I work in a part of Whole Foods Market that our customers probably don’t think about very much – one of our regional distribution centers. Here in Maryland, my facility stocks and moves most of the product that you find on the shelves in our Mid-Atlantic Region stores. We’re moving pallets of food around all day and we do that with a lot of forklifts and pallet jacks.

Each of those forklifts has a 2000-pound lead-acid battery. In fact, each forklift has two huge batteries – one in use and one being recharged. A battery charge only lasts about 7 hours. That means that every one of those forklifts needs a 2000-pound battery changed for every shift. That’s 14,000 battery changes in a year, totaling about 4000 labor hours. Wow!

When we first started talking about hydrogen fuel cell-powered forklifts, we were looking at a cost of about $17,000 per fuel cell. Ouch. A lead-acid battery costs $3500. But then everything changed when GENCO received a $6.1 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Plug Power, a clean energy solutions company, connected us with GENCO and a deal was born. They could now offer us the hydrogen fuel cell-powered batteries for $3,000 each. With the other transition costs involved, turns out that there wasn’t a cost savings to us but the deal was net zero.

Some companies might have stopped right there. Who needs the headache of a big change if it doesn’t affect the bottom line? But that’s what is different about Whole Foods Market. We don’t just look at the numbers. We guide our business by our Core Values and two of those are about supporting and caring for our team members and the environment.

Remember those 14,000 battery changes? That involves a team member dealing with a very heavy piece of equipment. Of course we have a machine that lifts the 2000-pound battery, but it is definitely safer for them to switch to refueling the fuel cell, which takes less than a minute. That’s only 250 hours a year instead of 4000 – we’re sure they can find better things to do with their time! Check out this video that shows the complete re-fueling process:

Switching to fuel cell technology will also allow us to reduce our carbon footprint by the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the use and charging of those lead-acid batteries. We expect this conversion to save up to 80% of emissions – roughly the equivalent of removing two passenger vehicles from the road per year for each forklift truck powered by fuel cells. My facility is excited to be piloting this project for Whole Foods Market and there is already a ton of interest from our distribution centers in other regions. That could add up to a lot of reduced emissions…and a lot of happy team members!

Did you know October is Fair Trade Month? We’re celebrating with Fairhills Bus Stop Red and Bus Stop White. Both of these wines are products of one of the world’s largest Fair Trade projects, a joint venture between exporter, Origin Wine, Mendoza Vineyards in Argentina and Du Toitskloof Winery in South Africa. Over 1,400 farm employees and their families benefit from this unique social development project.

The Fairhills Bus Stop Red is full-bodied with aromas of berry fruit and chocolate and hints of plum on the lingering palate. It goes great with fall and winter dishes like hearty soups and stews, grilled meats like pork loin and lamb chops or pastas in red sauce. You don’t have to take our word for it’s great taste – The Beverage Institute’s World Wine Championships awarded it the Gold Medal. And what makes this wine taste even better? Proceeds are dedicated to purchasing a school bus for the children of the over 800 farm employees and communities of San Martin, Lavalle and Medrano in Mendoza, Argentina.

If you’re in the mood for something a little on the lighter side, try the Fairhills Bus Stop White. It has a creamy acidity on the palate with flavors of apricot and melon and aromas of lemon grass on the nose with a hint of spice. You can enjoy it with shellfish, grilled trout and vegetables, poached salmon or chicken dishes. This one brought home the Silver Medal in the World Wine Championships. Plus it will be so much more enjoyable knowing that proceeds from this wine are dedicated to purchasing a small bus to transport tourists from the city to the communities.

So raise a glass to Fair Trade this month and know that you have impacted the lives of over 1400 farm employees and their families. Salud! Cheers!

Have you heard about The Prince’s Rainforests Project? His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales is asking everyone to help send the world’s biggest SOS on behalf of the rainforests before the international climate change meetings are held by the United Nations in Copenhagen this December.

The rainforests are a rich, green belt that surrounds the world at the equator and contain over half the living plant and animal species on the planet. Without their services in storing greenhouse gases, creating oxygen and rainfall, and providing a home to the most important array of biodiversity on the planet, our Earth would be a very different place and certainly one uninhabitable by mankind.

Vast quantities of carbon are stored in the trees and soils of tropical forest areas. When they are burned and cleared this is converted into carbon dioxide, which helps to accelerate climate change. Recent estimates say that some 17% of greenhouse gases come from deforestation. Tropical rainforests are also removing about 15% of the carbon dioxide we are releasing. Clearing the rainforests thus creates a double whammy for the climate – it creates a source of emissions and at the same time removes a vast natural sink.

