By Susan Stewart, Organic Certification and Sustainability Coordinator

It is with pleasure that we introduce a new, comprehensive view of the Wedge Co-op, in our first Sustainability Report (PDF). We hope our report gives you a bigger picture of how we interact with the wider community and demonstrate our commitment to both local and global environments.

This is the first time we have complied into one document so much detailed information about the impact of our store operations on resource use. The report is based on metrics* developed by the Food Trade Sustainability Leadership Association (FTSLA) for the organic food business. These metrics provide guidelines for how to embody sustainability in our daily operations.

This collection of information about the store resource use runs from July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010. In future reports, we hope to include metrics collected from our warehouse as well.

What you will see in the new Sustainability pages will be a collection of information about the Wedge's sustainability report, information and resources about sustainable approaches to lifestyle, cooking, shopping, and perhaps other subjects that direct our awareness to limited resources and how to make a difference through cooperation; after all, the Seventh Cooperative Principle is Concern for Community, and it does matter.

As you review the information we collected about how your Co-op approaches and views sustainable business practices, think about how this fits into your view of a sustainable Wedge.

*metrics: any type of measurement used to gauge a quantifiable component of business performance