On Thursday, October 13th, Mission Pie’s Karen Heisler and Luminalt’s Jeanine Cotter co-presented at the EPA’s offices in San Francisco on a panel honoring the legacy of Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. The panel was called “Businesses that Walk the Talk: Using Sustainable Practices while Protecting Worker Rights.” In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the panelists spoke of the profound impact the civil rights leaders’ movement had on them and ways in which each of them has incorporated its principles of economic and environmental justice in their companies’ operations. Karen – who worked at the EPA for 15 years – spoke about the positive role that for-profit companies can play in our communities. She shared the example of baking walnut pies instead of pecan – California produces 98% of the nation’s walnuts, while pecans would travel 2500 miles. Mission Piebakes with organic walnuts bought directly from Dixon Ridge Farms in Winters, California, reducing the food miles traveled hence energy consumed, and supporting local growers and processors.
Luminalt and Mission Pie recently teamed up to install solar on the roof of Mission Pie, further illustrating each business’s commitment to local hiring, workforce development, and environmental sustainability. By installing solar, Mission Pie is expanding their current environmental practices that include compact fluorescent bulbs, super efficient ovens, and reusable utensils. Both Luminalt and Mission Pie are supporters of workforce development programs, hiring from local training programs that expand opportunities for local workers. Luminalt and Mission Pie truly are two “Businesses that Walk the Talk.”
To learn more about Mission Pie’s values, please visit their website
To learn more about Luminalt’s commitment to community, please visitthis page.