Check out this video and sign up to send your Rainforest SOS to the world. The future of the rainforest is our future too.

Whole Foods Market was one of the major sponsors of Fun and Fit in the City, part of the Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival last weekend. Fun and Fit in the City is a groundbreaking event focusing on family health, nutrition and fitness and took place at the Harlem Children’s Zone, an innovative and unique community-based organization, offering education, social services and community building programs to children and families since 1970. Over 700 community members participated in the health expo featuring Chef Ann Cooper, local vendors Red Jacket Orchards, Honest Tea and Munchies Cookies, and a rooftop garden tour for children with vegetable lifecycle and composting stations. A panel discussion on Healthy Eating was moderated by Tara Parker-Pope of the New York Times, with special appearances by NBA star Allan Houston, Rachael Ray and Dr. Mehmet Oz. The panel discussion was preceded by Former President Bill Clinton who addressed the crowd on the topics of diabetes and obesity facing the community.

Whole Foods Market, in partnership with Weight Watchers and Share Our Strength(R), also sponsored the Good Food Gardens that were installed permanently at the Harlem Children’s Zone rooftop providing sustainable healthy food options for children and a platform for nutritional education.

Since we all couldn’t be there for this fun event, we’ll share some of it with you in pictures. A thousand words, don’t you know?

It’s October and that means it’s pumpkin ale time in the beer world. Check your local store to discover which of these delightful brews are available in your neck of the woods.

Wolaver’s Certified Organic Will Stevens’ Pumpkin Ale

This adventure began back in 1997 when Wolaver’s embarked on the mission to brew their beer in a sustainable way. It was one of the first certified organic breweries in the nation and simply put, its mission is to brew great beer and to support organic agriculture. Will Stevens’ Pumpkin Ale is brewed with organic pumpkins grown by Will Stevens and his wife Judy at their farm in Shoreham, Vermont – less than 10 miles from the brewery. With every sip of this amber ale characterized by a hint of pumpkin and baking spices, you will be supporting Wolaver’s local agricultural ecosystem – beer that will warm your body and soul!

• Produced at a brewery working to minimize environmental impact, supporting organic agriculture.
• Well balanced amber ale with a hint of pumpkin and spices.
• Pairs well with cheesecake or other desserts.

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale

The adventure began in the historic seaport city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1994. Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale is a tribute to the craft and heritage of America’s brewers. It is brewed with the addition of real pumpkin to the mash, along with traditional spices. With aromas of cinnamon and hops and a full-bodied, roasted malt flavor and hints of pumpkin, this is a true American original that pairs exceptionally well with many autumn dishes such as squash casseroles, hearty stews, as well as your Thanksgiving feast.

• The nose is full of spice, mostly cinnamon, with hints of the Liberty hops lending itself to a full flavor with a nice bitterness yet balanced with the roasted malts.
• The taste lingers into a nice dry spicy, hoppy finish that stays with you without being overbearing.
• A unique blend of spicing and hop goodness backed with just enough malt sweetness to bring it all into balance.

Buffalo Bill’s Brewery Pumpkin Ale

The adventure started in 1983 in Hayward, California, when Bill Owens started one of the first brewpubs in America. Owens began adding unique ingredients to his beers after learning that George Washington was a home brewer who used pumpkin. Today, the Seasonal Pumpkin Ale carries on that tradition – brewed with real pumpkin, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg and has been referred to as “Pumpkin Pie in a Bottle.”

• America’s Original Pumpkin Ale handcrafted for 25 years.
• At the brewery they serve “Pumpkin Roca.” Rim a wine glass with lime dip in finally chopped spiced roasted pumpkin seeds, fill with Pumpkin Ale, and enjoy!!
• Golden amber to orange in color with a rich head. It has aromas of pumpkin pie with distant pumpkin spice flavor and malt character.
• Pumpkin Ale is wonderful with all fall foods like roasted turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberries and nuts. It is perfectly paired with the traditional Thanksgiving meal.

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

The adventure began in 1995 in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Dogfish Head Brewery was borne out of the idea that beer can be food-friendly and worthy of ageing like wine, and it continues to maintain its commitment to quality and to developing “off-centered ales for off-centered people.’” The seasonal Punkin Ale is a lush, smooth, and full-bodied brown ale brewed with pumpkin, organic brown sugar, and all-natural spices including allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. It was originally named after a local “off-centered” event – the annual World Championship Punkin’ Chunkin’ that takes place the weekend after Halloween in which teams compete to build machines that hurl pumpkins through the air.

