Fresh & Easy Green Grocer
When you hear the word Fresh you may think of an array of food such as crisp leafy greens and bright red apples. When you hear the word “easy” you think simple, hassle free and effortless. With daily firsthand experience I can attest that the new grocery chain Fresh & Easy lives up to its name. The British owned company (Tesco) has opened about 180 stores in the US since 2007. I’m lucky enough to live right around the corner from one.
Fresh & Easy has their own branding of products in the store as well as other essential brands and items. Their Fresh & Easy brand products contain no artificial colors, flavors, high fructose syrup or corn syrup and no added trans fats. All items are very low cost and reasonable. I used to shop at Trader Joe’s but now this is my new go to green grocer since they’ve opened up recently in my neighborhood. If you’re looking for your favorite snacks that you may not be able to get at Trader Joe’s or Wholefoods market they are stocked with those items as well. I happened to love Cheez-its and although not completely healthy, they always have it stocked as well other popular brand name products. You will usually always have a choice in the main food categories to pick a brand name item or the Fresh & Easy product. With prices so low and affordable one may wonder how they do it. Well it might be because their stores are energy efficient and they pass savings to the consumer. What a brilliant idea!
The way that they have accomplished such low cost groceries is the design implemented into the building of the store. Their distribution center in Riverside, California has the largest installation of roof solar panels in the state and all of their food transportation trailers are hybrid electric diesel. My Fresh & Easy store in Pleasanton happens to be equipped with solar panels also instead of using conventional tiling they have simple concrete floors because they are easier to maintain and cost less. They impose LED lighting that automatically dim when natural light looms in. The stores maximize the use of natural lighting with sky lights and oversized windows. Environmental LED lighting is used not only for the indoors but the exterior signs, cooler doors, and freezers which uses much less energy than traditional fluorescent lighting. They also increased insulation in all of their stores so they use less heating and air conditioning.
They have really thought of all the details in the store to make it as eco friendly as possible. As a consumer and regular shopper I appreciate the in-store recycling bins for aluminum, plastic bags, and glass that are available. They also recycle all of their display and shipping materials which includes everything from cardboard to pallets, totes and shrink wrap. Just when you think they’ve covered it all, even the grocery bags are made from 50% recycled materials and is designed to be sturdier so you may find you don’t need to double bag (that’s if you forgot your reusable bags of course!)
Even the products they use to clean the store with are all eco-friendly and their buildings are designed for increased ventilation for better air quality.
The CEO Tim Mason was quoted “We are trying to set a global example by measuring and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, helping to stimulate the development of low carbon technology and by the empowering consumers by providing them with choice, value and information.”
One of my favorite products they have in store is the wide variety of pre made fresh foods. They practically taste home cooked and they have A LOT to choose from. They have items like chicken marsala, lasagna, and teriyaki bowls. Don’t worry they also have many vegetarian and vegan dishes in their “eat well” line. Fresh & Easy has made it simple for the “glucose and kosher aware” to find tasty dishes that they too can enjoy. Their products are marked with symbols to easily spot your favorite type of foods for every kind of diet.
One of the most interesting things I have noticed is located right in front of the store, which is their parking spaces. Well, you have the usual handicapped spots and something I have never seen, Hybrid only parking spots right in front. They apparently have a message to get out and they are making it loud and clear. They happened to have other front space parking spots designated “Adults with Children.” I’m sure that this is to keep the customer’s convenience in mind. To my knowledge I don’t know of any “hybrid only” or “Adults with Children” parking spots in the San Francisco Bay Area, although I’m sure there are some.
Fresh & Easy stores are sending out a message to their customers and the public. Encouraging others to eat well and make the world a little greener. If you want to check out exactly how much energy they are saving they feature a live report on their website of exactly how much solar energy they have generated and how that converts into cars taken off the roads, trees planted, and tons of emissions removed from the air. I will definitely continue to shop there and support them as they stand up tall in the green industry.
Photo Credit: Some rights reserved by niiicedave on Flickr.
Angie Tarantino is a contributor and part founder of The Environmental Blog. She covers animal rights, green tips and general green news topics She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.
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