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128-758: The Union Street Bridge is a double leaf Scherzer rolling lift bascule carrying Union Street over the Gowanus Canal in the New York City borough of Brooklyn . The bridge cost $ 85,206.85 and opened on March 4, 1905. This article about a bridge in New York is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a building or structure in Brooklyn is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Gowanus Canal The Gowanus Canal (originally known as Gowanus Creek )

256-571: A Wall Street Journal article in August 2009, John Mackey acknowledged that his company had lost touch with its natural food roots and would attempt to reconnect with the idea that health was affected by the quality of food consumed. He said, "We sell a bunch of junk." He stated that the company would focus more on health education in its stores. As of 2013, many stores have employed Healthy Eating Specialists who are team members who "answer customers' healthy eating questions and can assist ... in choosing

384-400: A 1998 documentary film about the canal, two New York City police discussed the then-recent discovery of a suitcase containing human body parts that was taken from the waterway by fishermen. There have been reports of not just persons who have died in or near the canal, but vessels lost as well. For instance, on January 2, 1889, the tug boat "Hugh Bond" sank in the canal during a gale, though

512-543: A 90-foot-tall (27 m) fixed-span viaduct, crosses above the Ninth Street Bridge. The viaduct contains the Smith–Ninth Streets station, which is partially located above the canal and is served by the F , <F> , and ​ G trains. There is a short tributary to the east, about 185 feet (56 m) long, connecting to the parking lot of a Lowe's home-improvement store to

640-621: A Pay-as-you-Go model. In January 2008, Whole Foods Market was the first U.S. supermarket to commit to eliminating disposable plastic grocery bags to help protect the environment and conserve resources, and many stores serve as a collection point for shoppers to recycle their plastic bags. On Earth Day , April 22, 2008, the chain eliminated the use of disposable plastic grocery bags company-wide at point-of-purchase in favor of reusable bags or paper bags made from recycled paper. The company also began offering "Better Bags," large, colorful grocery bags made primarily from recycled bottles. The move from

768-529: A cash tender offer of $ 18.50 per share, or approximately $ 565 million based on fully diluted shares. Under the agreement, Whole Foods Market, Inc. would also assume Wild Oats Markets Inc.'s net debt totaling approximately $ 106 million as reported on September 30, 2006. On June 27, 2007, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued an administrative complaint challenging Whole Foods Market, Inc.'s acquisition of Wild Oats Markets Inc. According to

896-513: A cost-sharing agreement with the DEP to collaborate on a $ 5 million Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study of the Gowanus Canal area. It was to examine possible alternatives for ecosystem restoration such as dredging, and wetland and habitat restoration and be completed in 2005. Discussions turned to breaking down the hard edges of the canal to restore some of the natural processes to improve

1024-445: A day transported cargo through it. In addition, the industrial sector around the canal grew substantially over time to include stone and coal yards; flour mills ; cement works, and manufactured gas plants ; tanneries , factories for paint, ink, and soap; machine shops ; chemical plants ; and sulfur producers. All of these industries emitted substantial water and airborne pollutants . Chemical fertilizers were manufactured along

1152-413: A day. The water quality of samples taken while the flushing pump was operating was reported to have improved. In 2010, New York City began a four-year project to upgrade and reactivate the flushing tunnel. According to The New York Times , the proposed plans included steps to "reconstruct the motor pit and replace the propeller with three modern vertical turbines; clean, patch and smooth the interior of

1280-535: A distinct submarket of all grocers. The court ruled that "mission-driven" consumers (those with an emphasis on social and environmental responsibility) would be adversely affected by the merger because substantial evidence by the FTC showed that Whole Foods intended to raise prices after the consummation of the merger. As part of its effort to combat the ruling, Whole Foods subpoenaed financial records, market studies, and future strategic plans belonging to New Seasons Market ,

1408-642: A lease for a new store on King’s Road in London’s Chelsea, expected to open its doors in 2025. Whole Foods Market sells only products that meet its self-created quality standards for being "natural," which the store defines as minimally processed foods that are free of hydrogenated fats as well as artificial flavors , colors , sweeteners , preservatives , and many others as listed on their online "Unacceptable Food Ingredients" list. Whole Foods Market has also announced that it does not intend to sell meat or milk from cloned animals or their offspring, even though

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1536-528: A low concentration of oxygen have left it generally incompatible with macroscopic marine life, although a variety of extremophiles have been observed in the canal. Despite the canal's heavy pollution, its proximity to Manhattan and upper-class Brooklyn neighborhoods is attracting concerted waterfront redevelopment. This has restarted calls for environmental cleanup , and prompted concerns that adjacent waterfront economic development would be incompatible with environmental restoration and environmental risks. It

1664-400: A neighborhood market feel. Whole Foods says that the company is committed to buying from local producers that meet its quality standards while also increasingly focusing more of their purchasing on producer- and manufacture-direct programs. Some regions have an employee known as a "forager," whose sole duty is to source local products for each store. In April 2007, Whole Foods Market launched

1792-478: A rating system in partnership with the Global Animal Partnership based on animal welfare. The produce department has a rating system based on farming practices which include measures of a farm's environment, GMO transparency, worker safety, and wage practices. The grocery department has an Eco-scale rating system for its cleaning products which measures their environmental impact. Each system

1920-679: A reddish-purple color, and a colloidal mixture described as "black mayonnaise" accumulated on its bottom. In 1887, the New York State Legislature closed the Bond Street outflow point. By 1889, pollution in the Gowanus Canal had become so bad that the Legislature appointed a commission to study ways to ameliorate the canal's condition. It concluded that the canal would be best off if it were closed to commercial traffic and then covered-over. The commission also called

2048-548: A regional competitor based in the Portland area. In 2009, Whole Foods agreed to sell the Wild Oats chain. In February 2017, Whole Foods Market said it would close nine stores and lowered its financial projections for the year as the natural-foods company struggled with increased competition and slowing sales growth. In late April 2017, Whole Foods reported their sixth consecutive quarter of declining sales and announced that

