Carbon Reduction Efforts, 2011
The Buena Vista Roastery has in place its Carbon Reduction and Sequestration Initiatives for 2011. We are progressing our Coffees For A Cause which is a program that will allow our customers to purchase our Fair Trade Organic coffee and put 10% of their purchase toward one of several causes / non-profits. We are working on increasing the marketing of this program in 2011 and 2012. The non-profits that we are working with include The Africa Centre for Holistic Management, Slow Food USA, BALLE, Denver Street School, and Chaffee County Boys and Girls Club. We hope our efforts will raise the level of awareness of consumers that their purchases can and should have a greater impact.
The Buena Vista Roastery’s Carbon Reduction and Sequestration Initiatives, 2011:
- Continue Green Business efforts, and monitoring program modeled after Cuban sustainability program – in progress. Complete for three years of data, additional data points to be developed, representative of holisticgoal
- Carry out carbon footprint assessment on roasting, and conventional vs organic coffee production – in progress, 2011.
- Continued awareness in maintaining low wattage on all lights – in progress
- Alternative building and electricity investigation for café, roasting and storage facilities. Construction of new facility with energy efficiencies in place and reduction of gasoline, natural gas and electricity use – in progress
- Replacement of equipment with EnergyStar and other energy reduction equipment – in progress, mostly accomplished
- Regular maintenance on all equipment to ensure proper airflow and optimum efficiency – continual
- Investigate electric/wind trading options with Sangre de Cristo Electric Coop – in progress
- Carry out waste generation assessment site-wide, initiate waste reduction practices accordingly – in progress
- Investigate secondary uses for burlap sacs and chaff by-products – in progress. Worm bin in use. Happy worms. Burlap bags being made locally and by long-time customers, for sale in cafe space.
- Involve The Holistic Effect, Savory Institute, Africa Centre for Holistic Management in marketing and sales efforts to incorporate terrestrial carbon sequestration options for coffee purchases – in progress
- Increase civic donations to agricultural related activities and other efforts focused on environmental stewardship, in addition to other charitable activities – in progress
- Expand our Coffees for a Cause program – in progress
Also, we are Organic and Fair Trade certified and strive to source beans from socially responsible farms when they can’t afford certification, we carry organic teas, we use only Simple Green as a cleaning product, we compost our coffee grounds and chaff as much as possible, we encourage using mugs in the shop and are investigating compostable disposable cups, we use recycled paper in the printer, we recycle all plastics, cardboard, greyboard, etc, we don’t use packing peanuts and encourage our vendors to ship with alternative materials.
