What are you doing to celebrate Earth Day?

One Earth Day tradition at Harmons is to cut out the use of plastic bags for the day. Today all stores will offer only paper or reusable bags instead of plastic. Harmons City Creek and Emigration Market already do this on a daily basis. At other stores, our great customers continue to have a tremendous impact on decreasing the use of disposable bags by consistently bringing in reusable bags. Thank  you!

Have you noticed the waste diversion chart in your favorite Harmons store? Look for a chart posted in your store that shows how that location is doing with diverting waste from the landfill through programs like commingle recycling and composting.

Cindy, Green Team Member

When I was asked to write this blog on sustainability I asked myself, “What does that really mean?” As I told you before I’ve always believed that reducing, reusing and recycling is the responsibility of us all in our daily lives, however, there is much more to it than that. Webster’s definition is: “The quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources and thereby supporting long term ecological balance.” In 1958 President Theodore Roosevelt said, “I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use our natural resources, but I do not recognize the right to waste them or rob by wasteful use, the generations that come after us.” In the 70’s the term sustainability began to be used to support this ideal. There must be equilibrium and limits in our growth in order to preserve those places on Earth that are vital in sustaining life on the planet such as wetlands, forests, prairies and oceans. As the non-profit organization BSB says, “Nature can survive without Humans but Humans cannot survive without Nature.”

So that being said, what can we do? It might seem that something that affects the entire world is much too broad for any one of us to do anything about. Think of this, if you were to receive just one penny from every person on the planet you would have 70 Million dollars! Now that makes your penny seem to be worth something! So if each of us can just think twice before we add something to the landfill that could be recycled, or over-water our lawn, or drive as little as possible, we are adding our penny to the pot. The idea of sustainability has been around for many years and we are finally as a society recognizing that we can and must do something in order to preserve the beauty and life giving resources we take for granted every day. Businesses like Harmons who practice what they preach and are willing to implement workable ideals throughout their company are a huge step on the path to sustaining. I will talk about ways that Harmons is doing this in future blogs. If the employees can take the message of simply recycling home to their families we have given them a valuable and long term gift! I realize now why this concept is so much a part of who I am because of the information that has been pumped into my head throughout my life. I think we lose sight of the ideal through the materialism we have all around us, so take a minute to appreciate the magnificent mountains all around us or the beauty of the sunset when you’re not on vacation or the zucchini your neighbor left on your doorstep! Pitch in your penny to ensure that the beauty of the simple things will be there for generations to come.

Cindy, Green Team Member

Hi, my name is Cindy. I am in my 9th year of service with Harmons and I have spent all of that time at the Floral Design and Distribution Center. In that time I have seen a lot of changes and growth here. I have learned so much and now have the privilege of purchasing the beautiful flowers you see at Harmons.

When I first started I noticed that the Distribution Center was not even recycling the cardboard like the stores did. This bothered me because of my personal belief that we all need to do our part to reduce, reuse and recycle! Thirty years ago when I moved out on my own I started to recycle, this was back when it was not cool to do so! I would have to save it up and take it to BFI just off 3300 South and 900, ironically called Rocky Mountain Recycling now and where some of the recyclables from Harmons are sent. The employees there would look at me as if I was crazy and tell me that I really didn’t have enough to get money for it, I would have to explain on each of my monthly trips that I just wanted the material to be recycled and did not expect to get paid for it. I can’t begin to tell you how happy it makes me that we have come so far as to have a bin right at our homes (most of us anyway) where we can separate our trash and have recycling ability at our fingertips!

I am proud to be a part of Harmons’ efforts to do their part towards reducing our carbon footprint. I am a mother of two and have four wonderful grandchildren. I am in hopes that through education and the efforts of us all we can create a better world for my loved ones and yours for now and many generations to come. You can call me a “hippie”; I make tye-dyed clothes for fun, listen to the Grateful Dead, and have been trying to save the world one plastic bottle at a time, but the mission of sustainability that Harmons is committed to goes far beyond saving the whales! Please join me in learning ways that we can all make a difference and what the Associates at Harmons are doing to have a positive impact.

Carrie, Green Team Member

This will be my last regular post in the Sustainability category because I will switch to another topic I am equally as passionate about. You’ll meet the new person in a couple weeks, and I assure you that this person is very committed to sustainable practices both at Harmons and at home. I want to leave you with something fun today and challenge you to beat these efforts . . .

When talking about the three R’s, we seem to focus on the recycle piece most of the time instead of the first or second words. We have a few ladies in our community who have found creative ways to reuse grocery bags and are great examples of the second R – Reuse.

We don’t know who the first two ladies are, but their sense of style and colorful approach to festive outfits is very impressive. These photos were sent to us by our friend Continue Reading »

Carrie, Green Team Member

A big thank you to all of the customers who participated in the recent E-scrap collection event. Harmons partnered with Sims Metal Management, Swift Transportation and Special Olympics Utah to offer electronic and scrap metal recycling opportunities to residents at Harmons locations from Roy to St. George. More than 70 volunteers gave of their time and energy to help collect and transport everything dropped off during the one day event. Through great community support and awareness, 58,392 pounds (or 29.2 tons) of electronic waste and scrap metal was diverted from the landfill. Most items were free to drop off with a charge for only old tube TVs and CRT monitors. The proceeds from the event were donated to Special Olympics Utah and Harmons customers helped to raise $6,775.

