In May 2012, Whole Planet Foundation and BlueAvocado joined forces to launch a “Make Change, Not Waste” mobile iPhone application that rewards Whole Foods Market shoppers with coupons for green lifestyle actions, while raising awareness and funds for poverty alleviation. The app, available to download for free in the iTunes app store, provides shoppers with badges and coupons from a catalog of more than 50 green lifestyle and pro-poor behaviors including recycling, using a reusable bag, biking to work and reading books about development and microfinance, like Banker to the Poor. 
Since today is the first day of Earth Month, we are excited to celebrate the re-launch of the app with some new partners and coupons! After completing 10 green actions, you can unlock one Whole Foods Market coupon from leading green brands Allegro Coffee Company, Alexia Foods, BlueAvocado, Garden of Life, IZZE, Naked Juice, Stonyfield and TruRoots. You can also donate a percentage of the coupon value back to Whole Planet Foundation to give opportunity around the globe. We’re excited to partner wtih Whole Foods Market suppliers to help shoppers find easy ways to protect the planet, track their green choices and fund poverty alleviation projects around the world.
Our eight supplier partners are doing so much to reduce their carbon footprint, and we want highlight some of their great work.
Since 2004, Allegro Coffee Company has worked with Renewable Choice to make their Thornton, Colorado headquarters a 100% wind-powered facility, purchasing enough clean, sustainable wind energy to supply the energy use of their entire building—including our roasting facility, warehouse and corporate offices. Additionally, Allegro participates in Trees, Water & People’s 100% Replanted program where they replant five trees for every tree’s worth of paper they use and install fuel-efficient stoves in their coffee communities in Central America—reducing the demand for fuel wood and removing dangerous toxins from their homes. Learn more about how Allegro is making a difference.
BlueAvocado is a reusable lifestyle company that has been tracking its own eco-impact annually. In 2011 alone, BlueAvocado helped avoid 46 million disposables, upcycled more than 805,000 plastic bottles and helped to fund more than 150 microloans through contributions to Whole Planet Foundation. Learn more about BlueAvocado and what you can do to reduce your carbon footprint.
To support international development, IZZE and Global Education Fund partner in order to help provide resources and educational opportunities to children in need. At Naked Juice, their bottling facility and office are LEED (Leadership in Environmental Design) certified, and in addition to reusing and composting as much waste as possible, they have also installed 1,824 solar panels. Learn more about Naked Juice’s sustainability efforts.
Our app partner Stonyfield has been actively engaged for more than two decades in climate change and efforts to reduce their contributions to global warming. One of their green initiatives, the Stonyfield Mission Action Program (MAP), is a company-wide program developed to engage their employees in achieving our environmental mission. Some of the MAP accomplishments over the past few years include: achieving 46% absolute reduction in transportation GHG 2006-2010 ($7.6 million in savings), preventing 18 tractor-trailer loads plastic per year ($3.2 million in savings), reducing facility energy and GHG 11% 2007 – 2010 ($2 million in savings) and reducing solid waste by 39% 2007 – 2010 ($450,000 in savings). Learn more about Stonyfield’s Healthy Planet initiatives.
TruRoots was founded on the idea that our connections to the sources of our foods are important: “The people who grow, harvest and deliver these nutritious foods are just as important as the final product. In fact, without this chain of good people and wise practices, the high quality of our food simply isn’t possible. With this approach has come not only a connection between the people and lands that these foods come from—it has opened up avenues for the sharing of cultural wisdom….these ancient practices are being confirmed by science as having nutritious benefit and agricultural sustainability.”
Isn’t it great to see what kind of impact we can make on the planet together? Download the app today to reward yourself for your green actions and to help empower women entrepreneurs to change their own lives, and please join us in thanking our awesome supplier partners who helped to fund our 2013 app development!