eco|energy

Good Cacao™ is leading our industry in running a true eco-conscious business. We are challenging standard business practices in all areas of operation, while still offering the best products on the market. We believe that being eco-conscious is synonymous with great service, great products and a successful business. We hope you agree.

Below are some business practices we employ daily, in an effort to leave as small a footprint as possible.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

• We consolidate heavy freight shipments to cut down on fuel consumption.
• We use 100% re-cycled paper products for marketing and day-to-day business.
• We use natural Soy based inks in our marketing materials when possible.
• We re-cycle all corrugated materials locally.
• In house, we re-cycle paper, plastic and aluminum locally.
• We work electronically for most transactions – reducing overall paper use.
• We do not do mass mailings of brochures or sales collateral.
• We post all our web documents in electronic PDF form.

Energy Use

• We offset 100% of our energy use (warehousing, offices, service fleets) with CarbonFree™ credits. Good Cacao™ is ZERO footprint compliant.
• We have committed to 100% offset with the EPA Green Power program.
• We use Energy Star® compliant refrigeration and office technology in our corporate facilities.
• We use energy-efficient light bulbs in all our facilities.
• We use alternative fuels in our service/ delivery vehicles whenever possible, to help offset our dependency on fossil fuels.

Cleaning Procedures

Good Cacao™ uses Cleaning products that are USDA Organic, non-toxic, water-based, hypoallergenic and biodegradable. Eco-friendly cleaning helps preserve employee health as well as cut health costs and creates a better overall working environment. We have also begun utilizing the latest in food surface cleaning technology, a system that uses pure water to clean and sanitize (99.99%) food surfaces, equipment, facility, etc.

Employee Training

All Good Cacao™ employees are trained in eco-friendly practices.

EPA Green Power Partnership

The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that supports the organizational procurement of green power by offering expert advice, technical support, tools and resources. Partnering with EPA can help your organization lower the transaction costs of buying green power, reduce its carbon footprint, and communicate its leadership to key stakeholders. Green power is electricity produced from a subset of renewable resources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and low-impact hydro. Buying green power is one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve your organization’s environmental performance.

Good Cacao™ is committed to running a 100% carbon offset business – we use the EPA developed Power Profiler tool, which helps determine the air emissions associated with our electricity consumption. Green Power Partners can use the Power Profiler tool to assess the emissions associated with our conventional electricity consumption. The Power Profiler can also help identify your eGRID utility sub region based on zip code and utility provider information.

We work with CarbonFund.org - leading the fight against global warming. CarbonFund.org achieves its goals through Climate Change Education, Carbon Offsets and Reductions, and Public Outreach. Our CarbonFree™ offsets will include our travel/ transportation, corporate office, warehouse, and production facility, beginning in 2011. Our CarbonFund.org offset request was specifically for rainforest reforestation.

For offsets that are validated to the highest standards, project-type choice, transparency and more, we feel that Carbonfund.org is the most responsible choice. Carbonfund.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

View the EPA Green Power Partnership website - http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/

View the Carbonfund.org website - http://www.carbonfund.org