SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction............................................................................................................... 3 2030 Goals .............................................................................................................. 4 Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion ................................................................................ 5 Renewable Energy ................................................................................................. 6 Strategic Energy Management ........................................................................... 9 Rogue to Go ............................................................................................................10 Bicycle Benefits ......................................................................................................11 Food Waste & Recovery .......................................................................................12 Local Economy ........................................................................................................14 Community Leadership ........................................................................................16 Homegrown Values ...............................................................................................18 Member Owners .....................................................................................................19 Staff and Economic Data ...................................................................................... 20
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ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
STRONGER TOGETHER
50 Years: Looking Back, Looking Forward In our 50th year the Co-op continued a steady pace forward towards achieving our 2030 sustainability goals. This past year, 44% of Ashland Food Co-op’s electricity usage was generated from our solar arrays right here in Ashland! Our local farmers harness the sun’s power to grow their crops, and we use the same power to keep that produce fresh all the way to your hands. There are a multitude of ways to participate in zero waste practices, from using our upcycled produce bags to getting lunch in a Rogue To Go container. We continue to offer the only natural cork upcycling location in Ashland - after all, having a glass of wine from our many local vineyards is a truly sustainable choice! At the beginning of 2023, I transitioned out of my role, and am happy to welcome Chris Byrne as AFC’s new Sustainability Coordinator! Chris is a great advocate for sustainability in all forms and I am confident in his leadership towards a successful 2030 and beyond. It’s been a joy to be a part of AFC’s journey in sustainability. The realm of sustainability is often thought in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, waste stream metrics, or kilowatt hours. However, sustainability is truly a way of life that is based in community and powered by people. It takes a village of knowledgeable and dedicated staff, and thoughtful, progressive member-owners like you. Cheers to each one of you that transforms the vision of sustainability into a natural reality here at the Co-op!
Rianna Koppel Sustainability Coordinator ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
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Zero Waste
As a zero-waste facility, we will minimize waste intake and maximize beneficial reuse and diversion from landfill.
Carbon Neutrality
We will be carbon neutral, conserve energy, and 100% powered by renewable energy.
Eliminate Toxic Chemicals We will use no persistent chemicals.
Sustainable Relations
We will model sustainability, justice, and equity in all of our relationships with employees, vendors, community, and other co-ops. PAGE 4
ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee
In 2022 the EDI Committee decided the best way to make an impact on our community is through building relationships. The committee has had the privilege of meeting so many incredible members of our community and they have made a massive impact on our perspective and the work we do. Some of our goals for 2022 were to improve our communication with staff and find ways to be more transparent, especially when internal incidents arise. We want to emphasize diversifying representation
on the board, management and staff. Lived experience is invaluable and it helps build toward a culture of belonging and support. We hoped to offer more EDI Trainings to staff in 2022, but the pandemic delayed those efforts. Now that protocols have been relaxed, we hope to resume these training sessions. Moving forward, we hope to use the knowledge we have acquired from integral members of our community to continue to better AFC as both a workplace and an organization.
Everyone is welcome to shop at the Co-op and deserves to have access to organic, healthy, and affordable foods. The Ashland Food Co-op’s CAN program strives to support economically challenged Co-op owners by offering a discount to eligible families and individuals in need. CAN participants receive an everyday 10% discount throughout the store. The CAN program and other needs based eligibility provided over $93,000 of discounts to AFC shoppers in 2022!
ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
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Renewable Energy 2022 was the first full year of electricity generation by AFC’s 197kW PV solar array on the Oak Street Tank and Steel warehouse, which came online in April 2021 in celebration of Earth Day. This virtual net metering array produced 282,620 kWh in 2022. This installation is the largest single array in Southern Oregon, and when combined with a 12 kW solar array on our historic barn and a 39 kW array on our store roof, our total solar generation is over 248 kW, representing 44% of our electricity use! This entire project is made possible thanks to Ashland’s Climate and Energy Action Plan which implemented Virtual Net Metering in the Ashland Municipal Electric Utility district. Yet another reason to be grateful for this wonderful community in which we live! PAGE 6
What is Virtual Net Metering? Virtual Net Metering is a City of Ashland policy which enables energy produced at one electric meter to be credited to another meter within the Ashland Municipal Utility District. The policy creates new options for construction of community solar systems and off-site solar generation. The Virtual Net Metering policy increases access to solar for all.
