We work hard to prioritize eco-friendly materials and sustainable practices at our Willy Street Co-op stores.
Environmental Impact Metrics
See below for Fiscal Year 2025 (ending June 30, 2025).
Focus Area | FY24 Amount | FY25 Amount | Notes | Why Are We Tracking This? |
Electricity use | 2,850,090 kilowatt hours | 2,823,904 kilowatt hours | We aren’t quite sure of the reason for the lower electricity use, but that’s part of the reason we’re tracking these metrics—to try to find out! | Reducing electricity use (including through using LED lights, energy-efficient equipment, etc.) means less energy from coal-fired power plants as well as a lower energy bill. |
Natural gas use | 53,637 BTUs | 68,281 BTUs | There were a lot more heating degree day units in FY25 compared to FY24: 6445 vs. 5819, leading to a much greater need of natural gas. | Natural gas is mostly methane, a greenhouse gas, and is extracted via drilling and fracking. |
Water use; includes bulk water sales | 3,444,483 gallons | 3,491,168 gallons | We don’t know why there’s an almost 50,000 gallon increase in the last fiscal year, but we’ll look into it. Only about 2,000 of the gallons came from additional bulk water sales. | More efficient use of water for business uses keeps more fresh water for other uses. |
Refrigerant use | 365 pounds | 14 pounds | The reduction in refrigerant is largely due to improvements in maintenance of our refrigeration systems. | Traditional refrigerants harm the Earth’s ozone layer and can contribute to global warming. |
Solar power generated at Co-op sites | 26,910 kilowatt hours | 29,862 kilowatt hours | We believe most of this improvement is due to the addition of solar panels on the roof of Willy West last year. | We want to increase the amount of electricity we get from solar power rather than coal-fired power plants. (This amount does not include energy generated from the O’Brien Solar Fields.) |
Local product sales | $22,086,997 | $23,004,509 | We’re always working on increasing the number of local products in our stores! | More local food means less transportation for the food, less reliance on Big Food, and more money in our local economy. More information at willystreet.coop/local. |
Certified organic sales in Bulk, Meat & Produce departments | $1,631,807 | $1,713,397 | Part, although not all, of the increase here was likely due to inflation. | More organic food means fewer pesticides, and better land and water stewardship. |
Food waste (to be composted) | 260,540 pounds | 160,711 pounds | We believe the reduction in compost amount is largely due to ending on-site juicing at Willy West. | The most sustainable way to divert organic waste from landfills is to turn it into compost and use it to grow food! |
Sustainable Practices
Last updated April 2026.
Willy East | Willy West | Willy North | |
Circulatory ceiling fans to help reduce heating and cooling costs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Aluminum night covers for produce cases | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Energy-efficient lighting | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Energy Star-certified equipment | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Reclaimed heat from refrigeration rack used to heat water | ☒ | ✓ | ✓ |
Low-flow water fixtures | ✓ | ✓ | ☒ |
Back-of-house composting | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Recycling of paper, cardboard, styrofoam, and pallet wrap | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Remodeled buildings rather than building new structures | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Solar panels | ✓ | ✓ | ☒ |
Solar hot water | ✓ | ☒ | ☒ |
Participant in the Green Power Tomorrow program through MG&E | ✓ | ☒ | ☒ |
Receives some power from O'Brien Solar Power Fields | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Electric car charging stations | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Rain garden & decorative cob (sustainable earthen building material) wall | ✓ | ☒ | ☒ |
No synthetic pesticides or herbicides are used in maintaining the lawns on Co-op property | ✓ | ☒ | ☒ |
Watch our short video about three sustainable practices employed at Willy East:
