Being Green is a big deal today and has been to us since before our beginning. It can be difficult for a small shop like us to fully commit to sustainability and to our environment, due to costs. Here are our some quick facts about Coffee, Tea And Tulips:
- The amount of daily trash we generate is about equivalent to a small 13-gallon bag. That’s the size of your small home kitchen trash bin – and that amount is very little. The remainder of our materials are recycled.
- We shop almost everyday for fresh produce, so there is very little food waste / compost in our Kitchen Studio. We also combine trips so there isn’t needless driving for our ingredients, further adding to vehicle pollution.
We use Organic, Shade-grown / Fair Trade, Kosher and Halal products / ingredients as much as we can, and when it makes economic sense for our Guests and us. As the cost of purchasing “local” becomes more down to earth in Orange County vs. say, The Bay Area, we may integrate that in our purchasing. - We are a mostly dine-in business model, so most of our food and drinks are served on / in reusable dishes / drink-ware. In fact, any food or drink for take-away is usually packaged in recycled materials. Less than 2% of our take-away containers are foam, due to the exorbitantly high cost of appropriate recyclable materials. The Moulton Niguel Water District’s FOG Control Program (Fats, Oils and Grease) has recently blessed us for what little waste we generate in the drains and sewers.
- As our fluorescent lamps burn out, we are replacing them with Green lamps.
- Our new Cold Table is certified by the manufacturer to be Green and more energy efficient (August 2009). In fact, when we take extended periods of time away, we turn off and unplug equipment as appropriate.
- Our use of our newer and updated air conditioning system is turned on later in the day – and not running all-day long.
- We try to be as energy conscious as we can. We’ve noticed our cafe Guests that use our restroom, are always good about turning off the lights upon leaving.
- Our web hosting provider is very green.
- We’ve upgraded some refrieration equipment to be a little easier on the environment (October 2011).
- Our Gift Certificates, available in any amount, are printed on recyclable paper, not plastic.
If you have any questions about our Green policy or have other ideas for us, please email us and share your thoughts.
