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Clark-poster.pdfParker Clark
I am doing my case study on the bridge street market for several reasons. First off it is centrally located downtown close enough for people to choose the option of walking or biking to it. And second it has one a solar farm on the roof of the building that is testing the use of Michigan’s first 500KW battery. This is to test the concepts of VPP or virtual power plants. Essential this is a energy storing model that acts as a buffer to solve the problem with intermittency in renewable energy sources. But that is just one of the uses of the building that aid in its sustainability. Which is beneficial because it falls in line with the UN sustainable development goal number 7 which I affordable and clean energy for all. As far as the bridge street markets sustainability goes however they do quite well. Beginning with there principles they support of local businesses, local growers, as well as the community they are surrounded by. They purchase a lot of sustainably produced goods and by buying locally the money stays within the community. Not only does the money stay in the community but for one of their practices they make a point to give back 6% of the profits back to the local community. This aids goals 9 industry innovation as well as goal 11 sustainable cities and communities.Another principle they have in to reduce their use of electricity and carbon. They do this in a couple different ways. They have upgraded all of their lighting to LEDs which are more efficient last longer and use less electricity. As well as they have upgraded their refrigeration in order to reduction leakage. By fixing the Refrigeration leakage they use less electricity to keep the coolers cold. They also track their supply chains use of carbon as well. Using SmartWay they track the usage of fossil fuels on their supply chain, by looking at where and when the trucks are using unnecessary fuel. The work they are doing here is in line with Sustainable development goals 9 industry and infrastructure innovation, and 13 climate action.
Another principle they practice also effects the local community by donating a potion of the unsold goods to food banks in the area. Not only do they provide for local food banks but they practice composting as well. This is in line with sustainable development goal 11 sustainable cities and communities, goal number 2 ending world hunger, as well as goal 12 responsible consumption and production.
Now these aren’t the only things that the bridge street market does well in the context of sustainability, but it also uses concepts of urban sustainability of built environment as well. the building itself was built with LEED concepts however it is not LEED certified. It was designed to provide lots of natural light with the large windows. The large windows also provide extra lines of sight to the street creating safer walking paths. There is gathering space inside the market as well this space is used for people to gather and share ideas this falls in line with the concept of shared space in urban sustainability. And lastly This building is a multi-use space meaning their are offices as well as apartments located in the same building making it a building with multiple purposes. Thus again falling in line with sustainable development goal number 11.All in all I think the sustainability concepts and practices that are at play here are a great example for what there is to come in the future the bridge street market from the design up is aiding towards the UN sustainability goals and I hope that new organizations in the coming future consider some of the concepts they are working with here in order to achieve better sustainability.
Glisson-poster.pdfChelsea Glisson
The Bridge Street Market opened August 29th, 2018 (Bridge Street Market). It is a small grocery store in downtown Grand Rapids, owned by Meijer. Not only does the Bridge Street Market promote local and specialty businesses now, they promoted local businesses from the very start of the project. Their grocery store is comprised mostly from reclaimed wood from local farms in Hart, Emmett, and Ludington. It also incorporated historic brick from the neighborhood into its construction (Our Roots). This decision would fall under the pillar of the economy, and environment, seeing as they’re using reused wood from farms and supporting the local economy.As most people know, vegan diets are better for the environment. The Bridge Street Market offers a wide assortment of locally sourced organic and vegan options. They pride themselves on the amount of vegan and organic options they offer. I’ll talk more about the specifics on what they offer later on.
The Bridge Street Market brings together the community in many different ways. The groceries they stock in their store are targeted at the community that surrounds the store. They asked the people in the area what their needs were, and stocked the Bridge Street Market accordingly. This goes to show that they care about the people surrounding the area, and they care about their social aspect of sustainability.
They also hold events in their store each month that bring people together. Some events they held in the month of February included: Chocolate Covered Strawberry at BSM, Gluten and Dairy Free Nutrition class, and Mix + Match Paczki at BSM. This is another way in which they are making their grocery store a “neighborhood” store.
Bridge Street Market has become the first building to have 1800 solar panels and a battery storage system capable of storing so much energy, in Michigan. A 500-kilowatt battery has been installed nearby to make sure there is always a consistent flow of renewable energy running to the grocery store. The solar energy it generates can power 100 homes (McVicar, B).
Currently the Bridge Street Market carries 5,000 products that were either locally made or locally sourced. In one year they were able to increase the amount of products they received locally by 33% (Bridge Street Market). Buying local supports the economy of the areas they’re located in, highlighting their work in the economic pillar of sustainability.
Although you wouldn’t be able to tell from looking at the outside, the Bridge Street Market is owned by Meijer. They are testing out what a small, environmentally friendly, neighborhood grocery store can do. Vinyl totes sold at the BSM are made out of recycled Meijer billboards. They’re utilizing their old advertising products to create new sustainable grocery bags.
Finally, as talked about before, this grocery store has much more vegan products than a typical grocery store. They value the benefit of a sustainable diet and lifestyle, and show it in the products they provide.
