Monday, May 23, 2011
BACKWARD STEP FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
Rainbow Grocery Disappoints
When San Francisco Rainbow Grocery Store was first inaugurated, socially and environmentally conscience citizens were overjoyed. Here was a grocery store, employee owned, where one would be assured of getting organically grown produce and other groceries with less packaging than most supermarkets.
Rainbow started out by not providing paper or plastic bags at the checkout counter. It encouraged people to bring their own containers and bags for its array of bulk products, such as cereal, grains and ground coffee. It was not known for selling bottled water either. Now there are whole sections for bottled water in plastic containers. At the checkout stand one can now pick up paper bags to package groceries. The store is awash in plastic bags for bulk produce. There is not even one sign encouraging people to bring their own bags or containers.
One product that was astounding to see was a sort of flavored ice Popsicle in a hard plastic with silver lining that is squeezed in order to eat. Totally un-recyclable. How many other product such as this “Popsicle” is something someone should peruse. Letters highlighting this unconscionable contribution to the slow destruction of our environment go unanswered.
The high prices of food products sold at Rainbow are not affordable to most San Francisco shoppers. Perhaps eschewing some of the one-time use packaging and other environmentally unhealthy and destructive products, the price of all of its products may come down allowing more people to shop at Rainbow Grocery.
When San Francisco Rainbow Grocery Store was first inaugurated, socially and environmentally conscience citizens were overjoyed. Here was a grocery store, employee owned, where one would be assured of getting organically grown produce and other groceries with less packaging than most supermarkets.
Rainbow started out by not providing paper or plastic bags at the checkout counter. It encouraged people to bring their own containers and bags for its array of bulk products, such as cereal, grains and ground coffee. It was not known for selling bottled water either. Now there are whole sections for bottled water in plastic containers. At the checkout stand one can now pick up paper bags to package groceries. The store is awash in plastic bags for bulk produce. There is not even one sign encouraging people to bring their own bags or containers.
One product that was astounding to see was a sort of flavored ice Popsicle in a hard plastic with silver lining that is squeezed in order to eat. Totally un-recyclable. How many other product such as this “Popsicle” is something someone should peruse. Letters highlighting this unconscionable contribution to the slow destruction of our environment go unanswered.
The high prices of food products sold at Rainbow are not affordable to most San Francisco shoppers. Perhaps eschewing some of the one-time use packaging and other environmentally unhealthy and destructive products, the price of all of its products may come down allowing more people to shop at Rainbow Grocery.
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