A’viands Food, United Presbyterian go green

Douglas County and the city of Superior announce more businesses and organizations joining the ranks of the environmentally conscious.

A’viands Food and Services Management, UWS and United Presbyterian Church of Superior have joined the ranks of certified green businesses. They became certified by Count Me Green, a joint program of the City of Superior and Douglas County. The program is funded with grants from the Wisconsin DNR and the Duluth Superior Community Foundation. You may not have heard of A’viands Food and Services Management unless you are a University of Wisconsin- Superior student or employee. They are a Minneapolis based company whose motto is “beginning every day from scratch.” A’viands provides food services to the UWS Campus at their new Yellowjacket Union. Sustainable design principles were included in the design process for the Yellowjacket Union. Those principles emphasize energy efficiency, long-term durability, long-term flexibility and adaptability. A’viands was motivated by their location and has incorporated sustainable practices into their operations. All Styrofoam dishes and utensils have been replaced with renewable products. They use compostable containers and compost their food scraps and have a program for takeout services with re-usable containers. This allows them to reduce a significant amount of waste on a daily basis instead it is composted and broken down for reuse. To reduce their transportation impact on the environment they buy and use local products when possible. A’viands also uses organic and fair trade coffees. Three separate food areas are provided by A’viands in the Yellowjacket Union. The “Jacket Java”- a coffee shop featuring organic and fair trade beverages and pastries; the “Brick Oven Grill” serves pizza and sandwiches; and the “Union Cafe” that features their “all you can eat” dining room. United Presbyterian Church on 28th St. in Superior is the second church in Douglas County and the first in Superior that has taken on protection of the planet as part of their mission and gotten certified by Count Me Green. United Presbyterian Church newsletter has a “green page” where they focus on the efforts of their congregation to conserve and preserve our resources. They also print articles on topics such as composting, to help guide the efforts of their members as they become more “green.” Another effort the church makes to encourage conservation is a challenge to its members to keep track of miles they have walked or ridden a bicycle rather than drive their cars. The church recycles, composts their food scraps, uses green products, reusable dishware and has a rain barrel for their garden. To find out how your business or organization can become Count Me Green certified, call Mary Klun at Douglas County Recycling at (715) 395-1293.

Tags: community, food, church, family, business