CT Green Scene

Back Away From The Dunkin' Donuts~Green Coffee in our Blue State

by: James Simpkins

Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, I thought Dunkin’ Donuts was a throwback to the 1980’s—somewhere you stopped under duress in Podunk, West Virginia. Moving to New England a few years ago, the dream I was living became a nightmare: Not only was Dunkin’ Donuts not an Atari-like icon of a bygone era, but it seemed to have become the default coffee for millions of people living in the Northeast. And no one seems to care a lick that it sucks. And I’m not just saying that as a guy who’s from out of town, I say that as a coffee lover and aficionado. It’s really bad! However, walking around Yale’s campus a couple weeks ago, my luck changed for the better.

After the results of the 2004 elections, Andrew Ruben and his father, co-owners of Blue State Coffee in New Haven (and RI), were licking their Democratic wounds while in line for a couple lattés. Andrew casually mentioned how coffee might offer an opportunity to place some extra funds in the coffers of progressive causes. His old man knew a good idea when he heard one, and with the help of friends Blue State Coffee was born some three years later, originally as a website where you could order genuine Organic, Fair Trade coffee beans. As ideas tend to do, the concept of a Green, sustainably produced coffee eventually created a life of its own in the form of a retail shop where the idea really took root.

Blue State Coffee first store opened on Thayer Street in Providence, Rhode Island. They now have the original location as well as a spot in the Brown University Bookstore, and the location that I stumbled upon in New Haven. It figures that a good cup of coffee is needed at stellar, modern campuses like Brown and Yale, but how did the whole “Drink Liberally” entendre sit with the old, stodgy right-wingers that those two campuses are also known for? Ruben says it’s going just fine, thank you. Two and a half years in and all three locations are profitable, steadily increasing sales since their openings. Ruben, for one, is psyched. And he should be---he’s still in college (at Yale) and already has a bright future ahead of him. Like so many of us gone the way of the Humanities, that glowing future is completely unrelated to the American Studies degree that he is working on. Well, almost.

Ruben’s timing for his opening could not have been better. Well, maybe by a week or so. The first store opened a week after Obama’s inauguration and attracted quite the following. Al Franken even stopped by and gave a speech on his long road to becoming a U.S. Senator. Good press is also helping Blue State along with Ruben’s ideals being featured in places like Vanity Fair and the Hartford Courant, as well as local papers. What’s driving the interest seems to be the intention to be what Andrew refers to as a “zero-waste business”—striving to recycle, reuse or compost everything they sell. As Ruben says, “Basically, the goal is to remove the trash cans from all of our facilities.”

 Blue State also sources as many products as it can locally. While the coffee isn’t grown around here (I asked just in case) it is roasted by New Harvest Coffee Roasters in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The milk in your latté is from The Farmer’s Cow, a Connecticut based six farm cooperative--and the food they sell is made and delivered daily by La Cuisine in Branford. This is all in line with today's progressive consumer demands. Because of the (correct) popular consensus that we have taken a wrong turn somewhere in our commercial enterprise, the Green concept is something that truly stretches across to our friends and colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Kind of like a good cup of coffee. And this website.

 It’s not all roses, however. Ruben tells me that while each of the locations are making money, even while the economy is turning somersaults, Blue State costs more to operate than it would without the commitments that are behind it. Here’s the Mission Statement:

Our Mission:

• To offer organic, fairly traded coffee, roasted to perfection

• To donate 5% of sales to local and national causes that reflect our progressive values

• To run a zero waste, environmentally sustainable business

• To unite a group of people committed to bettering our communities and our country.

What doesn’t surprise me is that a company with commitments like these is more expensive to run. What does surprise me about Blue State Coffee is that when it comes down to making some money vs. a lot of money, those commitments still run the show. But, unlike your local Dunkin’ Donuts, there is no consortium of global private equity firms (like the one that owns DD) trying this and that to add a penny’s more worth to a weakened portfolio. There’s just a smart, driven college junior, his (clearly cool) dad, and a bone to pick with conservatives. Like one of the numerous Blue State double entendres states--“You’re on political grounds.”

