| Sustainability
Committee
From the May Newsletter, by Pat Vaughan
The Sustainability
Committee was formed by the Co-op’s board
of directors to explore alternative building and energy-conservation
initiatives that might be applied to the future store. It actually
grew out of a discussion between Tyler Barron (a staff member)
and Mike Forbes (our current board President) about a specific
water conservation idea. Eventually they asked themselves, “Why
don’t we find a way to look at a range of opportunities for
environmentally smart designs in our new store?” And they
are.
The committee
is comprised of nine volunteers (most or all Co-op members) who
are experienced craft persons, community leaders in
green living solutions, or members who want to help ensure the
Co-op’s commitment to the environment. Current committee
members are: Michelle Hazen (Chairperson), Kathleen Ryan, Bill
Beck, Gary Macfarland, Mike Forbes, Chris Duguay, Tyler Barron,
Kurt Rathman, and Gustav Sarkkenin.
The committee
adopted the following mission statement: “The
Sustainability Committee will act as a resource for the Moscow
Food Co-op board, staff and contractors as the Co-op progresses.
We will identify potential environmental impacts related to “the
move” and future growth at the Co-op, and provide sustainable
solutions to these issues in order to support the Co-op’s
mission.”
The Sustainability Committee will make recommendations to the
design team and Co-op management who ultimately decide and execute
what
the budget will support.
As you can
see from their mission statement, the committee sees a benefit
in the Co-op having an ongoing process to integrate sustainability,
not just for “the move.” Michelle Hazen says there
are a couple reasons for this.
“First,
reality is that finances are going to impact what we can implement
during the move. We brain-stormed and have come up with
numerous categories and solutions, from space heating, water conservation,
and lighting to remodel finishes, Co-op kitchen practices and community
services. We know the Co-op can’t afford all of these ideas
right now. But we might be able to ensure that the framework for
some of these solutions gets incorporated, or at least considered
now. If possible, we don’t want to remodel now in a way that
precludes some of these ideas in the future.”
Michelle adds, “We
recognize that over the long term there will be busy times and
slow times as far as having the opportunity
and resources to build in these ideas. This is a great opportunity
now while we remodel our new store. We want to be ready when the
Co-op can do more in the future.”
Also, the
committee is excited about the new Co-op store being a source
of education and a model for what businesses or even private
homeowners can do to conserve, re-use, and recycle. They are looking
at ways to display the different initiatives in the new store,
and to explain their costs, their savings, or impact on the environment.
In some cases there will be immediate savings. In others there
may be increased costs, but with significant savings over time
or important contributions to sustainability. The committee believes
Co-op shoppers will value this educational information in much
the same way as they value information about organic food choices.
All these reasons support a long term commitment to integrating
sustainability into the new store’s current and future development.
Pat
Vaughan will highlight some of the Sustainability Committee’s
initiatives, their considerations and issues in future Community
News articles.
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