“Going Green” is more than trendy buzz words at Costa. Mayor Thomas Menino will honor Costa Fruit & Produce with the Boston Green Business Award for their “Greening Our Goods and Services” program on April 17th at the Jurys Boston Hotel.
The Boston Green Business Awards recognize businesses that demonstrate extraordinary leadership and performance related to sustainable environmental practices.
Costa Fruit & Produce’s “Greening Our Goods and Services” program is focused on several areas that impact the environment. These areas include:
- Energy Conservation Investments
- New highly efficient warehouse lighting for safety and energy conservation
- 14,000 square ft newly insulated loading dock
- Conservation program with NRM (National Resource Management Co.) and NSTAR
- Fleet Upgrades:
- Stealth Technology: Lower decibels and lower noise pollution
- Automatic Start/Stop Technology: Minimizes total engine hours with less fuel consumed and less evacuating exhaust
- R-404 Refrigerant: Meets clean air “Zero Ozone Depletion”
- Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling
- Paper and corrugated box recycling program
- Fruit and vegetable waste recycling to local farms for composting and feed
- Environmentally friendly EnviroTote program to reduce corrugated box consumption
- Promotion of Alternative Transit
- Supporting Local Agriculture
- In house buyers dedicated to Local and Organic products
- Introduce local farms to colleges, local Hotel and Restaurant chains and other venues
- Participate in educational forums to advance the understanding of the marketplace
- Work with farmers to grow non-traditional local items – ex Chinese Long Bean, Japanese Eggplant
- Offer easy access to the Hotel and Restaurant industry
- 7 Day NET payment terms for all Local Farmers
- Marketing & promotional support
- Operators manual for starting a local program
In addition to Costa’s energy conservation efforts, Costa has supported local farmers and the utilization of sustainable and organic farming methods for more than fifty years. In fact, to help growers run their farms more efficiently, Costa instituted a seven day net payment program for all produce and agricultural products grown or produced in New England by independent farmers and producers. “Of all the environmental investments we’ve made and innovations we’ve forged, we’re proudest of our efforts on behalf of the local, sustainable farms throughout the region,” stated Manny Costa President of Costa Fruit & Produce.”
Costa’s program has resulted in many measurable benefits to the environment. These efforts are estimated to have the environmental impact equivalent of planting 46 acres of trees, saving 55,950 allons of gas annually and saving 10,438 Trees Annually.
Costa says their “Going Green” initiative is always evolving and that they are currently implementing additional recycling procedures as well as exploring other energy conservation practices.