2176-399: A single company was actively using the Gowanus Canal as a shipping channel, and three of the drawbridges along the canal would only retract to let that company's boats pass. The few remaining barges mostly carried fuel oil, sand, gravel and scrap metal for export. The canal still serves as a port moving goods in and out of Brooklyn. Repeated calls have been made to revitalize the economy and

2304-442: A source of carcinogens ) were dumped back into the canal. Brooklyn's slaughterhouses dumped blood and other wastes into the canals. There was no through-flow of water and the canal was open at only one end, but the hope was that tides would be enough to flush the waterway. With the canal's wooden and concrete embankments, the strong tides of fresh diurnal doses of oxygenated water from New York Harbor were barred from flowing into

2432-1226: A subsidiary of Los Angeles grocer Smart & Final Inc. for $ 166 million in 2007. Whole Foods opened its second store in western New York in Amherst , a suburb of Buffalo in September 2017. As part of a streamlining campaign, in January 2017, the company reported that it would close three remaining regional kitchens in Everett , Landover and Atlanta . In June 2017, Amazon purchased Whole Foods Market for $ 13.7 billion. Amazon plans for Whole Foods customers who also have an Amazon Prime account to be able to order groceries online and then pick them up in store for free. In January 2019, to facilitate expansion into previously unserved areas, Amazon announced plans to acquire some former Sears and Kmart locations from Sears Holdings , which filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection on October 15, 2018. These vacant locations would be demolished or remodeled to create new Whole Foods Market locations. In April 2019, Whole Foods opened its largest store in

2560-573: A tidal inlet of navigable creeks in original saltwater marshland and meadows that contained wildlife. The Dutch government issued the first land patents within Breukelen (modern-day Brooklyn), including the land of the Gowanus, from 1630 to 1664. In 1636, the leaders of New Netherland bought the area around the Gowanus Bay. In 1639, the inhabitants swapped land claims with each other to build

2688-539: A tobacco plantation. The area's early settlers named the waterway "Gowanes Creek" after Gouwane , sachem (chief) of the local Lenape tribe called the Canarsee , who farmed on the shores. Adam Brouwer, who had been a soldier in the service of the Dutch West India Company , built and operated the first tide-water gristmill patented in New York at Gowanus. The mill was located on land that

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2816-645: A total of 80,000 sq ft (7,400 m ) on three levels, on the site of the old Barkers department store on Kensington High Street , West London and currently their largest store in the world. Company executives claimed that as many as forty stores might eventually be opened throughout the UK. However, by September 2008, in the wake of Whole Foods Market's financial troubles, Fresh & Wild had been reduced to four stores, all in London. The flagship Bristol branch closed because it had "not met profitability goals." In

2944-435: A whole have been prevalent online. Harvard Business Review writes that “the money paid to purchase those RECs, in theory, subsidizes the higher cost of producing clean electricity, making this alternative competitive, or creates a market mechanism that will cause more renewables to be produced.” The energy produced by wind farms that are benefactors of RECs is distributed to the same power grid as energy from fossil fuels, making

3072-425: Is a 1.8-mile-long (2.9 km) canal in the New York City borough of Brooklyn , on the westernmost portion of Long Island . Once a vital cargo transportation hub, the canal has seen decreasing use since the mid-20th century as domestic shipping declined. It continues to be used for occasional movement of goods and daily navigation of small boats, tugs, and barges. It is among the most polluted bodies of water in

3200-492: Is also working with the Environmental Protection Agency's GreenChill program to reduce refrigerant emissions. Refrigeration is extremely energy-intensive, leading the company to start using a refrigerant with a 68% lower global warming potential than the most commonly used refrigerants. Whole Foods signed an agreement with SolarCity to install solar panels on up to 100 stores. In 2015 the company

3328-779: Is in place to allow customers to make the most educated choices within Whole Foods Market. There are efforts to create more rating systems in other departments. Whole Foods Market has announced plans to provide its customers GMO ( genetically modified organism ) product labeling by 2018. Efforts of GMO transparency run the gamut of each department. For years, Non-GMO Project Verified items have been sought in Grocery. While efforts continue in Produce, Whole Foods recommends buying organic or referring to their "Responsibly Grown produce rating system [which] requires growers to disclose

3456-402: Is located near 19th Street on the eastern bank, or Bryant Street on the western bank. The canal takes a north-northeasterly course from this point, running east of Smith Street. An asphalt plant and marine transfer station are located on the canal's eastern bank, as well as a Home Depot and a FedEx Shipping Center. The Gowanus neighborhood originally surrounded Gowanus Creek. It consisted of

3584-438: Is located on the north bank of the 4th Street Basin. At Hoyt Street, two blocks west of Bond Street, the canal turns south with two extra tributaries at the east: one 480-foot-long (150 m) tributary at Seventh Street, and another 700-foot-long (210 m) near Sixth Street. Shortly afterward, it crosses under the Ninth Street Bridge, a vertical-lift bridge opened in 1999. The New York City Subway 's Culver Viaduct ,

3712-437: Is to have at least half of its imported products from these countries fully certified by 2017. Whole Foods Market has a policy of donating at least five percent of its annual net profits to charitable causes. Some of this mandate is accomplished through store-level donations held on certain "5% days" throughout the year. The rest of it comes from various targeted projects by the company. In May 1999, Whole Foods Market joined

3840-809: The Amazon One system connected to a customer's debit or credit card. On September 1, 2022, John Mackey stepped down from his position as chief executive officer (CEO) of the company, one he held since its inception in 1980. Jason Buechel succeeded him. Buechel previously served as executive vice president and chief information officer (CIO) between 2013 and 2019, followed by a tenure as chief operating officer (COO) from 2019 until his promotion in 2022. In March 15, 2024, Whole Foods Market announced they will close their Fulham and Richmond stores in UK, as well as their distribution center in Dartford. The Amazon-owned supermarket also announced that they have signed

3968-558: The Corp of Engineers halted their study immediately, giving all their research to the EPA. Initially, local residents resisted the EPA's proposed cleanup methods, as they feared that the toxic waste retrieved from the canal would instead be displaced onto nearby public areas. By 2013, the NYCDEP was planning to reduce the sewage content of the canal by repairing the freshwater tunnel that flushed

