Local Green Businesses

In Middle Tennessee, there is a growing consumer desire to patronize environmentally friendly businesses. As a result, local entrepreneurs are establishing eco-friendly businesses, while existing businesses have invested in converting their operations to comply with “green” guidelines.

Today, we’re sharing Middle Tennessee shops, companies, services, a hotel, and one entire shopping center that will enable you to live more sustainably in your daily life. Given the impact our individual shopping dollars have on our local environment (take the Tennessee River as an example), it’s clear that we can improve our beloved region by making conscious choices about which businesses to support.

"The chemicals you find in the river is a mirror of our society.
So, what we use, and what industries use, you’ll find in the river." 
- Dr. Andreas Fath, scientist and endurance swimmer

The Good Fill
thegoodfill.co
1106 Woodland St Suite 2, Nashville

The Good Fill is Nashville’s first zero-waste refill shop. Their mission: to help consumers leave wasteful thinking behind by providing alternatives to the average shopper’s disposable habits. Shop bath and body products, home cleaning products, and reusable alternatives to plastic packaging.

You may bring your own sanitized containers to refill with products from local, zero-waste, and sustainable brands, or purchase your first containers in-store. If you would rather have your purchases shipped to you, The Good Fill offers zero-waste shipping comprised of an innovative combination of upcycled, recycled, reusable, and compostable materials, with free shipping offered on orders over $100.

The Good Fill is committed to improving our shared environment, which is why they donate a portion of each sale to the One Tree Planted charitable organization. 

The Wild Cow
thewildcow.com
1100 Fatherland St SUITE 104, Nashville

The Wild Cow serves cruelty-free, health-conscious food without sacrificing flavor. Meals here are prepared on-site from their whole forms, meaning that each sauce, dressing, and soup is hand-crafted with skill and care. Whenever possible, The Wild Cow purchases organic produce from local growers. 

The Wild Cow is entirely dedicated to serving fresh food, which is why they do not have a freezer or a microwave within the restaurant. Stop by for good food in a relaxed environment. Every meal you purchase helps support your community, including non-profits that promote healthy eating, sustainable farming, and cooperative care for our planet.

Crema
crema-coffee.com
Multiple locations in Nashville

Crema is a carbon-neutral, zero-waste coffee shop, meaning everything used to brew and serve coffee is reusable, recyclable, or compostable, and they ditched their trash cans years ago. They source their coffee beans from farmers who use eco-friendly growing and harvesting methods, then roast their coffee beans carefully to bring out the best flavor in each batch.

The Fountain of Juice
tfojuice.com
Nashville Farmers Market, Open Wednesday through Sunday
908 51st Ave N, West Nashville

The Fountain of Juice packages their fresh-pressed juice in glass, and sources their organic produce from local Tennessee farms. Stop by for juice, boosters, nut mylks, elixirs, cold-brew coffee, tinctures, smoothies, snacks, pantry staples, bone broths, and specialty seasonally-spiced juice blends.

Franklin Juice Company
franklinjuice.com
Multiple locations in Nashville & Franklin

Franklin Juice Company is famous for its outstanding acai and smoothie bowls and 100% organic cold-pressed juices. Their produce and honey are sourced from local Tennessee farms, and they deliver throughout Franklin. 

Café Ma’Kai
cafemakai.com
1210 Wedgewood Ave, Nashville

Café Ma’Kai is a charming neighborhood eatery dedicated to serving delicious meals handcrafted from sustainable ingredients. Breakfast is served all day, while lunch and dinner are served during dedicated hours. Choose from cocktails, wine, beer, coffee, tea, and a variety of other hot and cold drinks. 

A portion of profits are donated to the Non-Profit Old School Farm, which employs adults with disabilities to grow, harvest, and deliver fresh produce to isolated food deserts in our community.

Vui’s Kitchen
vuiskitchen.com
975 Main Street, Germantown
2832 Bransford Ave, Berry Hill

This Vietnamese restaurant creates its delectable meals entirely from whole food ingredients, with zero MSG used. Choose from traditional, vegetarian, and vegan options, including a bevy of tofu substitution options. 

The Turnip Truck
theturniptruck.com
701 Woodland St, East Nashville
321 12th Ave South, The Gulch

The Turnip Truck is an organic, natural foods grocer that has been locally owned since it was founded by our own John Dyke (who grew up in a farming family in Tennessee) in 2001. During the week, they offer a hot bar (including vegan options), while they serve brunch on the weekends. 

While you’re there, visit the on-site bakery, full-service deli, and fresh juice bar! 

