December is a time to look back at the year and acknowledge our achievements, and it’s a time to look forward to the future and think about setting new goals. It’s also a chance to take a historical look at where we’ve been, which is why we’re proud to present how far Nugget Markets’ extraordinary Sustainability Program has come since it began six years ago!

In 2015, we had 11 stores in and around the Sacramento Valley, and we had the seed of an idea to create a sustainability program. We chose a dedicated associate to help us water, nurture and grow this idea until it could take root in our company. Our first project focused on retrofitting our stores with LED lighting which reduced our energy consumption, saved money and provided better lighting and therefore a better shopping experience for our guests. This satisfied all three of our Pillars of Sustainability: Social Responsibility, Environmental Stewardship and Economic Vitality.

In 2016, we added five new stores in Marin and Sonoma counties while our sustainability program was branching out and blossoming. We now had a team of Green Gurus who oversaw sustainability at each of our stores and we were starting to set targets for the landfill, water and energy reductions we wanted to try and achieve.

In 2020, arguably one of the hardest years our society has ever had to face, we opened a new corporate office and saw the full strength of our sustainability program in action. When the stores were “all hands on deck,” and every second of mental energy had to be spent on the safety and mental well-being of our associates and guests, it was incredible to see our sustainability best practices continue.

In 2021, as we transition from one year to the next with another new store in our family, it’s incredibly heartwarming to see how much pride and love our associates have for our sustainability program! Here are just a few of our extraordinary statistics:

• We increased the percentage of food donated to our community members in need by 60%.
• We were selected as the model business in Food Recovery as jurisdictions prepare to meet California’s new statute to reduce state-wide greenhouse gas levels in January.
• We reduced our water consumption by more than 20%.
• We reduced our energy consumption by about 3%.
• We brought on an alternative energy source that will allow us to better serve our guests by keeping the lights on during black-outs, all while reducing water consumption by 100% and reducing greenhouse gases.

Here’s to setting, meeting and exceeding even more green goals in 2022!