• Full-bodied brown ale with smooth hints of pumpkin and brown sugar. Pairs well turkey, roasted duck, lamb, stuffing, and dessert dumplings.
• It’s also a great cooking beer – Perfect for beer bread and for soups/stews!

October brings shorter days and a chill to the air along with the final harvest in most parts of the U.S. Out of that final harvest comes an item I look forward to every year with great anticipation: pumpkins! Yes, pumpkins and winter squashes have arrived and Halloween is not far behind. Like every year I gear up for the one day I get to practice my hand at a fleeting but wonderful art form – Halloween pumpkin carving!

Our home garden crop

Our home garden crop was harvested a few weeks ago from our “mystery bed” – seeds we saved from our favorite jack-o-lanterns the year prior. My son Aidan nursed our prize winner through the summer, feeding it every few weeks and watering it every day until we wrestled the 125 pounder out of the garden along with the rest of our harvest (which totaled 21 medium-sized and 50 or so smaller squashes and pumpkins). It’s also time to harvest the compost from our last halloween. What’s left of the 46 pumpkins we carved last season is now a rich, dark humus; ready to feed our fall and spring gardens.

Elevated compost – pumpkins, one year later

This is a tense time for pumpkin growers all over the U.S. It’s the end of a long growing season where something big, like an unexpected rainstorm, or small, like a hungry field mouse or gopher, can undo an entire growing season. Pumpkins and winter squashes are remarkably resilient and prolific plants but like all commercial production vegetables they do not respond well to excessive moisture (mold) or hungry pests.

Giant pumpkins in the field- Castroville, CA

Pumpkins are also very much a regional crop so the challenge always seems to be matching available supply with demand, which almost always requires us to move product from one geographic area of the U.S. to another (oftentimes at the last minute). Pumpkins are one of only a few field crops with a “deadline” (meaning Halloween) – a harvest delay of any kind and a grower will miss the window where the product has value.

Enormous pumpkins! Weighing in at 500 pounds or more.

For carving nuts like me, there is the annual challenge of finding a new carving technique or variety. Last season was all about teeth – I discovered by happy accident that by removing the outer skin of the pumpkin to expose the color of the inside provided a great contrast that I could shape into teeth (or other parts of the face). This adds a new dimension that I hope to improve on this year. The method is simple: I take a knife and cut an outline of the area I want to remove. I then take my linolium knife and peal off the outer skin just like you would peal linolium off of the floor. Afterwards I use a regular knife to shape the teeth.

I love blue and red varieties of pumpkins and squashes. Varieties like the Cinderella and Jarradale are super easy to carve and have a great contrasting interior and exterior color that really stands out when lit. They are also flatter than traditional pumpkins so the faces tend to be squashed and more interesting.

This year I plan to refine my pumpkin “totem” skills. The goal this year is to get five pumpkins to stack without toppling. There are no new refinements to my collection of tools – just the standard saws for cutting and knives for carving. I like a range of tool sizes to match the size of the pumpkin I’m carving so I have exacto knifes and saws for small up the scale to progressively larger tools for the bigger specimens.

I usually take the day off to carve but I won’t have to this year since Halloween falls on a Saturday. I may still take the Friday off to get ahead the carving. There are several ways I’ve heard to preserve carved pumpkins but none are very ecological. The best method I’ve found is simple hydration: I will remove the seeds, carve the pumpkin, then spray it down both inside and out to remove dirt or other debris. Since I compost my pumpkins I keep them for a while. Depending on the weather conditions, simple hydration will keep your jack-o-lanterns for about two to three days.

There are some new giant varieties I will try this year (one bright red and another a dark shade of purpleish-green) that look like they will be fun to carve – assuming I can lift them. I’m always looking for new pointers and ideas so share ‘em if you have ‘em! Happy Halloween!

Cascal
Non-Alcoholic Effervescent Sodas
Upgrade your lunch or dinner with handcrafted Cascal, an ingeniously delicious bubbly born in France and fermented for a “grown-up” taste. Available in Crisp White, Light Red and Fine Dry.

Coconut Secret
Organic Coconut Aminos
Made from the nutrient-rich “sap” of the coconut tree, these are raw, gluten-free, sugar-free and vegan alternatives to soy sauce, dressings and marinades with less sodium and more beneficial ingredients.

