At some time or another everyone has wondered, what real difference can I make in the world? Even though it may appear to be a daunting task to save the environment, it’s actually really easy to make a change by starting somewhere small…like with a cup of coffee.
A simple solution is to bring a reusable mug to the coffee shop instead of buying a new paper cup every time you want a latte. So let’s start taking care of Bloomington by supporting eco-friendly coffee shops. These two coffee shops do their best keep our Earth in mind while serving great coffee.
Hopscotch:
Photo by Stephanie Marchuk
Hopscotch really goes above and beyond with keeping the environment in mind in everything they do as a coffee shop. Every detail of the business, from where the coffee comes from to the design of the building, is Mother Nature-oriented.
Hopscotch, like many other coffee shops, offers a price discount to costumers for bringing in a cup of their own. They also provide compostable cold cups and 40 percent consumer waste hot cups. Hopscotch does even more by encouraging costumers to recycle while also composting any coffee and vegetable waste.
Photo by Stephanie Marchuk
In terms of the interior of the coffee shop, it is made up of mostly locally salvaged furniture (such as bar faces, benches, table bases, and floor). Hopscotch’s focus on all things local helps to cut down on fuel cost and waste.
Whenever possible the owners bike to make deliveries to their wholesale accounts. They also make sure that their beans are sourced from environmentally-sound, organic farming practices, and try to use as many locally organic ingredients whenever that’s an option. They roast their own beans within the coffee shop, and use only recyclable coffee bags (which is not a typical thing).
Photo courtesy of Hopscotch Facebook page
Looking forward, they also have many environmental goals they want to accomplish. They’re exploring options for getting fully compostable hot cups and hope to switch to a compostable version of coffee bags. They will be switching to hand dryers in the restrooms and they plan on getting bulk coffee bins in the shop so customers can bring their own containers for beans.
Soma:
Photo by Claire Waggoner
Soma also does a lot to encourage taking care of the environment. The coffee shop encourages customers to use sustainable cups and even provides a discount on coffee if they do. It’s a pretty popular program for regulars, and overall beneficial—less money to spend for daily coffee, and one less piece of garbage for someone else to take care of.
Soma is really into recycling. They encourage recycling for both employees and costumers, not only in the coffee shop but as a lifestyle. They will also purchase recycled inventory for Soma whenever possible. Although Soma does not have a compost garden of their own, they try to donate their compost to anyone with a garden that would like to use it.
Photo by Natsuko Mazany
Yes, this world is outrageously big. This planet is home to 7 billion people with their own lives, relationships, responsibilities, and dreams. But let’s not forget many of these people happen to be coffee drinkers who can make a difference just by bringing a mug to a coffee shop.
A little goes a long way and if we’re being honest, it starts with our daily habits. Teaching ourselves to work towards goals that don’t solely revolve around our wants may seem a little crazy at first, but is more rewarding than anything else in the end.