No more bags: Whole Foods' latest push for green

In the interests of total disclosure, I'm going to begin by admitting that I don't like shopping at Whole Foods. I find the stores almost obscenely expensive, irritatingly self-righteous, and badly laid out. Beyond that, they are generally filled with snotty, self-obsessed yuppies, who have a tendency to step on my feet. By the time I leave, I usually have mashed toes, a bag full of overpriced delicacies, and the feeling that I've been manipulated into shelling out way too much money. It's gotten to the point that even my massively overdeveloped sense of liberal guilt is no longer strong enough to inspire me to shop at the temple of holy greenitude.

That having been said, I have to (grudgingly) admit that I'm impressed by Whole Foods' recent environmentally-sound actions. Its decision to use fuel cells to help power a store in Connecticut struck me as a bold and impressive move, and I'm hoping that other stores, schools, and institutions will follow its lead. I also feel like it puts its money where its mouth is when it comes to donating funds to environmental causes. And, last but not least, it carries an impressive selection of organic foods, even if it still uses a bit more high fructose corn syrup than I would like.