Shop Local: local sustainable stores

Farmers markets are great places to buy eco-friendly products. Vegetables and other produce found at farmers markets are usually farmed on small, local farms. These are better for the environment because large farms have much higher carbon emissions due to CO2 found in the soil, their farming methods which let off a lot of carbon dioxide, and the carbon emissions required to transport goods across the country. You can often bring your own bags or baskets to farmers markets which cuts down on plastic bag waste as well. Farmers markets are also great places to find handmade or recycled items, and many small business owners take into account sustainability and use waste-friendly packaging.

In the front of Winkies is a bulk candy section where you can get whatever candies you want and purchase them by the pound. They carry a lot of candy similar to name brands you already eat such as Swedish Fish, Lemon Heads, Jelly Belly jelly beans, and other candy. They also have a large chocolate dessert selection. Buying candy this way cuts down on the plastic waste that you get from buying prepackaged candy. They also give you the candy in paper bags which can be composted.

Sendiks is a great place to support due to their varied sustainable practices. They have a bag collection near the front doors where you can put your plastic bags and Sendiks will send them to a recycler. They compost the food from their kitchens and recycle any cardboard packaging they use. Any food that can no longer be sold but is still ok for consumption they give to Feeding America instead of throwing it away.

Grocery stores such as Pick N Save, Metro Market, Kroger, Sendiks, and Target send products such as meat, produce, and dry goods that they would otherwise throw away to Feeding America. These items might be past the "sell by" date, be damaged in some way, returned, in surplus, or other reason that they are unsellable. However, they can still be consumed which is why sending them to Feeding America is a great way to not only prevent waste but also help those in need. These stores also try to source their products sustainably and work to include planet-friendly products in their stores. 

Learn about Pick N Save and Metro Market and their sustainability practices here: https://www.thekrogerco.com/sustainability/

Learn about Target and their sustainability practices here:

https://corporate.target.com/corporate-responsibility/planet

The next time you need a loaf of bread, consider going to Breadsmith instead of buying a highly processed, big brand, plastic covered, loaf off the shelf at a grocery store. Breadsmith use ingredients from local, small farmers such as zucchini from Appleton, WI or eggs from different local farmer. Ingredients from small farms are better because they are less processed, let off less carbon emissions, and reduce the strain on the soil and planet. Also, bring your own bag when you go to Breadsmith. Reuse an old breadsmith plastic bread bag or buy a cloth bread bag like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Linen-Bread-Bags-Housewarming/dp/B076KT472Y, or use beeswax to store it: https://www.beeswrap.com/.

Whitefish Bay has two great coffee locations, Starbucks and Stone Creek. An important thing to remember when visiting either location is to always bring your own mug when getting coffee! 

Starbucks has had sustainability initiatives for years now and has a brand new plan for sustainability that launched January of 2020. Some of its efforts include new "sippy cup" lids that don't need straws, ten million dollars in grants for completely compostable/ recyclable cup technology, goals to halve carbon emissions, halve waster usage, and to halve the amount of waste sent to landfills. See the press releaser here: https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2020/starbucks-commits-to-a-resource-positive-future/

Stone Creek's statement on sustainability is that, "We will attempt to reduce any negative impacts to air, surface water, ground water, public health, community quality of life, employee health while producing coffee that is sweet, clean and juicy. Stone Creek Coffee will strive for continual improvement in pollution prevention while meeting or exceeding all regulations".

The Outpost has a lot of organic, local, and natural products on their shelves, and have waste friendly packaging for a lot of their produce as well. They have a large bulk shopping section so you can bring your own containers to cut down on waste. They have in-store water machines to help customers cut down on plastic bottle waste, have electric car charging stations, recycle all of the cardboard they use, and compost any food waste they create. Their produce department uses compostable plastic bags too. An added bonus is that they use green power in their stores which reduces CO2 emissions and also use solar panels to get extra power. (https://www.outpost.coop/about/sustainability/) 

Riverwest foods is a small store and restaurant that sources all of their food organically and locally. They do their best to cut down on waste in ways like reducing packaging, using paper straws, bettering signage, and more. One of their projects is a workshop to learn about the environment and the issues surrounding it. https://www.riverwestcoop.org/about-us

Another thing they are involved in is a program called Boomerang Bags, which gathers community members, uses donated materials, and makes reusable bags. Find the Riverwest community here: https://boomerangbags.org/listings/riverwest-milwaukee-wisconsin-53212-usa-bring-your-bag-riverwest/

Whole foods uses no single-use plastic bags at checkout and their paper bags are made of recycled paper. They have collection bins for different items, reusable dinnerware in their hot food sections, use recycled materials for construction, print logos on recycled paper or other environmentally friendly options, and more. They compost and prevent food waste from entering landfills as much as they can. Whole Food's brand 365 products are organic, ethically sourced, and contain only sustainable oils. https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/