I’m not asking you to give up your Dunkin’ Donuts-quite the contrary; go ahead and pick one up. Then stop by Blue State Coffee in New Haven for a comparison. But no dilly-dallying…it won’t be long before you’ll have to look outside their store for a trash can to put that cup in. Their cups are made from corn and can be composted along with the grounds from the beans. How about your Dunkin’ Donuts cup? Is that…styrofoam?  That is so 1985.

See? I knew it.

Blue State Coffee Locations:

·        Blue State Coffee @ Brown University Bookstore

244 Thayer Street | Providence, RI 02912

·        Blue State Coffee New Haven/Wall Street

84 Wall Street | New Haven, CT 06511

·        Blue State Coffee Providence/Thayer Street

300 Thayer Street | Providence, RI 02906

Welcome Collinsville Green Drinks!

ECO-LUXURY WITH TESLA!

We'll have TWO 2009 Tesla Roadsters, the world’s first high performance ALL electric sports car. The Telsa Roadster is a zero-emission, two-seater for sale now in the United States and Europe. With a 0-to-60 mph acceleration of 3.9 seconds, the Tesla Roadster is unique in providing super car performance, zero emissions and extraordinary efficiency. Test drives and a presentation from senior-level executives will be available.

So where can you check these two amazing machines out and meet lots of great people? At a luxury, green home, of course! Details to follow.

Guests will also be treated to a selection of organic beers, wines and CT GreenScene’s signature cocktails.

A silent auction during the event will raise funds for The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.

When: Thursday, November 20, 2008 from 6 to 9 p.m. Where: Details to follow shortly. Cost: $45 in advance; $50 at the door. Click here to purchase advanced tickets. 

Our platinum sponsor is Solar Wrights. Gold Sponsors are Ruff&Cut and Hybrid Homes Geothermal.

Sponsorships for this and other events are available. Call Heather Burns-DeMelo at 203-470-8020 or email info@ctgreenscene.com for more information.

Beer Brewed by the Sun

If you enjoy a cold brew with your favorite meal yet want to do your part for the planet, there is a new "green" beer. The Lucky Labrador brewing company installed their solar panels in December of 2007 and began production of the Sun Beer in February of 2008. They are the first brewing company to use the sun in quite this manner. Unlike other companies like Sierra Nevada, who use the sun hitting photovoltaic panels to generate electricity, Lucky Lab's solar hot water system installed by Ra Energy , heats the brewpub's water.

Although Lucky Lab uses the sun for the brewing, they still use natural gas to create the final product. The finishing product is a light summer ale and was released in the summer of 2008.

Behind the Green Scenes

Thursday, June 05, 2008
By Adam Bulger
Hartford Advocate

For a green-themed event, the May 29 Green Drinks at the University of Hartford was a black tie affair. The white tent on the West Hartford university campus was laid out more like a college graduation party than an environmental event, with several bottles of wine on ice and a plate of cut cheese and crackers. Attendees wore business casual attire, exchanged business cards and networked.

Describing the dress and décor might sound dismissive or petty. But, arguably, it was a sign of the evolution of environmentalism from fringe concern to mainstream business goal

"If they had this event a couple of years ago, everyone would have come in Birkenstocks and Volvos," Nathan A. Nunez said.

Nunez, the marketing director of Northeast Lamp Recycling, an East Windsor company he said was "green before there was green." They recycle lamps and light bulbs, offering ways to deal with potentially toxic materials like the mercury in energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs.

He said it was important for his company to attend events like this to exchange information. Despite the interest in green products and practices displayed both by consumers and by businesses, there are still a lot of faulty assumptions out there.

"I remember watching television when [television network] NBC 'went green' for a week," Nunez said. "They planted a tree — because it was supposed to be green, you know — and they poured bottled water on it."

The Connecticut Business and Industry Association was one of the co-sponsors of the Green Drinks event. The CBIA's involvement indicated that the underlying spirit of the event was a sense of marketing and business savvy, not moral high-mindedness.

"We're not doing this out of any sense of obligation," CBIA spokesperson Nancy Andrews said. "This is completely market-driven. We have customer surveys that show that the market is demanding this."

United Technologies Corporation also sponsored the event. Had the event been more activist-based, UTC's environmental history might have kept them off the roster: They paid $5.3 million to the Federal government for environmental penalties in a 1993 settlement. The company rehabilitated its reputation since then. They are founding members of the Pew Center for Climate Study's Business Environmental Leadership Council and have been at the forefront of research on fuel cell and other energy efficient technologies.

