MOM’s Organic Market has been in business for three decades, has stores in four states and DC, employs over 1000 people, and has created a corporate culture centered on Their Purpose: To protect and restore the environment. By working with partners (including the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay), MOM’s has a greater opportunity to take action, reach out, offer fresh perspectives, expand awareness, educate, share solutions, change behavior, and ultimately make a difference.
educating the public
MOM’s has an “Environmental Restoration Captain” program which acts as their “Green Team.” Each location (18 stores and the Central Office) has 1-4 people on this team and they work together to make sure that MOM’s is meeting all of their sustainability goals (including the elimination of plastic bottles and bags from their stores), educate fellow coworkers, facilitate and encourage coworkers to volunteer in the environmental community, connect with external NGOs, encourage their coworkers to get outside on MOM’s-sponsored field trips, educate customers, and plan events. They also work with their landlords to install rain gardens, green roofs, and pervious pavement at store and office buildings, which helps to decrease stormwater runoff.
Each MOM’s location (including the stores, Central Office, and Warehouse) adopts a local spot (including parks, roads, and streams) and voluntarily maintains the spot through trash clean ups and invasive plant removal, a few times a year. They also assist local parks in their goals of removing invasive plants from parklands.
They provide environmental education for employees and the public, in numerous ways. They promote organic lawn care, planting natives, and planting for wildlife at all 18 stores and donate to, sponsor, lead tours, educate, and attend events and conferences in their communities that are working towards a common goal – to protect and restore the environment. All 18 stores also include recycling centers where they collect and allow customers to drop off all sorts of recyclable items, including batteries, shoes, corks, eyeglasses, Brita filters, cell phones, energy bar wrappers, and food squeeze pouches.
electric car charging stations
MOM’s installs and maintains interpretive and environmental educational signs in highly visible areas, pointing out the sustainable steps their team is taking. All 18 stores have environmental education signs in the aisles, in the restrooms, and various other places within the stores, educating clients about organic lawn care, carbon offsets, climate change impacts, the impact of plastic on the environment, electronic recycling, and much more!
MOM’s reduces energy use by using low-energy bulbs and alternative energy sources. For example, they installed rooftop solar power panels at their Waldorf, MD and White Marsh stores. In addition, they purchase enough 100% US Wind Power to offset all of the power used at their stores, Central Office, workshop, and warehouse. Electric car charging stations are installed at most MOM’s locations that are free for customers and staff to use and they have installed sky lights at most stores to provide natural light. The team also purchases carbon offsets, supporting various methane capture projects, to help offset the CO2 emitted from their customers’ roundtrips to their stores to shop.
They reduce the environmental impact of their company travel as well; their company car is the Nissan Leaf and they have incentives in place to assist staff members that wish to buy an electric or hybrid vehicle. In addition, MOM’s donates over $500,000 each year to environmental organizations, including the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay’s Project Clean Stream.
Download the MOM’s Organic Market- 2016 Gold B4B Member Press Release
MOM’s Organic Market employees remove a mattress from a clean-up site
MOM’s Organic Market employees get dirty outside, volunteering at Veteran Compost and digging up red wigglers in Spring 2017!
Alexandra DySard
Environmental Coordinator and Partnership Manager
For more information about contacting this member, email Corinne Stephens.
Our purpose is to protect and restore the environment. MOM's implements environmentally responsible business practices into every aspect of our work, from banning plastic water bottles to only selling certified organic produce we are committed to helping make the world a better place. Partnering with the Alliance allows us to support continued conservation efforts within our community and throughout the Bay, furthering both our missions.