Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage
In 1955, long before health food was mainstream, Margaret and Philip Isely established Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage with $200 they borrowed from Margaret’s mother.
They started by going door-to-door in Golden, Colorado, selling whole-grain bread and lending nutrition education books to the people they met. Pioneers in the health food industry, the Iselys knew that after reading the books, those same people would be open to ordering vitamins and bulk foods. So a week later they would return to take additional orders for those items, which they sold on consignment from a local health food distributor.
Over the years, Natural Grocers has grown from a literal “mom and pop” business to a successful and respected health food grocer with locations in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and Wyoming, with more than 1,100 employees. Today, the business is run by Margaret and Philip’s children and grandchildren, and it continues the original mission of offering the highest quality supplements, body care and grocery items with outstanding customer service.
When you walk into a Natural Grocers store, you’ll first notice the comfortable, quiet and quaint surroundings. You can count on a greeting and a smile … and if you’re a “regular,” you’ll most likely be greeted by name.
The stores provide extensive nutrition education classes and lectures along with personal nutritional health coaching sessions – all of this at no cost to the customer. Education and Customer Service are truly at the heart of the way they do business.
Just as important as its epic customer service, Natural Grocers focuses on providing customers with safe, top-quality food and supplements. Every product goes through a strict review process to ensure it meets their quality standards before it can be sold through the stores. Their customers enjoy knowing that they don’t have to read the labels because Natural Grocers has done it for them. The Natural Grocers criteria list of “What We Won’t Sell and Why” can be found on their website at www.NaturalGrocers.com.
Shopping is easy at Natural Grocers stores because customers know that they are only buying tested products, naturally raised, hormone-free meat and 100-percent USDA organic produce from stores that are USDA organic certified. Customers can also count on finding products from local companies in each of the communities that Natural Grocers does business, reducing their overall carbon footprint.
Natural Grocers is also taking healthy steps in each of its communities by providing donations to local food banks, humanitarian outreach programs and fundraising efforts for those less fortunate and needing a hand up to regain their place in society.
The Natural Grocers family has long been a leader in the community for environmental efforts. They became “green” before “green” was popular. Not only do they recycle all packing, shipping and office supplies whenever possible, they were one of the first grocery retailers in the country to remove all plastic and paper shopping bags from their stores, saving 1.3 million pounds of waste from our landfills each year.
The green building efforts of Natural Grocers reflect their continuing commitment to lessen environmental impact through their use of eco-friendly construction methods and energy-saving heating, cooling and lighting. Their current new store construction includes a breakthrough method of heating the building and the water by recapturing heat that is typically given off from a cooler as it works to create the cool air. They’ve also eliminated costs and created energy efficiencies by using ductless in-ceiling fans, geothermal heating and cooling efforts, long-lasting flooring and LED bulbs, natural lighting, and occupancy sensors that regulate air quality and maintain lighting levels.
Following Margaret’s lead, the company continues to promote the health of their customers, the planet, and the communities surrounding each store. Shop with Natural Grocers and be a part of making your community healthier.
To find the nearest store, go to www.NaturalGrocers.com.
Scridb filterKitchens by Wedgewood: A lasting impression on your home, not the planet
Kitchens by Wedgewood has been outfitting Colorado homes with handcrafted cabinetry since 1984.
This locally owned and operated company offers custom cabinetry built in Colorado as well as standard cabinet designs from top national manufacturers.
Wedgewood cabinets have been designed for and installed in kitchens, bathrooms, home theaters, home offices and living rooms throughout our region. That’s because every project is carefully designed to add beauty and value to homes through the use of specialized woods, finishes and hardware, as well as the unique style of each cabinet. Wedgewood cabinets are also second to none in providing ample storage space.
But homeowners aren’t the only end users Wedgewood has in mind. Kitchens by Wedgewood was the first manufacturer in the state of Colorado to receive the prestigious Environmental Stewardship Program Certification from the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association. The company is fully committed to using environmentally responsible products in the construction of its cabinets.
If you’re looking for ways to green up your new construction or remodeling project, calling Kitchens by Wedgewood is a great place to start.
Short commute
Kitchens by Wedgewood builds its custom cabinetry right here at its Louisville facility. So when you choose Wedgewood, you simultaneously support your community and reduce the amount of energy it takes to transport your cabinets to installation.
Conscious choices
Kitchens by Wedgewood’s green cabinets feature Encore particleboard, a post-consumer recycled wood fiberboard with no added urea formaldehyde. All Wedgewood drawer boxes are made from European Forestry Council Certified European Beech with a water-based topcoat. Customers have the option of selecting sustainably grown products, such as rapidly renewable woods (bamboo and Lyptus), domestic hardwoods (cherry, maple, birch, alder and oak) and hardwoods that have been Forestry Council Certified. Ecologically minded options like natural finishes and recycled countertops are also available. So when you choose Wedgewood, your cabinets are crafted to your exact green specifications.
