Newport Avenue Market…giving ‘specialty store’ a new meaning
By Nadja Schmidt
Newport Avenue Market was the first grocery store to service Bend’s Westside and has always been a member of the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA). As a longtime resident and dedicated, sustainable businessman, Rudy Dory operates on the notion that a balance exists between an environmental obligation, economic sensibility and social appeasement. It takes a special commitment to endure such a task, and in this view Newport Market can be considered a specialty store. However, the more familiar persona of Newport Market may be its selection of locally made food products as well those not so readily available. In this way Newport Market seeks to christen our taste buds and diversify our palates with foods from around the world, while at the same time keeping local produce stocked as it becomes available. It is the best of both worlds. Just as their groceries revive the spectrum of culinary cultures, their efforts to minimize ecological impacts give reason to hold on to hope.
Behind the scenes of the calm and collected atmosphere that welcomes customers, a busy team of researchers and progressive thinkers are continuously looking for ways to reduce, reuse and recycle on all levels. From occupancy-triggered lights in the bathrooms to returning the plant trays back to the grower for reuse, such efforts, as small as they may seem, are all factors of the equation. Reduction in the amount of paper consumption and waste has been accomplished by replacing shelf-tags with electronic tags, which also have a battery life of several years. Instead of throwing out a dented apple or day-old bread, for example, such food items are donated to local food banks.
In the coming months they hope to have found a source for which their most used deli cup will be replaced by one that is corn-based, and therefore biodegradable. The option of converting to solar energy is being reviewed as well. Coming soon, a plastic bag recycling bin will be provided to further mitigate consumption of petroleum-based materials in addition to waste reduction. Also, they are working on finding a source of reusable plastic bags encrypted with a message that encourages multiple-use. Spreading the message through literature, or at least memorable slogans, is a tactic also used on their canvas-like bags. With an eye-grabbing green color and a grateful message that reads “the planet thanks you,” it would be hard to forget it at home.
Still, encouraging the consumer to make even one conscious decision is part of the overall goal, in which a balance is satisfied. Where complications arise in an imperfect system, a partnership within the community must continue to work both ways. Rather than a means to an end, it is a pathway where moral obligations to both the environment, and the community, fuel the endurance of sustainability at Newport Avenue Market.
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