Whole Foods tops green ranking (Austin)

Whole Foods Markets Inc. has grabbed the No. 2 spot on yet another green business ranking.

The Austin-based natural foods grocer and retailer took the second spot after Burt's Bees on a Green Brands Survey of U.S. consumers. The survey is designed to determine consumers’ attitudes toward various companies regarding the issue of sustainability.

Whole Foods in April was ranked as being the third largest green power buyer in the U.S., according to a recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report. The company buys about 817.4 million kilowatt-hours of green power, according to the quarterly report, or enough solar and wind energy to cover more than 100 percent of its needs. That month, the Whole Foods also installed an electric car charging station at its Austin headquarters store.

The report polled more than 9,000 consumers in eight countries about a list of pre-determined brands. The study was sponsored by PR firm Cohn & Wolfe and several consulting firms: Landor Associates, Esty Environmental Partners and Penn Schoen Berland.

Read more in the Austin Business Journal.