Hannaford sustainability effort saves $15 million

Hannaford is saving $15 million a year through sustainability efforts at its 184 supermarkets, according to a recent study.

The nonprofit Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences conducted the study as part of Hannaford’s effort to receive certification through the center’s Grocery Stewardship Certification program. Manomet, which is headquartered in Massachusetts but has an office in Brunswick, examined all 184 Hannaford stores in 2014 and granted immediate certification to 179 of them, while the remaining five stores achieved provisional certification, according to a news release from Hannaford.

In addition, Manomet’s study found that Hannaford’s sustainability practices annually divert 125 million pounds of waste from landfills, conserve 43.4 million gallons of water and keep more than 430 million pounds of greenhouse gases from being emitted.

“Hannaford customers care about the environment and expect us to be good stewards on their behalf,” George Parmenter, manager of sustainability for Hannaford, said in a statement.

Ellsworth American gets top honor for weekly

The Ellsworth American was named New England’s best large-circulation weekly newspaper Saturday night at the New England Newspaper & Press Association annual meeting at the Seaport Hotel in Boston.

The American took first in the General Excellence competition, a category that takes into account all aspects of a newspaper’s content and appearance. The American and its sister newspaper, the Mount Desert Islander, together earned 51 awards for news reporting, photography, advertising and marketing. The Islander earned honorable mention in the General Excellence division.

Alan Baker, publisher of the two weeklies, said the honors, particularly the two general excellence awards, are an affirmation of the talent and commitment of each employee at the two papers.

– From staff reports