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4096-569: The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), a global independent, not-for-profit organization promoting sustainable fisheries and responsible fishing practices worldwide to help preserve fish stocks for future generations. The company first began selling MSC-certified seafood in 2000, and a growing selection of MSC-certified fish continues to be available. Whole Foods placed third on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Top 25 Green Power Partners". The company also received

4224-555: The New York City Community College (now New York City College of Technology , or City Tech) to test the Gowanus Canal's water for bacteria. The organisms they found included several that caused typhoid , cholera , dysentery , and tuberculosis . The next year, funding was obtained for a preliminary assessment of the canal. Initial findings revealed an almost total absence of oxygen, much raw sewage, grease, oil, and sludge. In 1978, construction began on

4352-579: The New York City Subway 's Culver Viaduct , Ninth Street, Hamilton Avenue, and the Gowanus Expressway . The canal was created in the mid-19th century from local tidal wetlands and freshwater streams. For roughly a century, heavy industrial use poured pollutants into the canal. Various attempts to remove the pollution or dilute the canal's water have failed. High ratios of fecal coliforms , deadly proportions of pathogens , and

4480-403: The 1960s. This culminated in an incident when a city worker dropped a manhole cover , severely damaging the pump system, which was already suffering from the effects of the corrosive salt water . The Clean Water Act of 1972 had not yet been passed, and the city, stretched for funds at the time, did nothing to address the issue. As a result of the unrepaired damage to the flushing tunnel, and

4608-594: The Animal Compassion Foundation in January 2005 to help other producers evolve their practices to raise animals naturally and humanely. On December 5, 2014, the organization registration was canceled. In 2008, Whole Foods created the Global Animal Partnership (G.A.P.) and says that "all fresh beef, pork, chicken, turkey and lamb (except kosher turkey and chicken) must be certified to meet 100+ animal welfare standards" set by

4736-630: The EPA Green Power Award in 2004 and 2005 and the Partner of the Year award in 2006 and 2007. A January 8, 2007, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report listed Whole Foods Market as the second-highest purchaser of green power nationwide, citing its actions as helping drive the development of new renewable energy sources for the electricity generation. The EPA report showed Whole Foods Market using 463.1 million kilowatt hours annually. It

4864-551: The EPA amended the 2020 order with a $ 369 million contract, beginning the second phase of cleanup, with no end date in sight. The canal's toxic sediment layer averages 10 feet (3.0 m) thick, and at some spots reaches 20 feet (6.1 m). As part of the Superfund cleanup, the EPA would remove approximately 307,000 cubic yards (235,000 m ) of highly contaminated sediment from the upper and middle segments and 281,000 cubic yards (215,000 m ) of contaminated sediment from

4992-405: The EPA to address the canal's environmental problems. In May 2009, the city stepped forward to oppose the Superfund listing. For the first time it offered to produce a Gowanus cleanup plan that would match the work of a Superfund cleanup, but with a promise to accomplish it faster. The city said it could now achieve a faster cleanup than the EPA. It would fund the cleanup through taxpayer dollars from

5120-488: The FTC's complaint vigorously, and a court hearing on the issue was scheduled for July 31 and August 1, 2007. CEO John Mackey started a blog on the subject to explain his opposition to the FTC's stance. Further blogging by Mackey was revealed when the FTC released papers detailing highly opinionated comments under the pseudonym "Rahodeb" that he made to the Whole Foods Yahoo! investment message board. This became

5248-478: The Gowanus Canal hosts a boat launch at Second Street. The Second Street boat launch is located adjacent to a "Sponge Park", which absorbs pollutants from the western bank before they can go into the canal. At Fourth Street, the Fourth Street Basin splits off to the east, while the Gowanus Canal proper turns west. A walkway with seating, built as part of the construction of a Whole Foods Market ,

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5376-559: The Gowanus Canal. Long-time restaurateur Nick Monte called it a "stinking, cancerous sore" and a "stinking cesspool". CGA founder Salvatore "Buddy" Scotto Jr. referred to the canal as "the most polluted waterway in the world", and "the spine of our deterioration", relating it directly to the economic problems of the area. In 1971, the City of New York held hearings on a Gowanus Industrial Urban Renewal Project, but did not support it with funding. In 1974, Scotto brought microbiologists from

5504-481: The Gowanus. The repair was designed to mitigate, but not eliminate, the sewage problem. On September 27, 2013, the EPA approved a cleanup plan for the Gowanus Canal. The plan, which would cost $ 506 million was intended to be completed by 2022, and divided the canal into three segments split by 3rd Street and the Hamilton Avenue Bridge. The plan entailed three steps: dredging contaminated sediment from

5632-610: The Midwest, Bread of Life of Florida, Detroit-area Merchant of Vino stores, and Nature's Heartland of Boston. The company purchased Allegro Coffee Company in 1997. The company's 100th store was opened in Torrance, California , in 1999. The company started its third decade with additional acquisitions. The first was Natural Abilities in 2000, which did business as Food for Thought in Northern California . After

5760-523: The NASDAQ was WFM. While opening new stores, the company fueled rapid growth by acquiring other natural foods chains throughout the 1990s: Wellspring Grocery of North Carolina , Bread & Circus of Massachusetts and Rhode Island (banner retired in 2003), Mrs. Gooch's Natural Foods Markets of Los Angeles, Bread of Life of Northern California, Fresh Fields Markets on the East Coast and in

5888-638: The Northeast region, Anthony Gilmore became president of the Southwest region, and Ron Megehan became the Northern California region, president. In 2001, Whole Foods also moved into Manhattan . Later that year, Ken Meyer became president of the newly formed South region and Whole Foods Market acquired the assets of Harry's Farmers Market , which included three stores in Atlanta . In 2002,

6016-553: The Pumping Station. At first, the brick-lined 1.2-mile (1.9 km) tunnel supplied clean water from the Buttermilk Channel between Brooklyn and Governors Island , carried it eastward underneath Butler Street, and discharged the clean water at the mouth of the Gowanus Canal. The flushing tunnel also failed, and aside from numerous operational glitches, a long series of errors and mistakes occurred throughout

