We want to wish a very happy Earth Day to our customers!!!!

In an effort to thank you all for helping us support sustainable agriculture, we have planted a tree for each of our customers! We partnered with Trees for the Future, an organization that has worked to develop sustainable agroforestry programs in developing countries around the world since 1989. They work with people to improve livelihoods and restore degraded lands to sustainable productivity through planting trees. Click here to view a map of their nurseries and projects!

Here at our office and warehouse, we’re constantly evaluating the environmental impact of our operations to make sure we get healthy organic food to you in the most sustainable way possible. We’d like to share some of the things we’ve been doing!

Bottleless Water Dispenser
By switching to a bottleless water dispenser, we’re eliminating the use of plastic bottles for our water storage. This particular system’s environmental impact is equivalent to planting 30 trees per year.

Recycling and Composting stations in our break room

We recently put a 3-bin recycling and composting station in our break room so less goes in the trash and more items go where they should! Our employees also made additional labels to help us all identify what goes where.

Motion Sensor Lighting

We installed a motion detector lighting system in 2 of the most high-traffic rooms in our office – the conference room and the break room. After 5 minutes of detected inactivity, the lights will turn themselves off. This has also made for some funny moments during meetings if we’re not moving very much!

In addition to these recent endeavors, composting and recycling remain essential to our daily operations. Here are a few facts for you!

• In 2011, we composted 32,270 lbs of produce with Save That Stuff
• In 2011, we recycled 20,000 lbs of cardboard with Save That Stuff
• We also donated we donated 26,235 pounds of produce to Food For Free in 2011!

It’s your support and belief in a healthy food system that allows us to do what we do! From all of us here at Boston Organics, thank you for your continued support, and Happy Earth Day!

Earth Day gives us all an opportunity to reflect upon our habits and make an effort to do more for our planet. There are many simple ways that we can all reduce our impact on a regular basis, especially when it comes to our food habits!

Food waste is a HUGE problem in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Loss Project, we throw away more than 25 percent of all the food we produce for domestic sale and consumption.

There is a significant amount of food waste in the food service industry (supermarkets, restaurants, etc.), but we as consumers also waste a lot of food without realizing it. Throwing out leftovers, trashing food scraps, and letting food spoil can really add up over time.

Here are some things you can do at home to minimize the amount of food you waste.

1. Feed your friends! If you have extra food that you won’t be able to eat, invite friends over for a potluck or bring some to your neighbors!

2. Donate to the hungry! There are too many hungry people in our communities. You can make a difference by donating excess food to food banks, soup kitchens and shelters!

3. Compost your food scraps! There are tons of online resources to help get you started. Keep a compost container with a lid in your kitchen, and it will be easier than ever to keep food out of the trash. (In addition to your veggie scraps, did you know you can compost coffee grounds, egg shells, and hair?)

4. Cook it, then freeze it! This one sounds more complicated than it is. Next time you cook a large batch of food, put the leftovers in a bag in the freezer. You’ll enjoy the fruits of your labor for a long time to come!

5. Reorganize your fridge. Keep what you have in sight, so when you open your fridge you’ll know what needs to be eaten! If you keep leftovers towards the front of the fridge in clear containers, you’re much more likely to remember to eat them.

6. Donate food scraps to your local farmer. Lots of farmers take food scrap donations so they can feed it to their animals or turn it into fertilizer. It’s a great way to bring your consumption habits full-circle!

How do we reduce food waste here at Boston Organics?

Composting and food donations play a significant role in keeping food waste out of our operations!

Food For Free
Every Monday, an amazing Cambridge-based organization called Food for Free comes by our warehouse to pick up our leftover produce from the previous week. Food For Free rescues fresh food that might otherwise go to waste and distributes it to the community’s most vulnerable populations through meal programs, food pantries, emergency shelters, hospitals and clinics, and youth programs in Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston.

In 2011, we donated 26,235 pounds of produce to Food For Free! We are so thankful for the hard work that they do to help provide access to healthy food for the people who need it most.

Save That Stuff
We work with Save that Stuff to recycle our recyclables and to compost whatever we can. In 2011, we composted 32,270 pounds of produce through Save That Stuff.   The compost that is picked up from Boston Organics eventually makes its way to Rocky Hill Farm in Saugus, Massachusetts.

What do you do to reduce your food waste at home? Email us at service@bostonorganics.com and you’ll find a surprise in your box!

Interested in giving Boston Organics deliveries as a gift?

At the moment we do not have a formal gift delivery program. If you would like to sign a friend or family member up for the service, you can. Here’s what you need to know:

How to Start
Before signing up, make sure that gift recipient is aware of the produce delivery, our policies, & that he/she can receive & retrieve produce deliveries at a specific address on their delivery day. Note: Some dormitories, front desks, and concierges will not accept produce deliveries.

The best place to start is under the How It Works menu on our website. Here you can check to see when we deliver to their location.

On our This Week’s Box page, you can view the boxes that we offer and check out which box might be best for them!

How and when will you be billed?
Billing is run every week that a delivery is made. We don’t have a prepayment or telephone payment option because customers can make changes to their accounts (like box type changes and add-on orders).

Communication
A confirmation email will be sent to whatever email address you enter online.  The email we have on file we will use for pertinent account and order communications, as well as a weekly newsletter.

If you would like to offer a specific number of produce deliveries, please cancel service using the form on our website following that number of deliveries.

Note: If the recipient would like to continue service beyond the duration of your gift, you can coordinate the process with them. They will just need to update the billing information on their account.

If you have any questions, you can always contact us at 617.242.1700 or at service@bostonorganics.com.
Thank you, and happy holidays!

Happy Holidays from Boston Organics!

The holidays are coming up soon! We will be closed on Friday, December 23rd & Monday, December 26th, and our delivery schedules will be different for those two weeks.

Click here to view our 2011 Holiday Delivery Schedule!

Delivery Cancellations & Deadlines

Don’t think you can use your Boston Organics delivery during these next few weeks? It’s easy to cancel upcoming deliveries on our website!

Deadline Reminders:

• Your deadline for cancellations and bread orders is 2 days before your scheduled delivery day by 12 Noon.
• Your deadline for add-on’s (except bread) and no-list changes is 1 day before your scheduled delivery day by 12 Noon.

If you’ve got any questions, don’t hesitate to call us up at 617-242-1700 or email us atservice@bostonorganics.com!

Thank you, and we look forward to a safe and happy holiday season!

The Boston Organics Crew

Happy Labor Day from Boston Organics! This week brings bell peppers, local McIntosh apples, sweet potatoes, and more. Tasty VT maple syrup is our featured add-on, and heirloom tomatoes still available to order. Check out the newsletter!

We will have altered delivery schedules the weeks of 12/21-12/25 and 12/28-1/1. Boston Organics will be closed on 12/24, 12/25, and 1/1/10.

Please find your delivery day below!

We have local organic pumpkins from Atlas Farm! Happy October! Each add-on order will weigh about 3 pounds, and consist of one small pumpkin or two smaller pumpkins or three very small pumpkins! These pumpkins are great for roasting, baking, and decorating! You can order them here!