Green America: Green Business Interview: Wedge Worldwide

November 2009 —

From Bricks-and-Mortar
to Click-and-Order
Wedge Worldwide, Minneapolis, MN

This month, we profile one of our Green Business Network members that has made the successful jump from being a small, respected, local green business, to making a go of it in the era of the Internet.

The Wedge Community Co-op started as a local, cooperative grocery store in 1974, as the first certified organic store in Minnesota. Over the years, as the co-op expanded, so did its customer base and its range of products, until finally the brick-and-mortar shop ran out of space. From that limitation was born the solution of an online store, which has grown into a major national source for Fair Trade products – tea and coffee, dinnerware, table linens, housewares, and more.

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Green America: What does your business do, and what is your most popular product?

Jessie Jacobson: Wedge Worldwide is an online retail storefront that carries an array of earth-friendly products available for purchase to our expanding customer base. Our aim is to empower our shoppers so they are able to make lifestyle choices that support their well-being, their health and the health of our planet.

Wedge Worldwide is a branch of our member-owned brick and mortar store: the Wedge Co-op, a natural food store in Minneapolis. It is one of the largest co-op grocers in the nation. Our Wedge Worldwide Web site and physical store are available to all shoppers; you do not need to be a co-op member in order to buy from us.

The products we offer reflect our buying-philosophy and our dedication to: eco-friendly and natural products, organics, Fair Trade, social responsibility, locally made products, and recycling.

The easy-to-navigate icons that we feature on our product pages describe our buying-philosophy and reflect our values. They are our way to guide you through Wedge Worldwide, to experience every product.

Each icon helps you determine the values that coincide with each product. It communicates the research that we have done for our customers, to ensure that they easily find products that match their values. Customers' needs determine the kinds of products we carry and the direction our business will take. Wedge Worldwide has been a member of Green America since our inception.

What makes your business green?

Jessie: We are rooted in our founding values while addressing emerging developments such as fair trade, local purchasing and a variety of sustainability questions.

Community members opened the Wedge Co-op in November of 1974. It was the first certified organic store in Minnesota. Over the last three decades, the Wedge Co-op has been an advocate for organics, fair trade and consumer health issues, and has promoted education about food and environmental responsibility. A percentage of the Wedge Co-op's profits is regularly donated to worthy causes through the WedgeShare Program. Further, we have undertaken our own Fair Trade Program.

Is there a story behind the name of your business?

Jessie: The name for Wedge Worldwide came from a contest at the Wedge Co-op. Employees submitted their ideas for the new online business's name.

What have been some of the biggest challenges of maintaining high standards of social and environmental responsibility?

Jessie: The biggest wall is to be a small company in an ever-growing market, rising above the noisy landscape and making yourself known. Another challenge is to ensure that our customers know what are commitments/values are and establishing validity in a market where customers can be skeptical of a company's motives (ie. green washing).

Has your vision for your business changed since you began?

Jessie: Our vision of Wedge Worldwide started as an expansion of the brick and mortar co-op. We wanted to expand our general merchandise availability, but have limited space within the actual walls of the co-op. We wanted more products to be available to our members for a longer period of time. The inventory turn around in store is so fast that it is hard to maintain a consistent product line, while meeting the needs of the many types of shoppers that we have coming through the store everyday. The website was intended for the Wedge Co-op shoppers, but it has moved into more of national resource than just a local resource. The majority of our shoppers do not even live in Minnesota or know much of anything about our history as a co-op.

What advice would you give to other green entrepreneurs just starting out?

Jessie: Believe in what you do and work hard to get where you want to be. It will be conveyed through your products and in your business. Running a business is not simple, but there are many rewards. The rewards may be small things. Take the time to notice each one of them, because they are what make the time and effort worth it.

What one green product could you not live without?

Jessie: I absolutely love Evan Healy's facial care products, particularly the Blue Chamomile Day Moisturizer.

Interview posted from www.greenamericatoday.org

The Dispute of SIGG Water Bottles

There is much commotion in the online community regarding the quality and properties of SIGG water bottles. The main conversation is (and has been for quite some time) around the manufacture of their bottles and how they are lined.

The company has been repeatedly asked the same questions: What exactly is the liner inside your water bottles? How is it produced? Consumers and retailers alike received the same answers regarding the actual process being a trade secret that they were not able to share. Without getting a real answer, people continued to ask because they were not satisfied with the round about answer given to them.

