Local Champions
Leading the way in sustainability reporting
We are excited to announce that Samson Rope, Kombucha Town, and Mallard Ice Cream submitted the winning proposals to receive free in-depth sustainability reporting services from the Sustainable Business Development Program! Integrative reporting had been a...
What Goes Up Goes Somewhere
Raising awareness of the issue is an important step in having a better outcome so fireworks debris won’t pose a threat to the public, wildlife, and our waterways.
Riverhaven Farm: Nature oriented, permaculture driven, grass-based agriculture
by Alex Smith In today’s world, healthy and ethical choices can be challenging. Highly processed food and large carbon footprints often seem like the easy choice. It’s rare to find people who are producing healthy food in a way that’s also healthy for the planet....
Heliotrope Hotel: PNW Modern Lodging
Located in the Columbia neighborhood, just a short walk from the heart of downtown Bellingham, The Heliotrope Hotel celebrated its grand opening last weekend! Once a 1950s motel, the Heliotrope is exemplary of a beautiful transformation of a weathered historic...
C•SQUARE & The Third Street Café: New offerings from the Skagit Valley Food Co-op
Have you had a chance to check out C•SQUARE, the new culinary adventure Skagit Valley Co-op opened last fall? There is so much good stuff going on down there! The new space showcases a handful of gourmet food counters new to the Skagit Valley Food Co-op and a...
Blanchard Mountain Farm: Good food, great community, healthy ecosystems
There are many lives each of us could live, many different paths one could explore during the course of his or her life, and each comes with its own blessings and challenges. If we are lucky, or so predisposed, we get to experience many ways of being during...
Hundred North: Modern Food and Drink
by Alex Smith Bellingham is leading the charge in a local food revolution. The city has the unique combination of community-based values and healthy lifestyles, as well as an abundance of great local food. The fertile valleys to the North and East are bursting with...
Don’t forget the People!
He said, “My most valuable asset walks out the door every evening–that asset being my employees.” The implication being that on the most basic level they were free to come back each day–or not, and if they indeed came back, what attitude would they have when they walked in the door?
Lovitt Restaurant: Relaxed Farm to Table Eating
by Alex Smith Think back to a time when you really, truly enjoyed a meal. What were some things that stood out? Maybe a standard ingredient was made from scratch rather than store-bought. Maybe there was a personal connection – ingredients grown by friends or from...
Foothills Flowers: Environmentally Conscious Flowers With Lots of Heart
What’s your favorite season and why? Do you like the cool breezes of spring or the smell of dried leaves in the fall? Or maybe you excitedly await the return of peonies in the summer and pine wreaths in the winter? Just like local food, locally grown flowers...
What Does Your Sustainable Future Hold? Free Support!
Our aim is to help you get to where you want to be. Due to the generous support of the Whatcom Community Foundation and their Community Development Grant, we can do just that!
Greenwashing – Stretching the Definition
Imagine my surprise when yours truly, the supposed Toward Zero Waste expert, fell victim to my own personal definition of “sustainable” leading to my purchase of the wrong product. As we work to reduce food waste and increasingly divert organic material from landfill, contamination is the bane of a commercial composter’s existence.