Rainbow Grocery

   Rainbow Grocery is a 33-year-old, worker–owned cooperative located in the Mission District of San Francisco. Ideals of sustainable living are practiced by selling organic, locally grown produce, a wide assortment of vegetarian foods, eco-friendly and fair trade items, organic and all natural body care, and a large selection of alternative healing supplements. With the exception of dog food, there is no meat sold in the store.
   Rainbow strives to provide affordable vegetarian food products with minimal ecological or social impact. They buy goods from local organic farmers, collectives, bakers, dairies etc. and offer many of their products in bulk, which not only lowers the price to consumers, it helps eliminate wasteful packaging. They also support fair trade which helps small-scale producers escape from the bargaining process of today’s profit-ruling world economy.
   They encourage bicycling, mass transit, and alternative transportation and donate to local nonprofit organizations and schools. Rainbow Grocery also practices what they preach. The store also receives most of its energy from solar panels on the roof. Skylights are the sole source of light when it’s bright out; lamps only turn on when the skylights aren’t providing enough light. They compost all in-store green wastes and recycle whenever possible.
   Rainbow Grocery is located at 1745 Folsom St. • San Francisco, CA.
   For more information go to Rainbow’s website at www.rainbow.coop. Also, be sure to check their website for a list of nearby co-operatives and collectives, and for ecologically friendly household advice.