Featured Cafe — Local 123
Green Café Network
Green Café Network is the only non-profit organization dedicated to reducing Americans’ environmental impacts by greening the coffeehouse industry and harnessing café culture for community and individual environmental education.
We envision a world where being “green” is accessible, understandable and tangible for small businesses and their communities. GCN’s ultimate goal is to aim to bring sustainability to the mainstream by educating, inspiring and mobilizing a new population of environmentally responsible citizens.
GCN Updates
Greening Your Cafe Workshop
Join our Upcoming Workshop!
“Greening Your Cafe: Easy Steps to Save Energy, Waste, Water and Money” - A hands-on workshop for cafes and restaurants in the Bay Area.
Date: Thursday, September 23, 2010
Time: 6 to 8pm
Location: Remedy Café - 4316 Telegraph Avenue (between 43rd & 44th St, in Temescal) Oakland, CA 94609
Sponsors:
Green Café Network
Alameda County Green Business Program
City of Oakland
Do you own, manage or work in a coffeehouse or restaurant? Come join this hands-on workshop and learn about the easy steps you can take to reduce your café’s environmental impacts AND save money! Whether you’re just getting started or you already do some great things to be ‘green’ – this workshop is a great chance to ask your questions and hear from local experts about the excellent resources available to small businesses in the food and beverage industry.
Participants Will:
• Learn best practices in energy and water efficiency that will save you money
• Learn how your cafe can improve its compost and recycling diversion rates.
• Gain practical skills that can be immediately implemented on the job.
• Gain understanding of the environmental impacts of the café & restaurant industries.
• Learn how your café can get recognition for its green practices and become a Green Certified Business in Alameda County.
Speakers include:
• Richard Young, Senior Engineer & Director of Education at Food Service Technology Center (FSTC).
• Kirstin Henninger, Founding Director of Green Café Network (GCN)
• Leila Khatapoush, Green Business Consultant for the Alameda County Green Business Program
• Ferial Mosley, Recycling Specialist, Department of Public Works, City of Oakland
Questions? Please email: info@greencafenetwork.org
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Three cheers for green business certification!
Recently a few member cafes in Green Cafe Network have received their Green Business Certification from their county, and GCN want to give a huge CONGRATS to them! In Alameda County, both Local 123 cafe and Awaken Cafe got their certifications and just last week Mission Pie got their certification from San Francisco’s Green Business Program.
So why is this a big deal? Well, the SF Bay Area has one of the most stringent and comprehensive green business certification programs, and each of those cafes went through a long process that involves completing a lengthy checklist with requirements on reducing waste, conserving energy and water, preventing pollution, minimizing toxics and purchasing environmentally responsible products.
A lot of cafes take steps in each of those areas and show great improvement – but to go the extra mile and make sure they meet the city’s requirements and get several inspections over several months takes an extra commitment that is to be commended. The certification process is FREE, so these cafes took the bull by the horns and how have a good looking “Certified Green Business” sticker on their door in addition to their “Green Cafe Network Member Cafe” sticker (but the GCN sticker is cuter!). And don’t forget the GCN member cafes that have had their green biz certifications for awhile now: Velo Rouge Cafe, Powersource Cafe and Nomad Cafe. Congrats to those cafes for leading the way!
