Conserving resources is important to Publix. In fact, Mr. George focused on being green before it was trendy to do so.

Today, to help make sure we continue to make progress in areas where we can have the greatest effect, we’ve created 5 pillars to concentrate on: water stewardship, plastics and packaging, energy conservation, landfill diversion and responsible sourcing. We consistently implement initiatives to support those pillars, from evaluating low-irrigation landscaping to working to convert recycled plastic bags to furniture.

Let me share some progress we’ve made in a couple of areas last year:

• Parts of the eastern and western Everglades began seeing the effects of a portion of our $2 million donation — water has returned to areas that needed it, allowing wildlife to survive and thrive in their natural habitat.
• For the 7th year in a row, we supported the restoration of damaged Florida watersheds by donating to the Arbor Day Foundation. Our donation allowed for planting 269,000 trees in Econfina Creek in the Florida Panhandle.

You can learn more about what we’re doing to help sustain the planet by visiting our sustainability website.

Thanks for all you do.

Read more messages from Todd.