MOM’s Rolls out ‘TerraPass Your Gas’ Initiative

MOM's Organic Market has introduced progressive carbon offset partnership with TerraPass Inc., which offers verified carbon reduction projects across the United States.

The Rockville, Md.-based grocery chain will buy carbon credits from TerraPass in direct proportion to the emissions released from its customers’ shopping trips. MOM’s estimates it will be able to offset more than 6,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually. This will be equivalent to eliminating yearly greenhouse gas emissions from 1,067 passenger vehicles or the carbon dioxide emissions from using 621,400 gallons of gasoline. The grocer will use customer ZIP codes to estimate mileage driven to and from its stores.

“In addition to previous launched initiatives such as ‘Think Outside The Bag’ [encouraging use of reusable bags], ‘We Love Inflation’ [checking shopper’s tires for proper pressure to lower fuel consumption and emissions] and ‘Ban The Bottle’ [no longer carrying bottled water to cut unnecessary plastic waste], 'TerraPass Your Gas' supports MOM’s purpose, which is to protect and restore the environment,” noted founder and CEO Scott Nash.

San Francisco-based TerraPass will use funds received from MOM’s to sponsor four types of up-to-the-minute clean energy and efficiency projects: wind power, dairy farm methane digesters, landfill gas capture and coal mine capture. An independent third-party environmental auditor verifies each TerraPass offset purchase against industry leading standards.

MOM’s operates eight stores in the Washington, D.C., metro area: Alexandria, Va.; Bowie, Md; College Park, Md.; Frederick, Md.; Herndon, Va.; Jessup, Md.; Rockville, Md.; and Timonium, Md., with plans to open locations in Merrifield, Va., and Waldorf, Md., next year.