Dr. McDougall’s
Ready-to-Serve Soups
Delicious and filling with whole pieces of vegetables, beans and pasta, but limited calories and salt. BPA-free, eco-friendly packaging sourced from FSC certified forests. Try Lentil, Vegetable, Black Bean, Chunky Tomato, Split Pea, Minestrone and Roasted Pepper.

GoodBelly
Lemon Ginger Flavor Flavor Bigshot 50
Provides 50 billion live and active cultures per serving. Patented Lp299V strain is clinically proven to support digestive function and strong immunity. Dairy free, wheat free, soy free and vegan!

Back to Nature
Granola Cookies
Chewy 100% whole grain cookies sweetened with cane juice, fruit juice and honey now in new packaging made with 55% postconsumer recycled material and vegetable inks. Try Cranberry Pecan, Honey Nut or Dark Chocolate & Oats.

365 Everyday Value®
Zinc Lozenges with Vitamin C
Combines vitamin C and zinc in one refreshing, soothing natural lemon flavored lozenge. Provides essential antioxidants and nutrients for a healthy immune system.

TerrAmazon
Bath Teas
An amazing brand that responsibly harvests powerful, healthy botanical ingredients from the Amazon. Soak in their Bath Tea of antioxidants, minerals and organic essential oils.

Gojilania
SuperJuice Fruit Supplements
Great-tasting super fruit juices packed with antioxidants and other nutrients. Try all four delicious flavors: Purple Fruit, Red Fruits, Tropical and Antioxidant.

LoSalt
Reduced Sodium Salt
A great tasting way to a better lifestyle. One-third the sodium of regular, sea and rock salts and a good source of potassium. Kosher certified and suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Products may only be available in some stores and only while supplies last.

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at your local Whole Foods Market? From my vantage point as a Store Team Leader there is never a dull moment, and my team is always working hard to bring our customers the best food and customer service experience possible. Here’s a recent day in my Whole life.

7:30am: I arrive at the store bright and early but am far from the first to clock in. Did you know that many of our team members are already hard at work at 5am? The first thing I do is walk around the store, check in with my team members, and see if any problems have arisen overnight. First issue of the day: the cold drink case is making a loud humming noise and leaking water. I poke around a bit and determine I’ll need a professional. I make a call – the technician will be in later today.

8:00am: We are open! I unlock the doors and let the customers in. As I continue to walk the floor and talk with team members I come across another obstacle for the morning – my Prepared Foods Team Leader, Jimmy, tells me he has a team member whose car won’t start. He won’t be able to make it to work, so we need to find someone to help out in his department. We make some calls and, fortunately, we find some help.

9:00am: I make my way to my office upstairs and am greeted by my Marketing Team Leader, Melinda. She asks if I have any idea how much pizza we will need to feed an entire football team. What? Oh, I remember, we’re sponsoring the local high school team and are planning a pizza party for them. We also need to talk about our upcoming Fall Festival – should we have pumpkin carving or pumpkin painting? Contributing to and creating community events are a big part of our jobs.

9:30am-11:30am: Danny, my Bakery Team Leader, pages me over the loudspeaker. Turns out that Danny ordered ten cases of gluten free cookies but the bakehouse sent him 30 instead! I hop on the phone to get those cookies redistributed to another store. Meanwhile, the rest of our team members are getting ready for our busiest times of day, the lunch and dinner rushes. Everyone has an important task: filleting whole fish, draining olives, reading up on new vitamin supplements, or boning chickens (to name a few). We also get a treat today – an “I Wonder” class is being taught on the sales floor by our In-Store Educator, Phinney. A group of us gather as Phinney spends a few minutes teaching us about several types of local honey we carry. We come away with some great knowledge to share with our customers.

11:30-1:00pm: Our lunch rush! I make my way through the store to help. The seafood department is slammed so I hop behind the counter and pack up a pound of shrimp, a few pieces of salmon, and some haddock. As I walk away, a customer asks if I’ve ever heard of acai berry. I certainly have, and I walk the customer around the store pointing out various products with acai. As I round the corner toward the registers, I notice a little girl hiding under a display of bags. Where are her parents? A quick loudspeaker page brings a relieved mother to the front of the store. And, fortunately, the technician has arrived to fix that broken cold drink case.

1:00pm: After lunch I hold a brief meeting with my Team Leaders to talk about best practices, new policies, and any problems the teams might be having. After the meeting, I do a “department walk” with my Whole Body Team Leader, Kati. During the walk, Kati and I talk about possible changes and improvements to her department, go over financials for the team, and discuss some team training and new products Kati would like to introduce.