In the mean time, SIGG has been working to produce and manufacture a new type of liner. At this point and time, all of the SIGG water bottles featured on Wedge Worldwide are made with their latest technology. The liner of the water bottles is their "next generation 'EcoCare' liner," which is "100% free of BPA, phthalates, BADGE, BFDGE, and NOGE." (quoted from the letter below from the SIGG CEO, Steve Wasik).

Here is a recent letter from the CEO of SIGG, Steve Wasik with their most recent public statement:
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CEO Letters about our liners
20.08.2009

Dear SIGG Customer,

(STAMFORD CT) – Within the scientific community, the safety of the packaging ingredient bisphenol A (BPA) remains the subject of considerable debate and controversy as evidenced by the FDA meetings on the topic this month. For decades, BPA has been the industry standard for protective coatings – approved by food and health regulators around the world. One year ago, Andrew von Eschenbach, the Commissioner of the FDA, announced that, “The science we have reviewed does not justify recommending that anyone discontinue using products containing BPA.” At that time, SIGG Switzerland, the world leader in premium reusable bottles, had already made the transition into bottles that are BPA free. Within the reusable bottle water category, polycarbonate plastic bottles (#7) came under scrutiny in early 2008 because they were found to leach BPA. As a result, many consumers turned to metal bottles (aluminum and stainless steel) because these bottles had no issues with BPA migration. Prior to its transition, SIGG utilized a water‐based epoxy liner which contained a trace amount of BPA. The bottles were thoroughly and regularly tested in both the USA and Switzerland and all tests revealed absolutely no migration or leaching of BPA or any other substance from the protective inner liner. These tests have been public information on the SIGG website for several years and remain there today. Despite the fact that these bottles were manufactured well within strict international regulations and posed no health risk, my team and I initiated a project in June 2006 to develop a new liner which would be both BPA free and produced in a more environmentally friendly manner. We recognized early that there were questions surrounding BPA and we wanted to be sure that we had a bottle liner that you, our customers, could have absolute confidence in. After two years of comprehensive testing and development and a one million dollar investment in new equipment for our Swiss factory, SIGG began producing bottles with our new, next generation “EcoCare” liner in August 2008. Providing the same quality and protection afforded by the previous liner, this new powder‐based, co‐polyester coating has been thoroughly tested and is certified to be 100% free of BPA, phthalates, BADGE, BFDGE, and NOGE. It is also environmentally friendly as its application generates virtually no waste and utilizes no organic solvents or VOCs. Our new bottle liner is not only a technological advance; it’s a major step forward in SIGG’s journey towards sustainability.

To be clear, all SIGG bottles made since August 2008 contain our new BPA free EcoCare liner. SIGG bottles manufactured prior to August 2008 have the former water‐based epoxy liner which contains trace amounts of BPA. These bottles have been thoroughly tested and showed 0% leaching of BPA. It is easy to determine which liner you have, as they are of 2 distinctly different colors FAQ's. Visit www.MySIGG.com/liner for more information.

The primary reason that I am writing this letter today is because I believe that the BPA conversation has changed dramatically in the last 12 months. Last year, the primary concern was that of BPA leaching from bottles. Since that time the dialogue has evolved such that now some people are concerned about the mere presence of BPA and some states are considering legislation.
I am proud to say that SIGG took action quickly back in 2006 to begin the development of a high performance bottle liner that is BPA free. In addition, we have developed a special section on our website that we will be updating regularly where you can find independent laboratory testing on SIGG and other bottle brands as well as an update on the BPA situation as it continues to develop (www.MySIGG.com/bulletin). We want our current and potential customers to have the facts. SIGG is a Swiss company that has earned a reputation for quality over the last 100 years. Our success has been a result of ensuring that SIGG customers are always and completely satisfied with our products and our service. If you have further questions or comments please feel free to email me directly at steve.wasik.ceo(at)sigg.com

Sincerely,
Steve

Steve Wasik
CEO, SIGG Switzerland
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It seems that this letter has been sent out to all of their retailers and posted on their website. The above copy was taken directly from their website.

I wanted to post this information to ensure that our shoppers and readers are given the most up-to-date information around this important topic.

written by Jessie

Like Fine Winesby Melissa Farris

The word “aromatherapy” was originally coined by the French chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé in 1920. In an unforeseen laboratory accident, Gattefossé set his arm on fire and immediately thrust it into the nearest vat of cold liquid, which happened to be lavender oil. Instantly, he felt soothing pain relief and watched as the burn continued to heal quickly, with no inflammation or scarring. The profound healing benefits led him to a lifetime of research in a field that he termed “aromatherapy.”

