For the owners, staff and customers of Carbondale's Neighborhood Co-op Grocery, going green goes beyond conserving resources and being energy conscious.

"It's in our mission statement," said Francis Murphy, who has served as general manager of the Co-op for 10 years. "We're called to promote the health of the individual, the community and the earth."

The Co-op's building, products and way of doing business all reflect this mindset of sustainability.

The building

When the Co-op decided to expand and move into a new 12,000-square-foot facility located in the Murdale Shopping Center in 2006, the organization wanted to make an environmental statement, according to architect Brad Klein of White and Borgognoni Architects, who oversaw the project.

From the top to the bottom of the store, the project was designed to be as environmentally-friendly as possible while staying within budget.

"They needed a plan to get the 'most green' for their green," Klein said.

The environmental efforts began with the rooftop, where a basic black membrane roof was replaced with an insulated, reflective roof to lower summer cooling bills. Since the heating and air conditioning system needed to be upgraded anyway, a new, efficient system was installed.

To increase natural light, the storefront windows were enlarged and skylights and solar tubes were utilized to illuminate both the grocery aisles and the office spaces. A tankless, on-demand water heater was installed as well.

"It didn't make a lot of sense to heat gallons of water and store it in a water heater," Murphy said. "Our tankless system works wonderfully and when we need hot water, we get it."

Even the floor didn't miss the environmental makeover.

"We used quartz-based flooring tiles," Murphy said. "Quartz is one of the most abundant resources on the planet and the tiles are so strong, they're expected to last three times longer than traditional floors," he said.

The products

Items on the shelves of the Co-op also reflect the store's concern for the environment.

"We emphasize products that are local, organic or fairly-traded," Murphy explained.

He said that last year, the Co-op purchased more than $70,000 worth of local products for resale, mostly produce and meat raised within 100 miles of Carbondale

"This shows our commitment to the local economy and growers," he said. Murphy said that the benefits of buying locally are obvious.

"The average item on a grocery store shelf has traveled 1,500 miles," he said. "When you buy locally you're getting produce that could have been picked yesterday as opposed to a week or two ago," he said. "Plus you save all of the economic and environmental costs of transportation."

Murphy said the organization also promotes organic farming.

"By organic we mean produce that was raised in soils improved through natural causes, without chemical fertilizers or herbicides. That lessens the burden on the environment.

Additionally, the Co-op tries to ensure that people of other nations benefit as well.

"Our distributors work very hard to make sure that products like coffee, bananas and chocolate come from a fair-trade environment," he said. "That means that individuals involved in the production of these items are paid a fair wage for their efforts. It may mean paying slightly more, but it can make a substantial difference to the people of those developing countries."

Ways of doing business

Even the day-to-day operation of the Co-op reflects a green attitude.

A large rack of bins just off the sales floor encourages employees to recycle.

"We believe strongly in reuse and recycling," Murphy said. "In fact, we're fanatical about recycling; anything that can be recycled is."

Even the products that store staff use for cleaning are green. However, it's not just the Co-op's staff on the frontline of the green revolution; customers are involved as well.

A sign just inside the door of the grocery asks, "Are your bags in the car?" a gentle reminder to customers to bring in reusable shopping bags. This encouragement, plus a community incentive program, seems to be working.

"I'd say that nearly one-fourth of our customers bring in their own bags," said Pale, the Co-op's customer service manager. "And it's growing all of the time."

Customers who use their own bags are rewarded with tokens called wooden nickels. These tokens can be redeemed for cash or can be donated to a local non-profit organization which promotes environmental or community concerns.

"A vast majority � more than 90 percent � of the wooden nickels are donated back to charity," Murphy said. "Thanks to the wooden nickel program, we've been able to give thousands of dollars to local organizations on behalf of our customers,"

Pale said that the Co-op is considering taking the next step: no longer stocking plastic shopping bags at all beginning next year.

"It's a growing trend in the whole-foods industry, and we're already seeing it become very popular with cooperatives in the Northwest," he said.

Pale explained that within the last week, the Co-op has begun surveying customers to get their feelings about eliminating plastic bags.

"So far the response has been overwhelmingly positive," he said.

Bags are not the only things customers are encouraged to reuse. Many staple items are available in bulk at the Co-op and customers are invited to bring their own containers.

"A customer who, for example, needs sugar can come in with the canister right off of her kitchen counter, weigh it on the way into the store, fill the canister herself, weigh it again and pay only for the sugar she needs," Murphy said.

Customers seem to agree.

"I think it's pretty cool that I can bring in my own containers and pay for just the amount I need," said Cathie Paull, of Murphysboro. "There's no extra, no waste and no extra packaging."

Even the Co-op's business structure is one of community involvement and sustainability.

"We're an example of a consumer cooperative," Murphy said. "Anyone can shop here and anyone can join."

Cooperatives, which are common in industries such as agriculture and utilities, feature voluntary and open ownership and provide several benefits to their users. Anyone can become an owner, simply by purchasing a share of the organization.

"Purchasing a share of the Co-op is just $100, and that literally makes you an owner of the cooperative," Murphy said. The Neighborhood Co-op Grocery has nearly 2,000 owner-members, he said.

Member-owners benefit from periodic special sales and other promotions and they can benefit economically from the success of the organization, Murphy explained.

"Profits from the Co-op are returned to the member owners in the form of patronage refunds," he said. "These refunds are allocated in proportion to the amount of business the member has done with the cooperative."

The member-owners also elect a board of directors from within their ranks and set the tone for the organization, plus there are other benefits.

"Our member-owners encourage � no, require � us to be as green and as civic-minded as possible. That's why we do the things we do," he said. "Plus being green can be profitable."

Since its inception in 1985, the Neighborhood Co-op Grocery has had double-digit sales growth every year, and annual sales now top $ 3.5 million. However, Murphy says that regardless of growth, being green is paramount.

"The mindset of caring for our earth and our community permeates throughout our organization," Murphy said. "It's something we believe in, that communities build cooperatives and cooperatives build communities."