Perhaps you’ve noticed that some of your favorite products are sporting a new logo and you’re wondering what it means to be B-Corp Certified? Here’s the scoop:
B Corp is a global movement of people using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. You might say that a B Corps certification is to sustainable business what LEED certification is to green building. To earn a B Corps certification, companies must pass a rigorous review by the non-profit B Lab, which verifies that a company is meeting the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Over 1,600 companies in 47 countries have been certified thus far, with one unifying goal: to redefine success in business. Because transparency is a valued component of this program, all company ratings and impact reports can be found on the B Corp web page
Here are just a few of the B Corp Certified brands that you can find at the Co-op:
Have you heard about the NOFA-VT Farmer Correspondence program?
The goal of this unique partnership is to expand agricultural awareness by nurturing relationships between children in the community and their local farms. The Farmer Correspondence Program matches classrooms with farmers based on interests and grade levels. Farmer pen-pals correspond with students during the winter and spring, educating them about life and work on the farm. The students then have the opportunity to take a field trip to visit their farmer pen-pal and see what life on the farm is like! NOFA-VT pays the farmer a stipend for their time, and the Middlebury Co-op provides funding for the field trips. The program is free for schools interested in participating! To learn more about how to get involved, click here.
Henry & Lisa’s Natural Seafood, based in Seattle, Washington is our Member Deals Producer of the Week from March 31st – April 6th. During this time, member-owners can enjoy 20% their full line of sustainable seafood products!
Henry & Lisa Lovejoy launched their company in 1999 with the belief that there are many concerned people just like them who care about where their food comes from, care for the environment, and desire a source of all natural premium quality seafood from environmentally sustainable fisheries. Having spent 10 years in the seafood industry traveling around the globe and visiting seafood exchanges from Tokyo to Paris, Beijing to Madrid, they witnessed the astounding volume of seafood being sold each day on these exchanges, and noticed the size of many of the fish decreasing. Simultaneously, there was more and more news that numerous species were being fished to the point of commercial extinction. It became very evident that the world is harvesting our oceans faster than they can replenish themselves, and these resources need better management.
Henry & Lisa both have a deep respect for and great appreciation of the oceans. As a youngster, Henry was inspired by Jacques Cousteau, spent time volunteering at the New England Aquarium, and learned to scuba dive. Now as avid scuba divers and sea kayakers, whenever they have a chance, they are out exploring the ocean and feeling their love and respect for it grow.
Much has changed since Henry first sat down to write the EcoFish business plan. Today you can find EcoFish/Henry & Lisa’s in over 3,500 grocery/natural food stores and many restaurants nationwide. But, a lot has stayed the same. They continue to source the finest seafood available from both well managed wild fisheries and state of the art eco-friendly aquaculture operations.
From how they purchase their seafood, to their 100% recycled packaging, to the renewable energy that powers their office, to the many marine & conservation causes they support, each purchase of Henry & Lisa’s Natural Seafood helps them further their mission.
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