Have you heard the old saying, “Be kind to Mother Earth?”

Today, that has greater meaning as we work to protect our environment.

At Strack & Van Til, they know that even the smallest actions toward sustainability can have a significant effect, and that’s why they’ve taken strides to make our world a better place for the next generation.

To commemorate Earth Day, April 22, Strack & Van Til proudly reports the progress made toward their sustainability goals.

Beginning in 2014, Strack & Van Til set the grocery standard in conserving energy, reducing waste, recycling and promoting sustainability.

“The contribution made by our ‘Indiana Made’ store Green Teams is what makes our efforts a success. The Green Teams are led by our store associates to steward best practices in energy, waste and water conservation across all our stores’ staff and departments,” says Don Erminger, Strack & Van Til director of facilities. “Established in 2014, the Green Teams meet every three months to share success stories, track our results and continue our education.”

• Reduced CHG emissions from electricity by 42% since 2014. This is equivalent to CHG emissions of 3,950 cards driven or the energy use of 2,274 homes for one year.
• Cut GHG emissions from natural gas by 20% since 2014. This is comparable to the GHG emissions of 323 cars driven or the energy use of 186 homes for a year.
• Reduced GHG emissions from total energy use by 38%, which is equal to one year of GHG emissions from 4,273 cars driven or the energy use of 2,460 homes.

Recycling plays an important part in Strack & Van Til’s environmental goals.

“Since late 2017, we now divert 23% more trash away from landfills,” explains Erminger. “This is equal to 1,214 metric tonnes of GHG eliminated, of which 204 metric tonnes of GHG equivalents are from our organic diversion program.”

Highlights include the program to recycle organic waste from produce and dairy, which began in 2018. Since then, Strack & Van Til has diverted 2,109 tons of waste that would have ended up in a landfill. In 2024, the grocer recycled 405 tons of mixed recycling and 4,587 tons of cardboard and diverted 268 tons of waste for reuse by local farmers through the Farm to Table Division Program.

The list of efforts is capped off by water conservation. Since 2018, Strack & Van Til has reduced water use by 12%, the amount needed to fill 6.6 Olympic-size swimming pools.

The next time you shop at Strack & Van Til, remember that you’re not only getting quality products at a great value, but you’re also supporting a company that cares enough to be kind to Mother Earth.

Happy Earth Day from Strack & Van Til.