6144-622: The Red Hook Sewage Treatment plant in Vinegar Hill that had been planned since the 1950s. A full study of the canal was published in 1981. It indicated that on an average day, more than 13,000,000 US gallons (49,000,000 L) of raw sewage emptied into it. The report also documented the decreasing use of the canal by industry and shipping. The number of industrial firms using the canal fell from nearly fifty in 1942 to six in 1981. The amount of freight brought through

6272-770: The Southeast in Midtown Atlanta. The three-level store has a burger restaurant, an Allegro Coffee shop, and a rooftop terrace. Whole Foods entered the Canadian market in 2002 in Toronto . In 2013, Whole Foods said it would open around 40 more stores in Canada over time. At the time, there were 9 Whole Foods in Canada. By January 2017, Whole Foods had 467 stores, all of which were in the United States except 9 in

6400-426: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ruled them safe to eat. The company also sells many USDA-certified organic foods and products that aim to be environmentally friendly and ecologically responsible. Stores do not carry foie gras or eggs from hens confined to battery cages due to animal cruelty concerns as a result of successful advocacy by animal welfare groups. The Whole Foods Market website details

6528-785: The United Kingdom and 12 in Canada. In January 2017, Whole Foods announced it was canceling plans from 2015 and 2016 to open stores in Calgary and Edmonton. Among the twelve were five each in Greater Vancouver and Greater Toronto , and one each in Ottawa and Victoria . In March 2020 there were 487 stores in the US, 14 in Canada and 7 in the UK. In 2004, Whole Foods Market entered the UK by acquiring seven Fresh & Wild stores. In June 2007, it opened its first full-size store,

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6656-563: The United States. Connected to Gowanus Bay in Upper New York Bay , the Gowanus Canal borders the neighborhoods of Red Hook , Carroll Gardens , and Gowanus , all within South Brooklyn , to the west; Park Slope to the east; Boerum Hill and Cobble Hill to the north; and Sunset Park to the south. Seven bridges or viaducts cross the canal, carrying, from north to south, Union Street, Carroll Street , Third Street,

6784-638: The Whole Trade Guarantee, a purchasing initiative emphasizing ethics and social responsibility concerning products imported from the developing world. The criteria include fair prices for crops, environmentally sound practices, better wages and labor conditions for workers, and the stipulation that one percent of proceeds from Whole Trade-certified products go to the Whole Planet Foundation to support micro-loan programs in developing countries. The company's goal, published in 2007,

6912-679: The air and water beneath. Around this time, sewage going to the Gowanus Canal was redirected into sewage treatment plants near the Buttermilk Channel. With the early 1960s growth of containerization , the number of industrial waterfront jobs in the state declined, and the canal's industries were no exception. With much fanfare, the USACE completed its last dredging of the canal in 1955, and soon afterward abandoned its regular dredging schedule, deeming it to no longer be cost-effective. The intake fan that brought Buttermilk Channel water into

7040-406: The bottom of the canal; capping the dredged areas; and implementing controls on combined sewer overflows to prevent future contamination. It also involved excavating and restoring approximately 475 feet (145 m) of the former 1st Street Basin and 25 feet (7.6 m) of the former 5th Street Basin. The restoration was expected to be paid for by the host of entities deemed "responsible parties" for

7168-539: The canal "a disgrace to Brooklyn" because of the foul smells arising from the waterway. The first step to ameliorate the canal's pollution was the 1890s construction of the Bond Street sewer pipeline that carried sewage out into the harbor. This proved inadequate. In the first attempt to improve flow at the northern, closed end of the canal, the "Big Sewer" was constructed from Marcy Avenue in Prospect Heights to Green and 4th Avenues in Gowanus. It then entered

7296-416: The canal at an inflow point near Butler Street. Scientific American featured this sewer design for its innovative construction method and size. The area the sewer ran through was known as the "Flooded District". It was believed that this new sewer would serve two purposes: to drain the flooded district, and to use the flow of that excessive water to move the water of the upper Gowanus Canal. The tunnel

7424-487: The canal soon after the Civil War . Coal processing had been a dominant industry since 1869. By the late 19th century, there were 22 coal plants with frontage on the canal. Coal plants along the upper canal used large amounts of water in the conversion of coal to coke, liquids and gases. Coal gas was soon used for heating, light, and factory power. Coke was used to make steel. Wastewater and coal tar (now known to be

7552-488: The canal was more than 55% lower, and the number of times the drawbridges on the canal was opened declined by almost 70%. The report put forward a number of recommendations, one of which was fixing the flushing tunnel to increase the oxygen content of the water. In 1987, the Red Hook Treatment Plant was opened, diverting more sewage input from the canal. This $ 375 million plant collected waste from

7680-473: The canal's Fourth Street Turning Basin began in December 2016, but was delayed while bulkheads were being installed along the canal's banks. The pilot dredging uncovered several artifacts such as a crash boat from World War II ; industrial wooden bobbins for textiles; and 19th-century wagon wheels. These artifacts had to be cleaned of contaminants before archaeologists could study them. In July 2018, during

7808-449: The canal's western bank at Second Street. The park doubles as a stormwater catchment area, absorbing pollutants before they can go into the canal. Beginning in 2017, the city's Department of Environmental Protection built several miles of high-level storm sewers (HLSS) to prevent stormwater from flooding the city's sewage system. The new storm sewers carry stormwater collected in new and existing catchment areas, preventing it from entering

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7936-550: The canal, as well as government entities like the New York City government and the United States Navy. Some of these companies, such as Brooklyn Union Gas , either no longer existed, had relocated, or had been renamed. If these defunct companies have been incorporated into another company, the property owners and the parent companies were expected to take responsibility, as are the companies that created or moved

8064-435: The channel. With the high level of development in the Gowanus watershed area, excessive nitrates and pathogens are constantly flowing into the canal, further depleting the oxygen and creating breeding grounds for the pathogens responsible for the canal's odor. Water quality measures of the concentration of oxygen in the canal were just 1.5 ppm , well below the minimum 4 ppm needed to sustain life. The canal water took on

