Whether a marketing tactic or true concern, different Westwood businesses are pitching in with their Earth Day programs and promotions.
Whole Foods, Ralphs, Active and the Farmacy are all set to take part in celebrating the holiday that is dedicated to protecting our environment. By taking part in the Earth Day programs at these stores, students can also contribute to the environmental cause.
In celebration of Earth Day the Farmacy, located on Gayley Avenue, plans to be “educating guests about the importance of recycling and ways to recycle,” said Micheal Cardenas from reception and sales at the Farmacy.
The company, which sells pure holistic organic medicine, is a completely organic green company, he said.
They also plan to teach customers how to keep their households green by conserving water and energy and by recycling, Cardenas said.
To commemorate Earth Day, Ralphs gave away reusable bags to customers Monday and plans to continue today, said June Kim, manager of operations at Ralphs.
In total they plan to give away 1,500 reusable bags, he said.
Kim said they normally sell reusable bags for $1.50, 50 cents of which goes to environmental charities.
Plastic bags are seen as being detrimental to the environment because they end up as litter or in landfills.
Ralphs plans to participate in Earth Day because of its focus on the environment, Kim said.
“Ralphs is really into conservation,” Kim said.
Whole Foods will stop using plastic bags on Earth Day; instead customers will be given paper bags, or they can buy a reusable cotton bag for 99 cents.
If customers bring in their own plastic bag they will receive 5 cents for each bag they bring said Katy Silvester, marketing assistant at Whole Foods.
Silvester said the first 100 customers to spend $50 or more will also receive an elephant canvas bag.
Whole Foods also stocks FEED bags, a joint project between Lauren Bush, honorary spokesperson, and the United Nations World Food Program, she said.
Each bag sold helps to feed one child for a year, according to the program’s Web site.
On Sunday, Whole Foods had an Earth Day vendor fair in which vendors came to exhibit their earth-friendly products, Silvester said.
“It was very successful; there were many vendors here and our customers were very responsive to the samples,” she said.
Silvester said celebrating Earth Day is just an extension of the Whole Foods philosophy.
“One of our core values is to help out in the community and support the environment. This is something we take very seriously,” Silvester said.
In celebration of Earth Day all 24 Active locations, including the Westwood location, are accepting used shoes and skateboard decks. In return, customers will be given $10 off of a new pair of shoes or a new skateboard deck, said Greg Bolyard, assistant store manager.
The shoes will be donated to orphans in Mexico if they are still wearable, or will be recycled along with the skateboard decks and be used as building materials for the orphanage, Bolyard said.
Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills will be taking the donations to the orphanage, he said.