Look and listen for the welfare of the whole people and have always in view not only the present but also the coming generations, even those whose faces are yet beneath the surface of the ground – the unborn of the future Nation.

These words hail from Constitution of the Iroquois Nations, known as "A league of peace and power". The words above have taken on a life of their own and inspired the concept of the "7th Generation", shorthand for, "What legacy do we leave behind for those children of our great, great grandchildren, hundreds of years from now?"

At One World, we strive to apply this mindset as we make decisions in the management of our companies, as we take steps to reduce waste and energy usage, avoid single use materials, and recycle what's left. From delivering our drinks in durable cups to introducing Bloomington's first tailpipe-emission-free electric car we're always seeking opportunities to become more environmentally responsible.

Local sourcing is a strong component of this effort. We've long purchased from small and independent producers and distributors at every opportunity. More and more, we are finding opportunities to source from local farmers. We pass on the spent grains from our brewery to local farmers that can use them as feed and fertilizer. With the recent addition of our own Loesch Farm, we've created our own outlets for food wastes as feed for our own pigs and as compost to build the soil for our gardens. At the height of season, tomatoes from our gardens and sausage from our pigs hit the kitchen at Lennie's. We've also begun to raise organic hops for the Bloomington Brewing Company. We make our own pizza dough, sauces, and prepare hundreds of pounds of fresh vegetables each day at our One World Commissary. By preparing our own vegetables, we are not contributing to the chemical load on the environment created by the so-called "Fresh Cut Produce" industry. These days, most restaurants and nearly all chain restaurants buy their produce already chopped and washed and chemically bathed in sealed bags. This class of goods is known in the food industry as "Fresh Cut". At One World, we still cut our own vegetables, fresh. This creates local jobs, as well as reducing the chemicals in the environment and of course all those trimmings make lovely salads for our pigs. Yes, we don't have much use for the "Fresh-cut" folks. If you want to learn more, click here for Jeff Mease's fresh-cut rant.

Our environmental approach has earned some recognition, including the "Green Business Award" from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, the "Environmental Award" from the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, and the "Governor's Award for Excellence in Recycling" from the State of Indiana. We're proud of how we've been local pioneers in many of our sustainable practices, but we also see our efforts as journey that is constantly evolving. For us, sustainability is an endless process of improvement.