8192-413: The city for damages related to the flooding issues that plagued the canal. By 1910, complaints were being made about the canal's water being almost solid waste, which provoked the installation of a flushing tunnel that was 12 feet (3.7 m) across. The Butler Street Pumping Station, a Beaux-Arts structure at the canal's inland end, opened on June 21, 1911. The new flushing tunnel connected to

8320-487: The city is investing in various methods of stormwater management. One related improvement has been the creation of specialized curbside gardens, or bioswales , along sidewalks to absorb stormwater and reduce sewer overflows into the canal. A community-based non-profit organization, the Gowanus Canal Conservancy , is involved in stewardship of the bioswales. In 2015, the city built Sponge Park, along

8448-456: The cleanup could pose a health risk. In early 2017, EPA administrator Scott Pruitt , who had proposed many of the EPA budget changes and program eliminations, approved of the funding, saying that Superfund cleanups should be prioritized. Work on the cleanup process began in October 2017, and at the time, the cleanup was expected to cost $ 506 million. The first phase of a pilot study at

8576-462: The company for $ 13.7 billion on August 28, 2017. In 1978, John Mackey and Renee Lawson borrowed $ 45,000 from family and friends to open a small vegetarian natural foods store called SaferWay in Austin, Texas (the name being a spoof of Safeway ). When the two were evicted for storing food products in their apartment, they decided to live at the store. Because it was zoned for commercial use, there

8704-521: The company continued its expansion in North America and opened its first store in Toronto, Ontario . Further continuing its expansion, Select Fish of Seattle was acquired in 2003. In late 2004, it was reported that Whole Foods had "cleared $ 188 million in profits in the last two years." In 2005, Whole Foods opened its 80,000 sq ft (7,400 m ) flagship store in downtown Austin . The company's headquarters moved into offices above

8832-544: The company would be closing nine stores: two each in Colorado and California, and one each in Georgia, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Illinois. The loss of revenue was attributed to foot traffic being down and other supermarkets offering a similar experience for a lower cost. On June 15, 2017, Amazon announced it would acquire Whole Foods Market, adding some 400 physical stores to Amazon's e-commerce assets. The purchase

8960-530: The company's Cheltenham store as part of a rationalization plan. Whole Foods Market Inc. currently operates five different Whole Foods locations: in Camden Town , Clapham Junction , Kensington , Piccadilly Circus and Stoke Newington . On February 21, 2007, Whole Foods Market, Inc. and Wild Oats Markets Inc. announced the signing of a merger agreement under which Whole Foods Market, Inc. would acquire Wild Oats Markets Inc.'s outstanding common stock in

9088-451: The company's Mississippi locations plans on utilizing a local wind farm funded by Amazon to source the store’s energy needs. In the case study of a Raleigh, North Carolina Whole Foods Market, the company worked with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Commercial Building Partnerships to plan and evaluate the construction of an extremely energy-efficient building, which if successful, would have been rolled out to other locations. Whole Foods Market

9216-465: The company's criteria for selling food, dietary supplements, and personal care products. Until June 2011, body care products sold at Whole Foods Market could be marketed as organic even if they contained ingredients not listed by the USDA as acceptable for use in organic food. "Products made using petroleum-derived and other synthetic or chemical ingredients, prohibited in organic foods, can be found among

9344-467: The complaint, the FTC believed that the proposed transaction would violate federal antitrust laws by eliminating the substantial competition between two close competitors in the operation of premium natural and organic supermarkets nationwide. The FTC contended that if the transaction were to proceed, Whole Foods Market would have the ability to raise prices and reduce quality and services. Both Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats stated their intention to oppose

9472-436: The contaminants are not exposed. Next, an "armor" layer of heavier gravel and stone prevents boat traffic and canal currents from eroding the underlying layers. The topmost layer comprises sufficient clean sand atop the "armor" layer, filling the gaps in the layer of stones and establishing sufficient depth to restore the canal bottom as a habitat. In the middle and upper segments of the canal, where liquid coal tar has seeped into

9600-462: The creek, creating an environment where large bivalves thrived. In succeeding generations, negative artificial selection slowly reduced the size of the bivalves, since smaller bivalves were better adapted to the creek's water. Larger bivalves were less likely to survive, and thus, less likely to reproduce. In 1774 the Government of New York enacted a law to widen the creek into a canal, to keep

9728-418: The crew escaped. On May 10, 1892, the canal boat Alpha sank with a cargo of coal. On December 31, 1903, a dredge was found sunk in the canal, and an unnamed engineer/nightwatchman was reported missing and believed to be drowned. With six million tons of cargo produced and trafficked annually though the waterway after World War I , the Gowanus Canal became the nation's busiest commercial canal, and arguably

9856-429: The departure of then company president Chris Hitt and regional president Rich Cundiff, Southern California region, John Mackey promoted A. C. Gallo, president of the Northeast region, and Walter Robb , president of the Northern California region to co-COO and soon after added the titles of co-president. This led to the promotion of three new regional presidents and a new era for the company. David Lannon became president of

9984-429: The east, and Hamilton Plaza: a shopping center located at 1-37 12th Street which formerly housed a Pathmark supermarket and a Dunkin' Donuts directly to the south. At this point, a walkway leads from Lowe's north to Ninth Street along the northern bank of the tributary and the eastern bank of the canal. Owing to its hidden location, the waterfront promenade has seen little use. At approximately 14th Street along

10112-535: The eastern bank, Hamilton Avenue and the Gowanus Expressway cross the canal at a diagonal from southeast to northwest, connecting to Lorraine Street on the western bank. Separate movable bascule bridges built in 1942 carry both directions of Hamilton Avenue's traffic, while the Gowanus Expressway rises on a viaduct far above the canal. The Gowanus Canal's mouth is at the Gowanus Bay, a portion of Upper New York Bay bordering western Brooklyn. The mouth

