Here at Roots, one of our core values is sustainability - not only in how we run the business and treat our community, but also in how we treat the earth that we all call home. As we approach Earth Week , we've got an exciting announcement about how we’re leaning into that value even more
Last year, with our use of single-use items higher than ever due to the pandemic, we decided to take the plunge and committed our Fort Worth location to switching all of our single-use items to compostable and making sure they ended up in the right place through our partnership with Cowboy Compost (sidebar: making sure they end up in the right place is the most important part; compostable plastics that end up in a landfill do not decompose; they are just like any other plastic in a landfill. BUT, if they go to a commercial composting facility, they can become soil in 90-120 days)!! It's been about five months since we made the switch and we're happy to announce our commitment to take this even further by adding our NRH location as well! Next week, you'll start to see the roll-out of all-compostable cups, lids, plastics, to go containers, etc so that *almost* everything you buy and throw away at ANY Roots location turns back in to soil in 120 days! We're so ecstatic to be leaning into our value of sustainability even more by working our way to becoming zero-waste as a company 🌎
While composting and recycling are wonderful, we also realize that reducing our use of single-use items is key to helping solve our waste problem - using items more than once is the best way to ensure trash doesn't get out of control and end up in our oceans, rivers, and lakes. That's why we have our Eco-Cups available for such a low price at $3/each - we wanted to make sure we had an economical & easy re-usable choice for you at Roots! You can use these cups hundreds of times and once they’re spent, remove the plastic sleeve & gasket and put it in your home compost or our compost here at Roots. After that, it becomes soil in 90-120 days! It's an easy, sustainable choice.
Together with our community, we’re committed to helping everyone realize that any business and any consumer can make an impact with their simple, every day choices. Choices like bringing a re-usable cup or straw to your local coffeehouse or bringing your re-usable bags to the grocery store or driving an electric or hybrid car might seem small and insignificant, but they are not. Together, we can raise our collective consciousness with the small choices we make each day. We are all connected. The choices you make also impact your neighbors (and future generations). So it is with the earth; the more we dump and consume and use, the more our world hurts. The more we commit ourselves to sustainability, to care, to community, to the art of being connected to each other, the better off the world is (and, we would argue, the better off people are too).
Thanks for being an amazing community of people that support local and support the earth.
Some of our favorite tips for loving the earth in your daily life:
•Buy & use a really amazing re-usable water bottle (our staff loves Hydroflask)! Not only will you feel better because you are likely drinking more water, choosing a re-usable water bottle and throwing it in your backpack, work bag, or purse is a great way to eliminate excess waste from single-use water cups and bottles. Perk: some bottles will keep your water cold during the Texas summer too!
•Start composting at home. If your hands on, you can check out a home composter and make sure all your food waste ends up there. If you’re less into dirt and worms and whatnot, partner up with local Cowboy Compost! They’ll pick up your compost and even bring you soil for your garden every now and again!
•Bring your own bags to the grocery store or opt for paper. Invest in 3-5 really good re-usable grocery bags. Not only to they hold more groceries than a standard plastic bag, they are also sturdier so there is not fear of them breaking. I like to keep mine in my car so I don’t forget them on grocery day. If you opt for paper bags, you can either recycle them or re-use them (they make great wrapping paper!)
•Buy local! If you are a Roots customer, it’s likely you are already a fan of buying local, but integrating locally made items is a great way to love the earth! When items are made locally, they aren’t traveling as far to get to you, reducing them environmental footprint. Buying local grocery items is a great way to get access to locally produced, likely organic items. Check our your local CSA or sign up for something like Farmbox to get local groceries delivered to your door!
•Eat less meat. We know Texans don’t always love to hear this one (because Texans love their barbecue!), but eating less meat or not eating meat from factory farms is one of the best ways to combat climate change. With amazing plant-based meat alternatives making their way into the market, it’s easier than ever to forgo the meat every once and while. Small steps (you don’t have to go cold-turkey!) like Meatless Mondays or forgoing meat for at least one meal a day are great small steps towards a more sustainable future for everyone.
•Walk or bike every once and a while. Our default is to get in the car to go somewhere, but is it always necessary? Ask yourself this question: is it walkable? Is it bikeable? Instead of driving to the gym and back, try integrating exercise into your commute. Bike to dinner. Walk to the local coffeehouse to meet a friend (see what we did there 😉). You’ll arrive more connected to nature, to your community, and likely more relaxed.
•Examine your kitchen & bathroom. Is there anything single-use that you could replace with a re-usable item? For example, switching to towels instead of paper towels or cloth napkins instead of regular napkins. Perhaps trying our a shampoo bar or beauty brands that support sustainable efforts. We love these companies for when you are thinking about the impact of your kitchen & bathroom: Last Object & Bees Wrap & Netzero
Obviously, doing all of this is a lot! But, choosing one or two to commit to this year is a great start. What is one you can integrate into your life easily with something you already have lying around? Start there and see what happens.