As a clinical herbalist and aromatherapist, I have seen the profound healing effects of essential oils in my 15 years of practice. Therapeutic-grade essential oils can work to heal common ailments where other medications fail. Essential oil blends can be used to treat many conditions, without the side effects that synthetic chemicals may cause. They work quickly and effectively to soothe pain and inflammation.

A pocket-sized first aid kit
Lavender oil is considered to be the panacea of aromatherapy. Because it is used for so many different kinds of ailments, it makes a perfect pocket-sized first aid kit. Pure, therapeutic-grade, organic lavender oil can be used to treat burns, sunburns, cuts, scrapes, insect bites and acne, amongst many other applications. It provides fast, soothing relief upon contact. And lavender’s sweet smell is only a secondary benefit! So, the next time you burn yourself on the stove, get bitten by a nasty bug, or accidentally cut yourself, consider using lavender to heal your wound.

The Latin root of “lavender,” lavare, means “to clean” or “wash oneself”. Historically used to fight the plague and other pestilence, this powerful essential oil is also gentle enough to be applied “neat”, or undiluted, directly on the skin. Keeping a bottle of lavender in your home pharmacy, car or workplace is a must.

There are dozens of essential oils that can be used for many treatments as well as lavender. Some favorites of mine are Peppermint for nausea, headaches and mental clarity; Helichrysum italicum for bruising, swelling, sprains and strains (a great post-workout treatment); Roman chamomile for its anti-spasmotic action: Blue Chamomile for its anti-inflamitory effects: and Tea Tree for its strong anti-microbial effects on pimples, athlete’s foot and dandruff.

The importance of organic
Plants make essential oils to protect themselves from pests, bacteria and environmental stress. By carefully distilling plants such as lavender (it takes about one ton of lavender plants to produce only four liters of essential oil!), we can use their healing oils for our own ailments. But if you spray a plant like lavender with pesticides and herbicides, the lavender will not produce its own natural healing chemicals, because the pesticides are doing that job for the plant.

It is also common to find adulterated essential oils in the market place. Adulterated or synthetic oils can cause short –term side effects such as rashes, buring or other irriations.

When an essential oils is labeled organic, this certification ensures that the plants were farmed, harvested, distilled and distributed accourding to organic methods.

So it is very important that we choose organic essential oils when we are using them for their therapeutic qualities. I suggest reputable health-food stores and cooperatives. Ask the folks who work there if the essential oils they offer are certified organic, and if the essential oil company sources their oils directly from the distilleries where they were made. You will find that essential oils are like fine wines. It may take a while for your nose to recognize a great lavender or roman chamomile. But have patience, because learning to care for yourself with natural healing and beauty products is a self-empowering gift. And most importantly, have fun!

Melissa Farris is the owner of and formulator for Veriditas Botanicals, LLC in Minneapolis, MN. Melissa has been an international educator and working closely with cooperative and indepentant distillers for over a decade. Veriditas imports therapeutic-grade, organic essential oils directly from sustainable producers worldwide.
Check out Melissa Farris's essential oils currently available on Wedge Worldwide!

Father's Day is Coming!

Here are some last minute Father's Day gifts:

1. EarthLust Stainless Steel Water Bottles: The founder of EarthLust was inspired to start the company when her baby was first born. Protecting his health, as well as the environment became a top priority. They love their stainless steel water bottles because they know that the water is safe...

2. Low-Top Sneakers: The Fair Trade Vegan Ethletic Low-Top Sneaker is a classic with a slight twist. They are made with 100% Fair Trade-certified organic cotton canvas upper and tough rubber...

3. Hemp & Organic Cotton Urban Messenger & Laptop Bag: This extra large sized messenger bag is a great choice for busy eco-conscious executives or students. It is also an ideal weekend travel bag. It features numerous pockets and sectioned compartments, a key clip holder, an adjustable...

4. Weleda After Shave Balm: The Weleda After Shave Balm soothes and calms the skin after wet or dry shaving. Extracts of organic Chamomile and Myrrh gently calm the skin, while organic Jojoba Oil...

5. Equal Exchange Organic Spicy Hot Cocoa: This is Equal Exchange's deliciously spicy twist on hot cocoa that combines cocoa with cinnamon and cayenne pepper for cocoa with a kick! For centuries people have been mixing chocolate and spices...

6. Peace Coffee Organic Guatemalan Dark: Peace Coffee Guatemalan Dark is well-rounded and complete. Layers of deep solidarity from a dark roasted chocolaty place. A fast favorite all around. Organic and fair trade...