10240-801: The environment of the Gowanus area. The first major U.S. law that would allow this, a law to address water pollution, was the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948. It was followed by the establishment of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970 and the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972. Beginning in the 1960s, locals formed the Carroll Gardens Association (CGA) to lobby for civic improvements, including cleanup of

10368-487: The existing Bond Street sewer and brought the total of combined sewer overflow (CSO) points in the city to 14. With the opening of the new plant, the last dry-weather discharge into a New York City waterway ended, and the CSO points now only function during rain storms. The next year a sewage pipe was installed within the flushing tunnel, but according to a New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) engineer,

10496-455: The final plan was chosen for its low cost. United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Major David Bates Douglass was hired to design the canal, which was essentially complete by 1869. The cost of the construction came from assessments on the local residents of Brooklyn and State money. Despite its relatively short length, the Gowanus Canal was a hub for Brooklyn's maritime and commercial shipping activity. At its busiest, as many as 100 ships

10624-473: The first decade of the 20th century, up to 700 structures were built in South Brooklyn every year. Thriving industry brought many new people to the area, but important questions about wastewater sanitation had not been properly addressed to handle such growth. All sewage from the new buildings drained downhill and into the Gowanus. Since there was less open ground than before, rainwater now went onto

10752-566: The flushing tunnel broke in 1963, leading to its closure. A year later, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge opened, eliminating the need for industrial boats to use the canal at all, since trucks could use the bridge and Interstate 278 to ship goods from around the country to the Gowanus area. With the failure of the city sewage and pump station infrastructure, the Gowanus Canal was used as a derelict dumping place. It remained in that condition for almost three decades. By 1993,

10880-409: The growing city. The valley's watershed is approximately 6 square miles (16 km ) and includes drainage from what are now the adjacent neighborhoods of Carroll Gardens and Park Slope. Wealthier residents tended to live inland and uphill to avoid the smells and "discomforts" of lower areas. Industries, which needed water for processing, transport, and disposal of wastes, gravitated toward sites along

11008-562: The local street grid. Its course is located mid-block between Bond Street to the west and Nevins Street to the east. Along the way it passes bridges at Union Street, Carroll Street, and Third Street from south to north. While the Union Street and Third Street Bridges are movable bascule bridges , the Carroll Street Bridge is a retractable bridge that can be rolled diagonally to let ships through. The western bank of

11136-523: The long stretch of economic recession, the waters of the canal lay stagnant and under-used for years. There is an urban legend that the canal served as a dumping ground for the Mafia . Some cases are on record: news reports state that the bodies of a Brooklyn racketeer in the 1930s and a president of the Grain Handlers Union in the 1940s were found in the Gowanus Canal. In Lavender Lake ,

11264-458: The lower segment. The sediment would be treated at an off-site facility. Then, at the locations where contamination had permeated the underlying sediment, the EPA would cap the dredges with multiple layers of clean material. The multi-layer caps consist of an "active" layer made of a specific type of clay that would remove contamination that could well up from below. Atop the clay layer is an "isolation" layer of sand and gravel that will ensure that

11392-506: The most nutrient-dense ingredients, suggest satisfying healthy recipes," and help "create a meal plan in keeping with your health goals." Whole Foods Market has developed several in-store rating systems for various departments to allow their customers full transparency in purchasing. The Seafood department has a Sustainability Rating System for wild-caught seafood while farm-raised seafood has to meet aquaculture standards both rated in accordance to third-party auditors. The Meat department has

11520-550: The most polluted. The heavy sewage flow into the canal required regular dredging to keep the waters navigable. By the 1950s Brooklyn's fuel trade was already converting from coal and artificial gas to petroleum, which was served by the wider and deeper Newtown Creek , and natural gas, which arrived by pipeline . In 1951, with the opening of the elevated Gowanus Expressway over the waterway, easy access for trucks and cars catalyzed industry slightly. The expressway carried 150,000 daily vehicles, which unloaded tons of toxic emissions into

11648-507: The natural sediment, the EPA would stabilize that sediment by mixing it with concrete or similar materials. The stabilized areas would then be covered with the multiple-layer caps. As the Superfund model required the EPA to seek restitution from the Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs), the estimated cost of the cleanup plan would be divided and distributed among more than 30 companies responsible for polluting

11776-624: The organic shampoos and lotions made by Avalon, Nature's Gate, Jason Natural Cosmetics, Kiss My Face and other brands," said Urvashi Rangan, an environmental health scientist at Consumer Reports . This is because the federal guidelines that regulate organic food labeling do not apply to cosmetics. Starting in June 2011, personal care products sold at Whole Foods Market were required to follow the same USDA National Organic Program standards for organic food. This required products labeled "Organic" to contain 95 percent or more certified organic ingredients. In

11904-529: The overall environment of the Gowanus wetlands area. The DEP also initiated the Gowanus Canal Use and Standards Attainment project to meet the city's obligations under the Clean Water Act. In early 2006, the problem of wastewater management arose during a controversy over a planned arena for the Brooklyn Nets in nearby downtown Brooklyn . The project, at that point called Pacific Park ,

12032-532: The pilot study, the promenade near Whole Foods was damaged due to contractor error. The cleanup itself was expected to start in 2020 and be completed two years later. The EPA issued a formal order on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, which initiated the first phase of the $ 506 million cleanup on the 1.8 mile long canal. This $ 125 million first phase would begin in September 2020 and last 30 months, though it wound up lasting 46 months ending in July 2024. On June 27, 2024,

12160-498: The pipe was so poorly installed that it failed "almost immediately". The city unsuccessfully attempted to fix the flushing tunnel's sewage pipe in 1998. It was fixed in 1999 after engineers reversed the direction of the tunnel's fan. Previously, water from the canal had gone westward into the Buttermilk Channel, but now water from the channel went into the Gowanus Canal. In 2002, the US Army Corps of Engineers entered into

12288-426: The plans was dredging, which was scheduled to begin in 2016. The second step was to lay down one of two different proposed "caps". The first "cap" proposal was for a concrete device, while the second was for a multi-layered device with pollutant-absorbent clay, a sand buffer, and an anchor composed of rocks. Ultimately, the multi-layered cap was selected for installation in the canal. However, there were concerns that

