Some Shoppers Go Green

Independently owned grocery store, Shop n’ Kart is the only store of it’s kind on the City of Ashland’s list of green businesses.

The store features more organic and natural ingredients than many of the other grocery stores in Ashland; and provides a large selection of bulk food as well as other products. In order to promote sustainability the store also buys some of its products local, and focuses on products with environmentally aware manufacturers.

“We try to carry stuff in large bulk,” said Eric Nelson, the assistant manager at Shop n’ Kart, as a way to promote sustainability. “It’s not like buying a bag of rice on a shelf, and then throwing the plastic away.”

But the local grocery store doesn’t stop there. They also use energy efficient lighting, eliminate plastic bags at check out stands, recycle on site and take advantage of “smart trucking,” to limit the number of trips it takes for the store to receive goods and ship out it’s recycled material.

“We sell reusable bags,” Nelson said, and the store offers customers an incentive for using them as well as any other reusable. “For every bag that customers bring back, they get 4 cents per bag,” Nelson said.

According to Nelson Shop n’ Kart has a positive impact on the community in more ways than just supporting environmental sustainability

“We buy a lot of local produce from the farmers…donate to a lot of local charities, as well as SOU students and various other community projects,” he said.

“I go to the Shop n’ Kart because I know I am able to buy natural, local and organic foods,” said SOU student, Jordan Aram.

It also has perks according to Aram. “I mostly like the fact that I can save money on local and organic produce.”