How to use your worm composter

Vermicomposting (composting with worms) is an environmentally friendly way to use your food waste. You can use it to enrich your garden for healthy, delicious food for you and your household.

Here is an overview of how it all works:

1. Set up your composter. Add damp coconut coir to soil/compost, food scraps, and bedding. The bedding should be damp, not necessarily wet. Smaller pieces of food scraps are easier for worms to consume.
2. Make sure to allow the worms some room to move. If you are using a composter like the Gusanito Brand Worm Farm Composter (pictured here), make sure that the top of the bedding reaches the bottom of the next tray. This will ensure that the worms can move upward in search of food when they are ready for it. They will continually consume the food available to them, each time improving the worm castings they create.
   
3. Worms will migrate in search of more food (or to the safest environment), so they will move once they have completely consumed the food available to them. If it seems that your worms are trying to escape, you should combine some of the castings with more delicious scraps, soil, and coconut coir because your worms are searching for more food.
   
4. You can use a Compost Pail in your kitchen to contain your food scraps until your worms are ready for more food. Many compost pails use charcoal filters to eliminate odors from the scraps.
5. Harvest the worm casting as needed. Also clean the base of the composter occasionally, emptying out the worm tea. To use the worm tea for plant watering, steep a cup of it in a gallon of water overnight and be sure to use it within 12 hours.

Bedding that worms like:

• sawdust
• paper
• cardboard
• leaves
  

Food that worms love:

• fruit scraps
• vegetable scraps
• peels and cores
  
• grains
• egg shells

This is a brief overview of how to use a worm composter. Consider calling with questions or consulting other sources for the best results in your composting experience. The main source of information for this posting summarizes information from the Gusanito Worm Composter Instruction Manual that each customer receives with their purchase of a composter.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is right around the corner. Here are some last minute gift ideas:

1. Recycled Glass Filigree Twigs Hummingbird Feeder:
Hummingbirds perch in silhouette on this cylindrical hummingbird feeder. The Recycled Glass Filigree Twigs is a non-acid etched hummingbird feeder. It features an attached glass loop and a dripless basin-style gondola...

2. Suki Nourishing Mini Skin Care Kit: This complete skin starter set has everything you need to try 8 of Suki's 100% natural, holistic skin care products or give as a sensual, healthful gift! This mini kit is an antioxidant blend...


3. EarthLust Stainless Steel Water Bottles: The founder of EarthLust was inspired to start the company when her baby was first born. Protecting his health, as well as the environment became a top priority. They love their stainless steel water bottles because they know that the water is safe...

4. Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History Ring: This ring is engraved with the fun statement, "well behaved women rarely make history." Made from .925 sterling silver. The vendor that Wedge Worldwide purchases these products from aspires to create inspiring jewelry, which is rich with culture and craft, while using conscientious business practices and Fair Trade principles...

5. Weleda Lavender Relaxing Body Oil: Calming and harmonizing skin care. The Weleda Lavender Relaxing Body Oil soothes the senses and the skin, and helps unwind tension. Extracts of transitional organic Lavender...

6. Canary Poppies Organic O.N.E. Reusable Bag: Made from 100 percent organic cotton, the Canary Poppies O.N.E. Reusable Bag breathes new life into reusable shopping and tote bags. Influenced by the natural landscapes of the Mediterranean and exotic cultures, these luscious prints make a splash- capturing the essence of simplicity, beauty and sophistication...

Wedge Worldwide's products will show your mom your commitment to the support of her well-being, her health and the health of our planet.

Congress and Monsanto Trying to Kill Organics? Don't Believe the Hype.

Have you been getting hysterical emails like this one?
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House and Senate bills to stop all organic farms!
(FAST track bills in 2 weeks)

Food Safety Modernization Act (HR 875):
Criminalization of Organic Farms

Bills are:
House H.R. 875
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-875
Senate S 425
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-425

There is an enormous rush to get this into law within the next 2 weeks before people realize what is happening.

Main backer and lobbyist is (guess who) Monsanto

This Bill will require organic farms to use specific fertilizers and poisonous insect sprays dictated by the newly formed agency to "make sure there is no danger to the public food supply".

If this passes then NO more heirloom clean seeds will be allowed, only Monsanto genetically altered seeds that are now causing unexpected diseases in humans.