44% of AFC’s 2022 Electricity was produced by our own solar arrays!
ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
We are looking for the next big rooftop or site to launch another array on our way to being a net positive producer of electricity!
Did you know? AFC is recognized as an EPA Green Power Partner and we purchase Renewable Energy Credits from Bonneville Environmental Foundation. Through our Greenhouse Gas Emissions calculations, we are offsetting 100% of our Scope 1 and market-based Scope 2 emissions as well as transportation associated with staff travel.
ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
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ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
2022 was AFC’s 4th year in Energy Trust of Oregon’s commercial Strategic Energy Management (SEM) program. This free program offers many benefits, including financial incentives and a part-time internship. The development of an annual Energy Policy has guided us in reducing our use of natural gas. AFC allocated money from SEM incentive funding to begin converting our natural gas equipment to electric, beginning with induction cooking! The gas burners in the staff break room were replaced with an induction cooktop. In 2023 AFC plans to continue this trend, funding the conversion of the Pioneer Demonstration Classroom to a full induction range to serve as a showcase to the community. In addition, the Prepared Foods Department is in the process of replacing the outdated gas burning stoves, ovens, tilt-skillets, and other equipment with induction equipment. Induction Cooking will have multiple benefits to the business, staff, and environment as it will reduce ambient temperatures (requiring less cooling energy to counterbalance it,) virtually eliminate indoor air emissions and pollution, and replace fossil fuel use with the sustainable energy we purchase and generate, continuing our journey to carbon neutrality!
ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
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It’s an easy way to reduce waste and show that there is a better way to do take out! Single use containers and utensils create unnecessary waste and environmental impact through their manufacture, use, and disposal.
Learn more at RogueToGo.com Rogue To Go was developed as a project within the City of Ashland’s Conservation and Climate Outreach Commission and funded by a grant from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Customers make a one-time purchase of a Rogue To Go container for $10. This reusable to-go container can be used at participating restaurants in Southern Oregon. Customers return clean containers to participating eateries, which are then exchanged for one washed in a commercial dishwasher before being reused. The containers are manufactured in Bend, Oregon, and upcycled at the end of their useful life. PAGE 10
Through 2022 these reusable containers have been exchanged over 9,500 times at AFC alone! Since 2020, combined with our durable plates and bowls for dining at the Co-op, over 22,000 single use containers have been diverted from the landfill, or 5% of all meals served at AFC. Nice! Join today and help us increase this number!
Rogue To Go 2022 at AFC
134
New RTG Members joined Rogue To Go at AFC in 2022
4,163
RTG Meals Served
Reusable Plates and Flatware reintroduced December 2022
ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
BENEFITS
AFC participates in the nationwide Bicycle Benefits program. Customers purchase a sticker for a one-time $5 fee and can present it for discounts around the valley and across the country when they ride their bike. Buy a sticker from the Info Desk, put it on your helmet, bike to the Co-op, and save 5% on each shop, which can be combined with any other discount.
Staff chose the
GREEN WAY
In 2022, 445 Co-op Owners participated in the program to reward them for reducing their carbon footprint. Bicycle Benefits was used 10,057 times for $21,368.92 worth of discounts!
to Work
2,315
times in 2021! What is Green Way to Work? GWTW is an AFC Staff program that encourages alternatives to single occupancy vehicle trips to work. Staff who ride their bike, take public transportation, carpool, walk, or any other qualifying journey are entered into a weekly raffle for a $10 AFC Gift
Card. Just one more perk working at the Co-op and another way we encourage our staff to lower their carbon footprint! Staff chose the Green Way to Work 2,315 times in 2022. That’s a 29% increase over the previous year. Way to Green Way to Work AFC Staff!
ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
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FOOD RECOVERY PROGRAM
At AFC we have a series of programs to both avoid food waste and divert it from the solid waste stream towards better uses. These programs follow the Food Waste Recovery Hierarchy. Source Reduction is inherent in any food service business. The less food that is wasted, the less money wasted as well. The same is true for your food budget at home! (To learn tips you can use to avoid wasting food in your home, take the ReThink Food Waste Challenge.) Next, AFC partners with Ashland Food Angels to help Feed Hungry People. The Food Angels collect approximately 28,000 pounds of food annually from AFC that would otherwise go to waste.
