Ottawa home to Canada's first, gold certified ˜Greentailer"

OTTAWA, ON - October 07, 2010:

At first glance, the new Natural Food Pantry store situated on Richmond Road (one block west of Kirkwood Ave.) in Ottawa’s, trendy, Westboro Village looks like many of the other contemporary, urban, retailers that call Westboro home.

“But that may be where the similarities end”, explains owner Rick Payant, who has been busy putting the finishing touches on his third, and perhaps his ‘greenest’ endeavor to date. “When we opened this location, this week, we did it with the distinction of being Canada’s first, gold-certified ‘Greentailer’”.

“While “Environmental Stewardship”, “Sustainability” and “Going Green” may be hot, new business concepts to many” explains Rick, “these principles have been the foundation of our success for close to three decades. ‘Green’ isn’t new to us, not by a long-shot”, adds Payant, who along with his staff of 50, have been selling a diverse array of natural, health, gluten-free and organic food at his three locations long before ‘green’ became the epitome of sustainability.

“Being a good steward of the environment and an efficient successful business, are not mutually exclusive, in fact, they are one in the same and represent opportunities for innovation and competitive advantage” he says.

“With sales, margins and profitability under continual competitive pressure, retailers wishing to insulate their bottom lines from the negative impact of higher overheads and explosive energy costs should be looking to sustainability as a possible solution” indicates Elaina Martin, Executive Director of the Westboro Village BIA.

“The first step toward becoming sustainable is a comprehensive ‘green audit’” states Carole Lair, President of Greenvolution Inc. (an Ottawa based consulting group specializing in sustainability, cost-reduction optimization and certification). The green audit evaluates the cost and impact of energy usage in a number of key areas including: waste management, lighting, heating, cooling and refrigeration; while the cost-benefit analysis we provide aims to balance ecological effectiveness with economic efficiency.

Through collaboration with Greenvolution Inc. the Natural Food Pantry stores incorporate a diverse array of ‘best in-class green practices’. “An amazing amount of thought went into what seems very unassuming." states Payant, who is known for his environmentally conscious spaces at both Billings Bridge Plaza and their Hazeldean Rd, location in Kanata.

“We’ve built upon what we learned from expanding and renovating our flagship store at Billings Bridge Plaza (a year ago this Fall) and combined this with many of the innovative products and technologies that currently grace our Kanata property. The net sum of which, has ALL been carefully integrated and reflected in the new store in Ottawa West, the one that has earned us our gold level ‘greentailer’ certification”.

Adherence to green design and construction principals is evident right down to the selection and integration of their interior finishes, lighting and mechanicals. "Green" initiatives include: open ceilings, application specific finishes, energy-efficient lighting that accentuate the space, providing both function and form; and aggressive waste reduction strategies reduce the frequency and costs of garbage collection.

“We did our best to design and build a space that reflects our wish to be environmentally responsible while providing our customers with a fresh-food shopping experience that is second-to-none, right down to our staff members shirts made from Bamboo” Rick adds.