12416-486: The pollutants around. The EPA Superfund Gowanus report identified two major PRPs: National Grid (which later acquired Brooklyn Union Gas' successor KeySpan ) and the New York City government. According to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, plans to reactivate the flushing tunnel pump were proposed in 1982. Various events caused the project to be delayed until 1994. The tunnel

12544-480: The pollution by the EPA, including Brooklyn Gas and Electric, now part of National Grid and the City of New York. The EPA suggested seven plans for the cleanup. In 2014, the EPA presented a proposal for containing toxic sludge in the Gowanus Canal. The Village Voice reported two scenarios as most viable. These were estimated to take ten years to complete and would cost around $ 350–$ 450 million. The first step in

12672-424: The present-day canal at Carroll and Third Streets. On May 26, 1664, several Breuckelen residents, headed by Brouwer, petitioned Director General Peter Stuyvesant and his Council for permission to dredge a canal at their own expense through the land of Frederick Lubbertsen to supply water to run the mill. The petition was presented to the council on May 29, 1664, and the motion was granted. Another mill, Cole's Mill,

12800-524: The recovery, and the store reopened 28 days later. Beginning in 1984, Whole Foods Market expanded from Austin, first to Houston and Dallas and then to New Orleans with the purchase of The Whole Food Co. in 1988. In 1989, the company expanded to the West Coast with a store in Palo Alto, California . The company made its initial public offering on January 23, 1992. The company's ticker symbol on

12928-399: The roofs of the buildings and down into the canal. The building of new sewer connections only compounded the problem by discharging raw sewage from farther away neighborhoods into the canal. Pollutants, storm runoff , and discharge from the sewage system combined to make the canal's malodor so disgusting it was nicknamed "Lavender Lake". Compounding the problem, area property owners sued

13056-529: The same decade, a developer named Edwin Litchfield undertook a project to straighten the creek into a canal. At the time the 1.8-mile-long (2.9 km), 100-foot-wide (30 m) canal was built, several designs were proposed for it. Some included lock systems that would have allowed daily flushing of the whole waterway. However, these designs were considered too expensive. After exploring numerous alternative (and some more environmentally sound) designs,

13184-431: The sewage system. The first phase, comprising sewer installations south of Douglass Street, was supposed to be completed by summer 2018; a second phase north of Douglass Street would proceed from 2018 to 2020. The HLSS, built on a 96-acre (39 ha) area east of the northern end of the canal, are planned to capture half of the stormwater within the Gowanus Canal's watershed. Whole Foods Market Amazon acquired

13312-417: The shoreline. The mills on the Gowanus were home to public landing sites, connecting the water route to the old Gowanus Road. As the local population grew, and the 19th-century industrial revolution reached Brooklyn, the need for larger navigational and docking facilities grew. Colonel Daniel Richards, a successful local merchant, advocated building a canal to benefit existing inland industries, and draining

13440-601: The southeastern edge of the Denton's Mill pond. Brower's Mill, also known as Freeks Mill or Brouwer's Mill, was located at the present-day intersection of Union and Nevins Streets. It can be seen in drawings depicting the Battle of Brooklyn . Throughout this period, a few Dutch farmers settled along the marshland and engaged in clamming of large oysters that became a notable first export to Europe. The Gowanus Bay's 6-foot (1.8 m) tides pushed brackish water further into

13568-402: The standard health food store of the time. On May 25, 1981, the most damaging flood in 70 years devastated Austin . Whole Foods' inventory was ruined, and most of the equipment was damaged. The loss was approximately $ 400,000, and Whole Foods Market had no insurance. Customers, neighbors, and staff assisted in repairing and cleaning up the damage. Creditors, vendors, and investors assisted in

13696-415: The state and city levels, while the EPA would seek its funding from the polluters. The nonprofit Gowanus Canal Conservancy was also founded in 2009, creating partnerships with the EPA, the NYCDEP, groups such as Riverkeeper , and universities such as Cornell and Rutgers . On March 4, 2010, the EPA announced that it had placed the Gowanus Canal on its Superfund National Priorities List. Following this,

13824-441: The store website, including installing electric vehicle charging stations, harnessing solar energy, achieving green building certificates, using green refrigeration, and designing grocery stores of the future. In 2006 Whole Foods Market was amongst the first retailers, and the first Fortune 500 company, to offset 100% of their emissions by purchasing Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). Skepticism surrounding this purchase and RECs as

13952-631: The store. Whole Foods opened its first store in Hawaii in 2008 and in 2008 it also opened a southeast distribution center in Braselton, Georgia , calling it the first "green distribution center" for the company. Along with new acquisitions, such as the 2014 purchase of seven Dominick's Finer Foods locations in Chicago, Whole Foods has also sold stores to other companies. For example, 35 Henry's Farmers Market and Sun Harvest Market stores were sold to

14080-731: The subject of an investigation when the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) noted that the Regulation Fair Disclosure law of 2000 may have been violated. The SEC cleared Mackey of the charges on April 25, 2008. On July 29, 2008, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia overturned the district court's decision to allow the merger. The Court of Appeals ruled that "premium natural, and organic supermarkets" ("PNOS"), such as Whole Foods and Wild Oats, constitute

14208-451: The success of RECs difficult to track and quantify. Energy policy researcher Michael Gillenwater states that “claims that the U.S. green power market result in additional wind power lack credibility.” A 2022 study found that the purchasing of RECs inflates the actual value of this environmental commodity in terms of limiting emissions. Whole Foods Market also has several stores that function entirely on UTC power fuel cells on-site. One of

14336-536: The surrounding marshes for land reclamation that would raise property values. In 1849, under a decree by the New York Legislature , the Gowanus Creek was deepened so it could be used as a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) commercial waterway connected to Upper New York Bay . The creek's dredging was completed in 1860. Another act of the Legislature in 1867 allowed the canal to be deepened further. In