Here is a short video on the subject:
http://www.voteronpaul.com/newsDetail.php?Food-Safety-Modernization-Act-HR-875-Criminalization-of-Organic-Farms-222
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The Wedge is getting a lot of questions about this legislation, and while HR 875 is not a great bill, it's not an evil bill as described above. Please don't believe the fear-hype and help us spread the word, ok?
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Here's the breakdown from Food & Water Watch, which has a great record of activism on behalf of organic food and farming:

Background on H.R. 875
Food & Water Watch
3/12/09

The dilemma of how to regulate food safety in a way that prevents problems caused by industrialized agriculture but doesn’t wipe out small diversified farms is not new and is not easily solved. And as almost constant food safety problems reveals the dirty truth about the way much of our food is produced, processed, and distributed, it’s a dilemma we need to have serious discussion about.

Most consumers never thought they had to worry about peanut butter and this latest food safety scandal has captured public attention for good reason – a CEO who knowingly shipped contaminated food, a plant with holes in the roof and serious pest problems, and years of state and federal regulators failing to intervene.

It’s no surprise that Congress is under pressure to act and multiple food safety bills have been introduced.

Two of the bills are about traceability for food (S.425 and H.R. 814). These present real issues for small producers who could be forced to bear the cost of expensive tracking technology and recordkeeping.

The other bills address what FDA can do to regulate food.

A lot of attention has been focused on a bill introduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (H.R. 875), the Food Safety Modernization Act. And a lot of what is being said about the bill is misleading.

Here are a few things that H.R. 875 DOES do:

- It addresses the most critical flaw in the structure of FDA by splitting it into 2 new agencies –one devoted to food safety and the other devoted to drugs and medical devices.
- It increases inspection of food processing plants, basing the frequency of inspection on the risk of the product being produced – but it does NOT make plants pay any registration fees or user fees.
- It does extend food safety agency authority to food production on farms, requiring farms to write a food safety plan and consider the critical points on that farm where food safety problems are likely to occur.
- It requires imported food to meet the same standards as food produced in the U.S.

And just as importantly, here are a few things that H.R. 875 does NOT do:

- It does not cover foods regulated by the USDA (beef, pork, poultry, lamb, catfish.)
- It does not establish a mandatory animal identification system.
- It does not regulate backyard gardens.
- It does not regulate seed.
- It does not call for new regulations for farmers markets or direct marketing arrangements.
- It does not apply to food that does not enter interstate commerce (food that is sold across state lines).
- It does not mandate any specific type of traceability for FDA-regulated foods (the bill does instruct a new food safety agency to improve traceability of foods, but specifically says that recordkeeping can be done electronically or on paper.)

Several of the things not found in the DeLauro can be found in other bills – like H.R. 814, the Tracing and Recalling Agricultural Contamination Everywhere Act, which calls for a mandatory animal identification system, or H.R. 759, the Food And Drug Administration Globalization Act, which overhauls the entire structure of FDA. H.R. 759 is more likely to move through Congress than H.R. 875. And H.R. 759 contains several provisions that could cause problems for small farms and food processors:

- It extends traceability recordkeeping requirements that currently apply only to food processors to farms and restaurants – and requires that recordkeeping be done electronically.
- It calls for standard lot numbers to be used in food production.
- It requires food processing plants to pay a registration fee to FDA to fund the agency’s inspection efforts.
- It instructs FDA to establish production standards for fruits and vegetables and to establish Good Agricultural Practices for produce.

There is plenty of evidence that one-size-fits-all regulation only tends to work for one size of agriculture – the largest industrialized operations. That’s why it is important to let members of Congress know how food safety proposals will impact the conservation, organic, and sustainable practices that make diversified, organic, and direct market producers different from agribusiness. And the work doesn’t stop there – if Congress passes any of these bills, the FDA will have to develop rules and regulations to implement the law, a process that we can’t afford to ignore.

But simply shooting down any attempt to fix our broken food safety system is not an approach that works for consumers, who are faced with a food supply that is putting them at risk and regulators who lack the authority to do much about it.

You can read the full text of any of these bills at http://thomas.loc.gov
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This has been the Wedge's stance on these types of farming reform bills: One-size fits all legislation ignores small farms and it would be GREAT if congress started wording their bills more carefully. Delauro has actually been a decent ally in the past -- but her language here reflects the complexity of the food safety issue without reflecting the complexity of modern farming. We trust that will be addressed as the bill moves through committee.

That said, if you would like to weigh in on behalf of small farmers, the Organic Consumers Association has a good template for doing so:

http://capwiz.com/grassrootsnetroots/issues/alert/?alertid=12878056