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Produce and Prepared Foods Departments’ trimmings and Juice Bar pulp are collected by Firebird Farms to Feed Animals on their farm located in the hills outside of Ashland. This accounts for over 100,000 gallons of feed that is diverted from landfill annually. Eggshells, used coffee grounds and brewed Yerba Maté are collected for Composting.
ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
>28,000 lbs of healthy, edible food diverted from landfill and given to those in need annually
Reducing food waste is the #1 personal action you can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while safeguarding critical natural resources. When food is wasted, it goes into a landfill, where it breaks down and emits greenhouse gasses, including carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). In terms of its climate effects, methane is 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
100,000 gallons
ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
pre-consumer food scraps diverted to farm animals annually
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Supporting Our Local Economy
Shopping at the Co-op helps community businesses and keeps more resources in our local economy. We offer a wide variety of local products from sprouts and peaches to soap and herbal tinctures. You can find local croissants, donuts, breads, and more in our Bakery department. Over 24% of all Bakery items are made locally. In 2022, we sold products from 130 local vendors. Look for the blue shelf tags to easily find Local products on every aisle!
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Total Sales from local products
$4,267,188.84 14% of total sales Local Vendors
130
ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
100 Miles
We source our local goods from within 100 miles of the store.
ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
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Community Leadership PAGE 16
ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
At the Co-op, we are all about our community. Our staff, our vendors, our shoppers, and the community organizations that enrich this region. One of the goals in our 2030 Vision is to model Sustainability, Justice, and Equity in all our relations. Our many employee benefit programs, AFC Gives, Change for Good, classes and demonstrations, focus on local vendors, and our many sustainability initiatives are all ways AFC strives to meet this goal.
Do you have questions about Induction Cooking or want to try it out? Want to know more about a topic like home composting or food waste prevention? Do you represent an organization that qualifies for one of our AFC Gives programs? Or maybe you have an idea for ways we can serve the community better? We are here to help!
ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
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HOME GROWN VALUES With passion, purpose, and a whole lot of love, we’re more than just a grocery store. From our humble beginnings in 1971 as a food-buying club to our current status as Southern Oregon’s first and only Certified Organic Retailer, over 12,000 members strong, the Ashland Food Co-op has been connecting our community to healthy, local food for 50 years and counting! . Our cooperative business model is at the core of all we do. Quite simply, we place people, principles, and the planet before profit—always. Our exceptionally high standards give customers confidence, knowing that we prioritize our relationships with local farmers and food producers first and fill our store with healthy products you can trust. PAGE 18
Total Sales
$31.2 M Sales from Owners
$23.7 M Total Patronage Dividend
$409,997 Average Patronage Dividend by Owner
$61.07
ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
2022 MEMBERS Members Joined in 2022
501
Total Members
12,711 We would like to extend a thank you to more than 7,957 owners who shopped with us last year. Did you know?
76% of sales come from owners
ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
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CO-OP STAFF # of Full Time Staff (27+ hours/week)
70%
OF STAFF participate in the employee retirement plan
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72%
OF STAFF earn livable wages
155 88%
OF STAFF eligible for healthcare
ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
GROWING THE CO-OP ECONOMY For the last decade, the Ashland Food Co-op’s growth has been approaching a plateau. Time and again we have risen to the challenge of using our space in the most efficient ways possible. We are proud to be a part of a strong cooperative movement in the Rogue Valley, and we are grateful for all of our Co-op Owners and shoppers. Annual Sales • 8 Year Snapshot in millions
50.4%
$30.0
$31.3
2015
2016
$29.9
$29.4
$30.0
$30.9
$30.7
$31.2
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
of total store sales come from organic products
Including more than:
$13.5M
ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
of USDA Organic Products PAGE 21
To our owners, board, staff and partners – thank you for making it a great year. We are indeed
STRONGER TOGETHER! 237 N. First Street Ashland, OR 97602 (541) 482-2237 • www.ashlandfood.coop
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ASHLAND FOOD CO-OP • SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022