Nashville Farmer’s Market
nashvillefarmersmarket.org
900 Rosa L. Parks Blvd, Nashville

Open daily year-round, the Nashville Farmer’s Market is your one-stop destination for local produce, juices, artisanal foods and products, cooking demonstrations, and live music performances.

Imogene + Willie
imogeneandwillie.com
2601 12th Ave South, Nashville

Imogene + Willie is a local denim producer dedicated to old-fashioned quality and craftsmanship. They also have a denim repair shop on-site, ensuring that your jeans serve you throughout your lifetime. 

In addition to their denim library, they also curate vintage goods, high-quality fashion basics from sustainable textiles, and handmade home goods.

Keep Shop
bit.ly/noellehotel
200 4th Ave North, Nashville

On Noelle Hotel’s ground floor sits Keep Shop, a curated collection of home goods and fashion gems from local artisans. Browse apparel, books, jewelry, bath and body products, and Stetson hats. 

While you’re here, set aside some time to check out Rare Bird, Noelle Hotel’s beautiful rooftop bar, or pick up coffee at the hotel’s own Drug Store Coffee shop.

Hutton Hotel
huttonhotel.com
1808 West End Ave, Nashville

Hutton Hotel is famous for being one of the greenest businesses in Nashville. Situated in a repurposed location originally constructed in the 1970s, this destination hotel is lit by LEDs, uses only biodegradable green cleaning products, and relies on reusable dispensers to replace the usual hotel single-use plastic containers of soap, shampoo, and conditioner.  

If you require transportation during your stay, inquire about one of the Hutton’s courtesy electric cars. If you are driving an electric car, charge at one of the hotel’s charging stations. You’ll notice that every aspect of the Hutton Hotel was designed with the best in sustainable technology in mind.

City Square Hendersonville
citysquaretn.com
260 W Main St, Hendersonville 

Hendersonville’s City Square shopping center boasts one of Tennessee’s most massive solar projects. 40% of the rooftop is covered by 288 solar panels, resulting in energy generation that offsets the location’s energy costs by nearly $23k annually. 

Furthermore, City Square chooses to sell the clean energy produced here back to Tennessee Valley Authority through the “Generation Partners” program. When you shop at City Square, you support the continued sustainable efforts of owner and operator Greg Smith, who is one of the community’s leading voices for clean energy throughout the state.

Green Home 
hellogreenhome.com

When you are looking for a contractor who specializes in green construction, you need look no further than Green Home’s Ryan Nichols and John Price. In fact, they ONLY accept work on projects that are environmentally friendly. Whether you’re interested in retrofitting your current home with green improvements or want to build an eco-friendly home from the ground up, Green Home is ready to help. 

PureGreen Lawn Services
puregreenllc.com
2409 Eugenia Ave Nashville, TN

It’s no secret that lawns aren’t the most environmentally friendly home feature, yet many of us aren’t ready to replace them entirely. However, if you live in Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, Murfreesboro, Nolensville, Spring Hill, Hendersonville, Smyrna, Lavergne, Mt. Juliet, or East Nashville, you can make your lawn safer for the planet by switching to PureGreen Lawn Services.

PureGreen specializes in Tennessee lawns. Over more than 40 years, they have developed a multiphasic organic hybrid treatment system that is safe for your pets, children, and the local flora and fauna. Their eco-friendly services include lawn care, aeration, seeding, tree and shrub care, and outdoor pest control.

Tri-Star Recycling
tsrecycle.co

Today, nearly all of us rely on at least one of the following: cell phones, computers, televisions, video game systems, and smartwatches. The problem: these items don’t last for long before they are outdated or worn out. 

Each of our electronic items generates e-waste, which is harmful to the planet and can lead to chronic illness and serious diseases when improperly disposed of. Tri-Star Recycling is one of Nashville’s only R2-certified electronics recyclers, though they do serve clients from around the globe.

If you have a small business, medium business, enterprise, operate a medical or research laboratory, or are responsible for e-waste disposal for an educational institution, contact Tri-Star to learn more about their services.

Vanderbilt University
bit.ly/vandysustainability

Vanderbilt is the region’s most sustainable university. Vandy built the very first LEED-certified educational buildings in the state, supplies a large portion of the energy it consumes, operates a biodiesel program, and has implemented a large-scale recycling project. Additionally, Vanderbilt University has been a leading force in sustainability research.

If you or someone you love wants to study at a university that offers practical preparation in a career that can help save the planet, look no further!

Thank you for your interest in sustainability in Middle Tennessee. If you have additional recommendations for local green businesses, please leave a comment below!