Sustainability

SAN FRANCISCO — Williams-Sonoma is reaching out to customers who want to be more hands on with their food with the launch of a Agrarian, a collection of products that focuses on the virtues of homegrown and homemade.

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway has partnered with the Go Green Initiative, an organization that supports environmental stewardship among schools, families, governments and businesses, to launch the first annual Go Green Glogster Earth Day contest.

Walmart has joined Adidas, H&M and Levi’s a member of the Better Cotton Initiative’s Fast Track program to encourage the production and purchase of sustainable cotton. For its part, Walmart will give $650,000 in grant money to help cotton farmers become more efficient and eco-friendly in their production. Read more.

NEW YORK — Whole Foods Market is leading charge to promote the sale of sustainable seafood by becoming the first national grocer to stop selling red-rated seafood. The company announced that, beginning this Earth Day (April 22), it will no longer carry red-rated, wild-caught fish in its seafood departments. 

Chestnut Hill, Mass. -- A 120,000-sq.-ft. former Macy’s building was demolished on Wednesday, as developer WS Development prepares the site for a second redevelopment phase of its Chestnut Hill (Mass.) Shopping Center.

The region’s oldest suburban mall will become home to a new generation of retailers, services and entertainment offerings, including a new 31,000-sq.-ft. Sports Club/LA health and fitness complex and a National Amusements’ theatre and restaurant facility.

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Shopping center owner Regency Centers said Thursday that it will install electric vehicle charging stations at 19 of its grocery-anchored and community shopping centers in Arizona, California, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington, D.C.

Regency is partnering with Ecotality to install Blink Level 2 EV charging stations at the 19 centers; the rollout is part of The EV Project, the largest national deployment of commercial and residential charging stations in major U.S. cities and metropolitan areas.

Toronto -- Canadian Tire Corp. has been honored with the Globe Award for Best Green Retailing Practices. The award is presented to the company that has demonstrated excellence in executing end-to-end sustainable practices and has made measurable environmental performance improvements to its retail operations.

Seattle -- Starbucks Corp. opened its first-ever juice bar under its newest banner, Evolution Fresh. The shop, which also features wraps, soups, salads and vegetarian items, is located in Bellevue, Wash.

Starbucks purchased the Evolution Fresh juice brand in November for $30 million. The coffee giant plans to roll out Evolution Fresh juices to its coffee shops later this year.