Lasting impression
The experienced artisans of Kitchens by Wedgewood combine precision machinery and human artistry to create the finest custom wood cabinets. These cabinets are built to thrill, and they’re also built to last.
In keeping with its dedication to excellent service, Wedgewood stands behind what it sells. So when you choose Kitchens by Wedgewood, you can be confident that your new cabinetry will be wowing you for many years to come, reducing the desire and need for replacement.
Kitchens by Wedgewood has three conveniently located showrooms so you can easily compare brand, style, color, texture, finish, price and customization options. Visit one of the locations in Louisville, Denver or Englewood to learn more about the company’s environmental credentials and to see Wedgewood cabinet quality for yourself.
For more information on Kitchens by Wedgewood, call 303.664.1400 or visit www.kitchensbywedgewood.com.
Scridb filterGreen is the new standard for wood flooring in Boulder County
By L.L. Charles
The “greening” of our homes can seem a bit complicated at times, with talk of “high R’s” and “low e’s” and such.
But mostly, it’s about making simple changes in how we live in our homes. Want an example? It’s right under your feet. It’s your floor.
“Wood flooring brings an aesthetic plus to your home,” says Clarence Harrison, owner of WoodWise Hardwood Floors in Boulder, who has been installing and refinishing Front Range floors for more than 20 years. “A wood floor is easy to maintain and has a long life.” But choosing the wood, installation methods and finishes each has an impact, he explains, and an opportunity to do the Right Thing.
Actually, several right things, it turns out. “Most wood flooring is derived from hardwood trees. When we use hardwood purchased domestically, this helps stimulate the economy where it is locally harvested and it is milled,” Harrison explains. “Oak is the most plentifully farmed hardwood in the nation, and we use it in over half of all our installations. It has the integrity and beauty that makes it a favorite.
“We also install reclaimed wood flooring, which helps conservation by returning re-milled, salvaged timbers to use and keeps materials out of the waste stream. Plus, it has zero impact on living trees.”
We know we want sustainably harvested wood, right? But what does that mean, and how can we be sure? “Look for the FSC stamp on wood products,” Harrison advises. “The Forest Stewardship Council is a professional organization that uses stringent chain of custody rules on wood products to ensure they are properly sourced. Wood producers must meet 57 different criteria, including protection of wildlife and minimal use of pesticides. Of all the green flooring certifications, FSC is the gold standard.”
But there’s more, Harrison cautions. “Even sustainable products like bamboo and cork have to be shipped long distances, from Asia, Central and South America. That creates a huge carbon footprint. We feel that choosing domestically harvested, FSC-certified wood flooring is the most environmentally responsible approach. It’s the one we take at WoodWise.”
Bamboo flooring has become very popular, and because it is a fast-growing wood source, it is considered by many to be “sustainable.” But, in addition to its transportation footprint, some of the sources for bamboo do not pass FSC scrutiny, Harrison cautions.
OK, we’ve chosen properly sourced wood, and we’re ready to bring it all home. Let’s look at how the installation and care of your floor impact your personal space.
As you might expect, installing a wood floor can create a lot of dust and sawdust. Most installers leave a “brown cloud” behind – suspended particulates that can take days to settle, and never get completely cleaned from your home.
WoodWise uses a unique dustless process that captures the dust right away at ground level, keeping it out of your home’s nooks and crannies. “This is an important advantage we offer,” Harrison says. “We keep 99 percent of the dust from reaching your home’s surface areas. You don’t want all the dust in your air, or in the duct work. I’m a runner, and I don’t want that stuff in my lungs – or yours!”
Finishing your floor is another area where WoodWise reduces the environmental impact. Few wood finishes are truly environmentally friendly, and the solvents used in most products can give off toxic fumes for months after application. “Natural oils look great, but they don’t hold up,” Harrison explains. “For most applications, water-based finishes are the best way to go. They have really improved in terms of ease of application and durability, and there aren’t any toxic ingredients. I think oil-based finishes may be phased out as more viable ecological alternatives come to market.”
Harrison also pays attention to what happens with leftover materials from a WoodWise installation. Smaller pieces of desirable hardwoods are snapped up by a craftsman who turns them into even more desirable artisan boxes. “We have a guy that comes in once a month and picks up dust and scraps. He mixes this with ground-up pallets to make pellet fuel for wood stoves.”
Step up to a green floor! Contact WoodWise Hardwood Floors at 303.442.7777 or visit www.WoodWiseBoulder.com.
Scridb filterThe Village at Uptown
