Earth Friendly Food Co-op
At the VFC, Earth Day is every day. Here's how the Co-op is committed to a greener planet:
When it comes to operating an earth-friendly business, the Viroqua Food Co+op starts with the big things. From the 23 trees in our green space and storm water management strips in the parking lot, to the solar panels on the roof, the intentional choices made in our building and site design lessen our Co-op’s impact on the environment every day. The solar panels alone generated 59,167 total kilowatt hours of electricity in the past year which offset CO2 emissions from 5.3 homes' annual energy usage equivalent to about 4,718 gallons of gasoline.
Inside the store, the Co-op invested in sustainably sourced rubber floor tiles installed with no VOC adhesives. The floor tiles are easily maintained with soap and water which eliminates the use of toxic cleaning chemicals.
We recapture the heat from our compressor room to heat 85% of the Co-op's total hot water needs. Our regfrigeration system was also upgraded to use alternate refrigerants three years before Freon was banned in 2020.
VFC’s bright store features natural light from two skylights and full spectrum LED lighting overhead and in every fixture in the store. The ceiling of the Co-op features a peaked roof with six Air Pears installed to recirculate rising hot air. This reduces our energy bill up to 30% annually.
On an operational level, our Co-op continues its commitment to reducing single-use plastic as we find alternatives that meet both our customers' needs and food safety regulations. Here are some examples: In 2006 we eliminated plastic bags at the registers. We offer paper bags and containers to fill in the bulk department. In produce, customers have the option of paper and compostable plastic bags. The Deli, switched many plastic containers to PFAS-free paper for grab-and-go sandwiches and wraps. We provide paper coffee and soup cups plus, hot bar and salad bar containers. Most recently, we switched out plastic-wrapped utensils for compostable cutlery made from 100% renewable material.
From green building design to products that feature local growers and organic agriculture, the VFC makes decisions every day to promote the long-term health of the environment.
Solar Panels
Our solar panels reduce our energy cost up to 17% annually. We reached our return on investment in just two years.
Parking Lot
With strategically placed green spaces and asphalt strips for stormwater management, we achieve Wisconsin DNR watershed requirements for our area. Our concrete sections also elimate continual overcoating with petroleum products.
Earth Concious Building Materials
Using responsible building materials was at the forefront when we expanded in 2017. From no VOC paint on our walls to sustainable sourced rubber floor tiles to sky lights and full spectrum LED lighting, we kept our impact as minimal as possible.