Campaign to Mow-Down Pollution with Annual Lawn Mower Exchange.

To celebrate Vermont’s springtime tradition of Earth Day and Green Up Day, City Market teams up with the City of Burlington, Burlington Electric Company, and Neuton Mowers for its Lawn Mower Exchange event held each spring. City Market also features over 140 green products from cleaning solutions to canvas shopping bags.

Vermonters who are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint may find the answer with an unsuspecting offender: the lawn mower. Traditional gas-powered lawn mowers are responsible for five percent of the nation's air pollution, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Gas mowers pollute the air in a variety of ways, from global to local. A single gas lawn mower emits 80 pounds of atmospheric-warming carbon dioxide each year, according to the EPA. Americans burn 800 million gallons of gas each year trimming their yards. Since starting the Lawn Mower Exchange event in 2007, 172 battery-powered mowers have been purchased and 119 gas power mowers were exchanged.

Reverse Osmosis Water Machine

City Market unveiled a Bulk Water, Reverse Osmosis Water Machine in order to reduce the number of plastic water bottles being used by our customers. We have sold over 20,000 gallons of water since July 2007, which is equivalent to eliminating over 128,000 water bottles from the waste stream. Another bonus is that Co-op members can fill their water bottles for free!

Green Chemicals

In August 2007, we made the switch to green chemicals in store to support green seal certified chemicals which reduces our store's impact on the environment.