Whole Foods Still King of Green

For the second year in a row, Whole Foods has been recognizes as one of the EPA's Green Power Partners of the Year. The award, which celebrates "leadership in accelerating the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide," is shared by seven entities, including PepsiCo, Wells Fargo, and the City of Bellingham, WA.

With the recent acquisition of leading competitor Wild Oats Markets, Whole Foods is set to significantly expand its green power purchasing. This year, they upped the ante by buying some 509 million kilowatt-hours of wind-based renewable energy credits—enough, they claim, to offset all of the company's electricity usage, including stores, facilities, bake houses, distribution centers, regional offices, and its Austin headquarters.

"Our commitment to the development of the green power market is just one part of our broader environmental stewardship approach, which we call our Green Mission," said Michael Besancon, regional president and "green mission task force leader" for Whole Foods Market. "We're proud to be recognized once again by EPA for our efforts to be part of the solution."

Photo by carabou on flickr