14464-505: The traditional paper/plastic system to reusable bags has been packaged as an initiative the company calls "BYOB – Bring Your Own Bag." The campaign is aimed at reducing pollution by eliminating plastic bags and reducing waste by encouraging bag reuse with "bag refunds" of 5–10 cents, depending on the store. However, it still offers single-use plastic bags in its produce department and does little to discourage persistent use by customers and Amazon Prime Now shoppers alike. Whole Foods created

14592-410: The tunnel; replace the broken sewer pipe and encase it in concrete to improve water flow; and reduce the amount of sewer overflow into the canal by increasing capacity at a nearby pumping plant". Increasing oxygen content was a major goal of the project. The original plans were modified in 2012, after Hurricane Sandy , to protect critical equipment from flooding. In 2014, following completion of much of

14720-565: The use of GMO seeds or plant material." In Seafood, plans are being made to launch a Non-GMO Project Verification process for farm-raised fish. Currently, there are no USDA Organic regulations for farmed seafood. Whole Foods Market purchases products for retail sale from local, regional, and international wholesale suppliers and vendors. Most purchasing occurs at the regional and national levels to negotiate volume discounts with major vendors and distributors. Regional and store buyers focus on local products and any unique products necessary to ensure

14848-451: The watercourse in good condition, and to levy taxes on people who used land near it. By the mid-19th century, the City of Brooklyn was quickly growing and was the United States' third-largest city. The creek and surrounding agricultural land was now part of an urban agglomeration, consisting of villages along the creek's shores. That same shoreline of river and swamp functioned as both a transportation system and an informal sewage system for

14976-418: The work, the tunnel was reactivated at a cost of $ 177 million. Throughout its history, the Gowanus Canal's sewage problems have been exacerbated by the effects of stormwater. For years, heavy rains have flooded streets and caused sewage lines to overflow, contributing to the canal's contamination. Much of the Gowanus Canal area is at sea level, in a Zone A risk area for flooding. To help prevent flooding,

15104-525: The year to September 28, 2008, the UK subsidiary lost £36 million due to a large impairment charge of £27 million and poor trading results due to the growing fears of a global recession. However, in 2011, global sales grew +8% each financial quarter as shoppers returned to the chain. A first Scottish store was opened on November 16, 2011, in Giffnock , Glasgow, which was closed in November 2017 along with

15232-456: Was completed by 1893, but Brooklyn residents complained their sewage outputs were not connected to the Big Sewer. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle initially hailed the sewer's size and extent. However, the newspaper declared it an "engineering blunder" in 1898, saying the Big Sewer caused sewage to go back into the Gowanus Canal, rather than its intended purpose of draining sewage from it. During

15360-598: Was covered, 100 percent net-wise, by its total electricity from biomass, geothermal, small hydro, solar, and wind sources. In August 2024, Whole Foods dairy suppliers were planning a pilot program with Windfall Bio, a startup company with financing from the Amazon Climate Pledge Fund, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Mayfield , and others, to add microbes to the soil of their farms that consume methane emissions to produce fertilizer . Whole Foods Market claims several energy efficient initiatives on

15488-500: Was deeded on July 8, 1645, to Jan Evertse Bout. It was the first gristmill in the town of Breukelen and the first mill to operate in New Netherland. The mill was located north of Union Street, west of Nevins Street, and next to Bond Street. A second mill—Denton's Mill, also called Yellow Mill—was built on Denton's Mill Pond, after permission was granted to dredge from the creek to the mill pond once located between Fifth Avenue and

15616-413: Was designated a Superfund site in 2009, and work to clean up the canal began in 2013. The Gowanus Canal begins at Butler Street in the neighborhood of Boerum Hill , in the northwestern part of Brooklyn. The wastewater pumping station at 201-234 Butler Street, a terracotta structure dating to 1911, is located north of the canal's head. The canal then runs in a south-southwest alignment parallel to

15744-418: Was finally reactivated in 1999. The new design employed a 600 horsepower (450 kW) motor, that pumped an average rate of 200,000,000 US gallons (760,000,000 L; 170,000,000 imp gal) a day of aerated water from the Buttermilk Channel in the Upper New York Bay into the head end of the canal. Although water was circulating through the tunnel, tidal forces meant it could only be pumped 11 hours

15872-567: Was located just about at present day 9th Street, between Smith Street and the canal. Cole's Mill Pond, located north of 9th Street, occupied the present location of Public Place. In 1699, a settler named Nicholas Vechte built a farmhouse of brick and stone now known as the Old Stone House . In 1776, during the Battle of Long Island , American troops engaged British Army troops at the house, enabling General George Washington to relocate his troops behind American lines. This house sat at

16000-471: Was named in the top 25 companies by number of solar installations. Whole Foods also reduced their energy usage by 21% between 2010 and 2021. Whole Foods Market extends their energy initiatives globally. The company’s non-profit organization, Whole Planet, which aims to alleviate poverty also pertains to climate mitigation. In 2023 the company announced that they would fund the distribution of solar home kits across Sierra Leone, making energy more accessible with

16128-421: Was no shower stall, so they bathed using a water hose attached to their dishwasher. Two years later, Mackey and Lawson partnered with Craig Weller and Mark Skiles to merge SaferWay with the latter's Clarksville Natural Grocery, resulting in the opening of the original Whole Foods Market, which included meat products. At 10,500 square feet (980 m ) and with a staff of 19, the store was large in comparison to

16256-532: Was to include a basketball arena and 17 skyscrapers. The resulting sewage would flow into antiquated combined sewers that can overflow when it rains. The Gowanus Canal has 14 combined sewer overflow points. The fear was the additional wastewater from the arena would lead to more frequent overflows in the canal. In March 2009, the EPA proposed that the canal be listed as a Superfund cleanup site. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) supported this action. It had requested help from

16384-522: Was valued at $ 13.7 billion and caused Whole Foods's stock price to soar after the announcement was made. In 2018, Whole Foods Market announced its possible intention to take over some vacant Sears and Kmart stores and refurbish them after Sears Holdings Corporation , which owned both chains, filed for bankruptcy in October. In April 2022, Whole Foods in Austin, Texas , began allowing consumers to make purchases by scanning their palms. The system uses

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