Thank you to all who participated or volunteered for making this a successful recycling and diversion event. Thank you also to our recycling partners, like the Recycling Coalition of Utah and Momentum Recycling, for helping to get the word out. Continue Reading »

This Saturday, May 14th, Harmons will be hosting an electronic recycling event at 6 store locations. This is your chance to get rid of all your old and unwanted electronics and help our friends at Special Olympics Utah at the same time.

We are partnering with Sims Metal and Swift Transportation to offer community residents an opportunity to responsibly dispose of electronics and metals. A wide range of items will be accepted including: stereos, computers, cell phones, microwaves, metal shelving and more. The event is free for all items except old tube TV’s and CRT computer monitors. A voucher, purchased in advance for $10 from any Harmons Business Center, is required for the two exception items. (Vouchers will be $15 the day of event.)

All proceeds from the event will go to Special Olympics Utah. Volunteers from Special Olympics Utah will also be assisting with the collection. If you would like to join in on the volunteer efforts sign up at http://sout.vsyshost.com/.

The collection event will be held this Saturday, May 14th from 9am to 2pm at the following Harmons locations: Brickyard, Draper, Cougar, Orem, Roy and St. George.

Carrie, Green Team Member

You are probably hearing a lot of things about Earth Day all over the news today. Most local businesses, including Harmons, are celebrating this day with a number of activities and events. In our stores today we will be using only paper or reusable bags and when you use your reusable bag you can be entered to win a Go Green Picnic bag valued at more than $50. Instead of giving you more sustainability information (because I have 18 more chances to do that this year), I would like to announce a fun new contest we are starting today.

I’ve been involved with our Harmons Go Green bags since I placed our first order in the fall of 2007. Did you know we completely sold out of our first order of 20,000 bags in fewer than 4 days?! I personally think these bags are awesome and I love when I see them around town for other uses than just grocery shopping. You, our shoppers, do an amazing job of bringing back those bags and we have been able to decrease our disposable bag use by more than 10% each year since we started.

We are now giving you the opportunity to show off you, your family, and your Harmons Go Green bag. Send us a picture of you and your Harmons Go Green bag, any color or size, and we’ll post it on our web site. At the end of each quarter we will pick a few winners to receive Harmons Gift Cards. Check out our “Where has Harmons Go Green gone?” contest page to view the details and to submit your photo. We’re excited to see all the fun places your bag visits.

Stay posted for more information about an eWaste recycling event being held in May. Happy Earth Day!

Carrie, Green Team Member

There are a lot of fun things for kids to look forward to during this time of the year. The weather is getting nicer, more playtime outside, for some the school year is nearing an end, and then there is this cool holiday that pops up. What is more fun than spending a day with friends and family, running around looking for bright colorful eggs, and (my personal favorite) lots of chocolate and candy. There are many ways you can have a greener Easter and get the kids involved in creating their own fun.

Having the right basket is essential for a kid to have a successful egg hunt. Instead of buying a plastic basket, use a basket you already have in your home and decorate it with ribbons and bows to make it personal for the child. In place of the plastic grass try shredded newspaper or magazines. To be the really cool kid at the party, make a bed of real grass or wheat grass. Growing your own wheat berry basket also doubles as fun teachable project. Continue Reading »

Carrie, Green Team Member

No one knows all the answers or the always the best way to do things. In almost every successful business or life event, it takes a combination of many minds to reach the best solutions. Especially when trying to develop and implement new programs, the ideas, input, and feedback from a variety of positions is imperative. Over the past few years we have started a number of sustainability programs that have stemmed from the collaboration of passionate people making up our Green Team. While the team has thought up some great programs and initiatives, we have also relied on the assistance from our vendor partners, successes and failures of similar programs, ongoing research and the perspective of those outside our industry.

One way we work to increase our knowledge and awareness has been by attending conferences and meetings focused on sustainability education. While we have attended national conferences geared specifically towards the grocery and food industry, there is a wealth of resources right here in Utah that has proven to be very beneficial. A particularly helpful aid for us has been our membership in the Recycling Coalition of Utah. Through our involvement with meetings and activities we have had the opportunity to learn from, and work with, people covering a wide spectrum of interests. From government entities and community organizations to manufacturers and service providers, we have been able to establish relationships and connections with many passionate and knowledgeable people. The more we can learn from these great resources the better we can become at realizing our sustainability goals. Continue Reading »

Carrie, Green Team Member

Since I’m in St. George for our Special Olympics Utah charity golf tournament, I thought it would be a good time to mention the sustainability efforts going on at the store here. Because of distance, availability, timing, and various other factors, it can sometimes seem like the St. George store is in its own world in this part of the state. One thing we are excited about, that now has them on the same page as the other 12 stores, is the addition of commingled recycling inside the store. The store has been recycling their cardboard for years, but until recently commingle recycling service wasn’t available.

The Harmons St. George parking lot has been home to Washington County recycling program “Binnies” since December 2008. At the time the bins were placed, it became the quickest site to fill up since the program started. While the binnies are there to serve the needs of the community and neighborhood residents, recycling of materials other than cardboard within the store had been difficult. Within the past few weeks the St. George store has received dedicated commingle recycling containers and is now able to recycle and divert more waste. I spoke with the Green Team coordinator and she expressed how excited they are to finally have the ability to recycle more material. She is pleased with the progress the store is making so far and has noticed a strong team effort to get everyone on board. They understand recycling is about awareness and knowledge and they are excited to continue to learn and improve.

As we continue to move forward in our sustainability efforts, it was important to finally have the commingle recycling program and service at every store. We are happy that the St. George store is able to divert more of their waste and look forward to adding more services like composting.