Sustainable Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving proves to be a fantastic time of year to come together as a community and celebrate both family and friendship. However, Thanksgiving dinner can be a sustainable nightmare with the use of unsustainable products and massive amounts of food waste. With that in mind, there are many environmentally conscious brands that you can use for your Thanksgiving feast this year, who also happen to be sponsors and partners of the 11th Annual Wisconsin Sustainable Business Conference.
Our Sponsors
Our Partners
Organic Valley
This year, we are incredibly excited to be partnered with Organic Valley. Organic Valley is an independently owned cooperative of organic farmers headquartered in La Farge, Wisconsin. Organic Valley happens to be the largest farmer owned Organic cooperative in the United States, and completely dedicated to promoting sustainable agenda's. For Organic Valley, sustainability is the backbone of their operations. Organic Valley produces milk, eggs and everything in between without the use of GMO's or harmful pesticides. Organic Valley has made monumental steps towards reducing carbon emissions associated with agriculture. Organic Valley's Climate Smart-Farming (CSF) has the goal of achieving carbon-neutrality on their farming operations. The company is achieving this goal by installing new energy efficient appliances, renewable sources of energy, while changing the way manure is stored on farms. We would like to thank Organic Valley for their donations to this years Wisconsin Sustainable Business Conference.
Outpost Natural Foods
Outpost Natural Foods is a Milwaukee cooperative of over 20,000 owners dedicated to the creation of sustainable foods, and promotion of local economies. In addition, Outpost is a committed board member on the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council. Outpost focuses on supplying organic, local, fair trade, and GMO-free products to the greater Milwaukee area. The company is currently in the process of eliminating economic dependence on fossil fuels, while also promoting fair wages, sufficient benefits, and quality work conditions. Furthermore, Outpost is dedicated to limiting food waste, and largely promotes the use of composting. Every day, food scraps from their kitchen, produce departments, and café’s are stored in massive outdoor containers and composted. This process limits the amount of waste going to landfills, while also limiting green house gas emissions associated with landfill gases. After you’re Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, check out Outpost’s composting page too see what you can do to limit food waste.
The day after Thanksgiving proves to be the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States. Millions of holiday shoppers will take to the streets to find that perfect Christmas present that also happens to be on sale. This Black Friday, instead of waiting in line for stores that do not prioritize sustainability, take your business to a company that values social change.
Lands End
This Black Friday, head on over to Land’s End for all your sustainable clothing needs. Land’s End, a dedicate board member of the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council, looks to create high quality clothing, while reducing environmental degradation. In 2012, Land’s End partnered with the National Forest Foundation to introduce massive seed plantings in U.S. Forests. Since the beginning of this partnership, Land’s End has planted over 1.4 million trees in U.S. Forests while working to offset the debilitating effects of climate change. In addition, Land’s End is dedicated to keeping Wisconsin lakes free from pollution, and in 2010, Land’s End joined The Clean Lakes Alliance. This non-profit based in Madison looks to limit the effect that invasive species have on the surrounding eco-system, while eliminating pollution. To learn more about their dedication to creating a sustainable future in business, visit Land’s End’s sustainability page. Make sure to stop by your nearest land's end to enjoy up to 40% off on select items this Friday.
All of these companies are innovating their business practices and attempting to change consumer habits. They show that business and sustainability go hand in hand, and prove to be the future of our consumer based economy. We would like to thank all of our sponsors and partners for their support and dedication to making sustainability a priority. We would like to wish you all a very happy (Sustainable) Thanksgiving!