Jacob Lindsay
For my semester case study, I have decided to research the sustainable efforts made by a local Grand Rapids market. Bridge Street Market, founded in 2018 and funded by Meijer, has gone above and beyond supporting local Grand Rapids residents, farmers, while also implementing their sustainable values within their store as well. We have spoken a bit about the “Triple Bottom Line” within our class, as well as in many of my other Environmental Studies classes. The importance of meeting social, economic, and environmental aspects when running a business. That is what my poster focuses on and I firmly believe that Bridge Street Market is a prime example of a business that meets these standards. It is located on the corner of Bridge Street and Seward Avenue in Grand Rapids, just west of the Grand River, conveniently located between the West side neighborhoods. This market is unlike any that I have ever seenEnvironmental Aspects
Bridge Street Market prides themselves in supporting local farmers, by importing produce, meat, and other food from them that might not make it onto the shelves of a store this size. This was especially brought to my attention after our trip to the SAP site on Grand Valley’s campus. Seeing how there are many small farms within the surrounding Grand Rapids area, that are very similar to our SAP. These farms backed by this market are also partaking in very similar sustainable farming practices as well, much like what we find on our campus. It has been found that much of the produce we buy at larger more retail grocery stores are from larger more industrial farms that do not practice sustainable farming practices, leading to ecological issues, pollution, stormwater runoff, etc.
Another Environmentally friendly aspect that this store has implemented into the very building itself, was by using repurposed building materials. If you are to ever visit Bridge Street Market, one of the first things you will notice upon entering is that the interior has a very unique look with exposed brick walls and wood rafters. Most of the brick and wood used in the construction of the building, the wood was gathered from old farms in Hart, Emmett, and Ludington, and the brick from historic buildings within Grand Rapids. A more recent development in the business has been their interest in using solar energy to power the store.
Social Aspects
The Social success that Bridge Street Market has received has a lot to do with what I just previously discussed of course. Receiving access to fresh products from local farms that you would not likely see at your everyday grocery store is a bonus that no one can deny. However, there are two major factors to their social success that one of my previous professors explained to me, layout and location. First, the interior layout of the market, they have a local coffee bar and bakery inside their store, with very comfortable seating for many people. The interior look is very pleasing to the eye as I explained earlier and there are whole sections of the store dedicated to local suppliers. As my professor guided our class through the store I noticed that people were not rushing through the store trying to find the groceries that they needed, but instead observing and admiring all these local products. The second major factor is location, the market is located within the city and it is placed between two west side neighborhoods. Making Bridge Street Market very appealing to consumers, knowing that most other grocery stores are located outside of the city, saving them on traveling that extra distance.
Economical Aspect
Economically I found that the building itself is run very efficiently. If you were to go into any major shopping center you will probably notice something quite obvious. Most of the place is lit with those large fluorescent tube lights. They are very large and distracting, but what I failed to know is that they are also very inefficient energy consumers. Bridge Street Market, on the other hand, runs all its lighting off of LED bulbs which last 25-50 times longer, and for a store of its size that is open twelve hours a day those numbers add up. The building materials themselves were salvaged saving them vastes amounts of money when constructing the market.
Sovinski-poster.pdfParker Sovinski
Bridge Street Market is a grocery store located in the west side of Grand Rapids. It is owned and operated by Meijer and provides locally sourced, vegan, and organic products. The market seeks to become a positive movement within the local community and has been taking steps in the pursuit of such goals. One item that has been a big project of the market is the addition of a solar farm on the roof. This solar farm includes almost 1,800 panels but was a pricey endeavor at the price tag of $5,000,000. However, a 500 kilowatt battery was installed nearby and has the potential of storing enough power for up to 100 houses. This principle and practice positively impacts all three of the pillars of sustainability: environment, econominy, and equity. This solar project is also part of Consumers Energy and Rockford Construction and also includes an upgraded electrical grid for a 13 block area around the solar farm. Secondly, the Bridge Street Market prides itself on their products for being local and ethical. These products are a wide array, from being vegan friendly and organic to having a lot of products sourced in Michigan. The market has 130 feet of vegan products, an average of 220 organic produce offered each week, and carries more than 5,000 local products and continues to grow more. Within the first year of business they increased their Michigan made products by 33%. This supports thousands of local workers and helps the local economy thrive and gives people something to take pride in. The option of vegan food also gives people the chance to rely on less meat and dairy products and this is especially good since meat and dairy products tend to have a negative impact on the environment. For example, the possibility to have less beef usage is great since cows represent 2% of greenhouse gases that is emitted by the United States. When people do wish to consume certain foods that might not be vegan then there should be an organic option. The wide variety of more environmentally friendly options can lead to a less harmful impact on the environment. A third principle that the Bridge Street Market practices is promoting a healthy lifestyle. They often offer classes that revolve around having healthy eating habits or how to eat with restrictions. Some of these classes include gluten and dairy free nutrition and how to meal prep. These classes offer an educational moment for people of the community to learn how to take care of themselves and others better. What people put into their body can have major impacts regarding physical health and simply how they feel overall. The Bridge Street Market does a good job of being more sustainable and impacting their community with these values. These practices have a positive impact on the economy, equity, and environment for the most part, however, there are always ways to become more sustainable. I am not sure how their waste management is going but it would be nice to see something that revolves around the premise of giving their unused food to food banks or other people in need. There is also a coffee shop within bridge street market and there will soon be a sandwich shop, which I hope will also manage their waste in an environmentally friendly way. Overall, Bridge Street Market is a young store, having only been open since 2018, so they are doing a great job of being sustainable and from my understanding they intend on only becoming more sustainable.
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