2:00-4:00pm: It’s back on the sales floor to regroup before dinner! The evening shift of team members has arrived, and we need to fill them in about the events of the day. I chat with team members and see how the store is looking after having been shopped in all day. Our bottled water aisle is looking pretty low, and Grocery Team Leader, Wagner, tells me he’s on it, and ten minutes later we are stocked up again. Just in time for…

5:00-8:00pm: The dinner rush! It’s all hands on deck at the registers during our busiest time of the day. My Customer Service Team Leader, Ilda, makes a page for all available team members to help bag, and I head to the front along with this evening’s Shift Leader, George. Bagging during the dinner rush is lots of fun – chatting with customers, talking about food, and generally having a good time.

8:00-10:00pm: Once the dinner rush is over, we start preparing for the next day. Evening team members write notes to their morning counterparts to keep them informed. Specialty Team Leader Peter had huge sales of goat cheese today and needs to remember to order more tomorrow, whereas Sean the Produce Team Leader needs to make room for the pumpkins he knows will be arriving in the morning. Our team members meticulously clean their departments before closing each night, make a plan for the next day, and go home to get some rest. Tomorrow, we’ll do it all again!

To heck with all those doubters who think kids won’t eat healthy food! Not only will they eat it, but they’ll cook it too! Culinary arts and home economic students from Houston’s Barbara Jordan High School, Louie Welch Middle School and Eleanor Tinsley Elementary competed in a “Top Chef” style competition to create healthy, yummy school lunches. Chef Ann Cooper, “The Renegade Lunch Lady,” came to help and got her hands dirty teaching the kids proper technique and encouraging them in creating their culinary creations. The kids formed teams of five to six students so that each school was represented in each group. The older kids mentored the younger ones and they all had a hand in creating some delicious food.

After all the kitchen hustle and bustle was done, Cooper was joined by fellow chefs — Mark Holley, executive chef at Pesce; Monica Pope of T’afia and founder of the Midtown Farmers Market; and Houston ISD Executive Chef Jon Guimond — who raved about the professionalism and pure culinary talent the “chefs of tomorrow” exhibited. Congrats to Team One who came out on top in this first annual competition. In spring of 2010, all of the students in the Houston Independent School District will experience the winning lunch menu of sautéed marinated chicken, whole grain rice, sautéed mixed vegetables, rosemary roast potatoes and organic yogurt with cucumber, watermelon and strawberries. Makes you want to try a school lunch, doesn’t it?!

Kimberly Crowder is our Houston Media and Community Relations Coordinator.

Oktoberfest has been held every year in Munich, Germany for almost 200 years. The first fest was not really a festival, but a celebration of the wedding of Crown Prince Luitpold I and Princess Theressa of Bavaria. They celebrated with beer and wurst (sausages). These days, an astonishing ten million pints of beer and more than 3/4 million sausages are consumed annually at this festival.

Here are some of our fave Beer and Brat pairings:

Beck’s Oktoberfest (import)

Light with spicy overtones, this beer is fruity. Serve with Original Bratwurst as the mild flavor in the Bratwurst will tie together the flavors of both.

Sam Adams Oktoberfest (domestic)

Slightly herbal with light fruit and malt. Serve with Original Bratwurst, as the clean flavors of the beer will let the spices in the sausage shine.

Paulaner Oktoberfest (import)

One of the original six Oktoberfest beers. Nutty aroma with a malty and caramel flavor. Serve with Weisswurst to bring out the onion flavor in the sausage.

Spaten Oktoberfest (import)

Another of the original six. Spicy with an earthy and bitter finish. Original Bratwurst would be a classical pairing with the peppery sausage and the earthy beer.

Hacker-Pschorr Oktoberfest (import)

Also one of the original six. Toasty with hints of honey and fruit, tastes of caramel. Serve with Sheboygan Bratwurst as the pepper and ginger will come forward and complement the richness of the beer.

Erdinger Oktoberfest Weissbier (import)

Mild and crisp, this Weissbier has fruity and nutty overtones. Serve with German Wiener as the simplicity in style of both products is straightforward and complementary.

Ayinger Oktoberfest (import)

This beer is a full bodied Marzen with forward maltiness and a dry finish. Serve with Knockwurst as the beer will hold up to the garlic profile and accent the meat flavor.

You’ll find recipe ideas, interesting facts and pertinent links on our Oktoberfest page. How are you celebrating?