The Green Drinks event was organized by Heather Burns-DeMelo, the president of GreenScenes, a Connecticut-based environmentally-themed event planning and marketing business.

This was the second Green Drinks event coordinated by Burns-DeMelo, and like the earlier event at Hartford's Real Art Ways, attracted dozens of people. Previously, Green Drinks was organized by Connecticut Forest & Park Association Executive Director Eric Hammerling. Burns-DeMelo said Hammerling's background with non-profits brought in people from the nonprofit world, and that her business and marketing background attracted another group of people.

"We bring people from all different sectors into a common space," Burns-DeMelo said.                 ¦

Send comments to

abulger@hartfordadvocate.com

Come to GreenDrinks for Drama!

Join us Wednesday, April 9th for GreenDrinks at the Fairfield Theatre in downtown Fairfield.

We'll enjoy a 20 minute special performance of The Boycott, written and performed by Kathryn Blume. Here's what's been said about the play:

"Packed to the rafters with moxie and magic, The Boycott tells the story of the First Lady of the United States launching a nationwide sex strike to fight global warming and save the world.  Come for a raucous tour of Oval Office affairs, psychadelic absinthe trips, enchanted frogs, movie star cameos - and land in a heap of unabashed hope."

Afterwards, we'll network and enjoy organic beverages and food as usual!

Environmentally Minded Peruse, Schmooze at iPark

By Kerry Wills
Special Correspondent
Stamford Advocate

Published March 14 2008

NORWALK - In October, a writer named Heather Burns-DeMelo organized Fairfield County GreenDrinks, a mixer where folks with environmental concerns can swap ideas and phone numbers.

Sixty-five people showed up at the meeting place: a bar.

Even more people - about 150 - showed up Wednesday evening to check out the city's new i.park corporate complex, a green office park. They included builders, architects and students.

"The room is full of people who couldn't be more different, but one thing they share is an interest in the environment," Burns-DeMelo said. "People are waking up to it."

Norwalk Mayor Richard Moccia showed up, as did three boys from Cider Mill School in Wilton who enrolled people in Connecticut Light & Power's CTCleanEnergyOptions. The program allows customers to get their power from renewable sources, such as wind.

Fourth-graders Alex Scaperotta, 9, and Jordan Reichgut, 10, are the founders of Little People, Big Changes, a club for children who care about the environment. Last year, they pushed for a ban on idling cars in the school parking lot.

"If every person in the United States stopped idling for five minutes each day, it would save 32 million tons of carbon dioxide, approximately," Jordan said. "Not pounds. Tons."

The boys, with Jordan's 8-year-old brother, Ethan Reichgut, a second-grader at Cider Mill, said they have signed up more than 100 Wilton residents for clean energy, enough to earn the town free solar panels on a municipal building.

Moccia urged Norwalk residents to enroll in the program. The Norwalk Common Council this week passed a resolution to support using 20 percent clean energy by 2010.

Since the October launch, Fairfield County GreenDrinks events have showcased green products, businesses and initiatives, Burns-DeMelo said.

"It's a place where people can exchange creative ideas, brainstorm solutions, inspire each other, and maybe even start projects," she said.

We Are What We Drink

By Kia Martinson-Wenzel

ESTOccasions

We all love a perfectly made cocktail, but the art of making homemade, fresh cocktails has almost disappeared. Today, most party-throwers stop by a supermarket, wine, or liquor store and pick up a mix. Sure, mixes have been a great time savers for the majority of us--and of course there are a few good ones out there that are made with 100% natural ingredients--but when you see high fructose corn syrup as a top ingredient, it's clear you aren’t having an authentic Cuban Mojito.

We think it's time to host a real cocktail party, with cocktails from scratch, using fresh, organic ingredients, which can even come from your own garden. Sound too time consuming? It's much easier than you think! And if you're really adventurous, you can turn your party into a learning experience for your guests and have them make the drinks along with you.

Spice things up with a Cuban Mojito

For this tasty cocktail, be sure the first frost is gone, and go plant yourself some organic mint. If you don’t have a garden, you can grow this fragrant herb in planters by your window. To make a Cuban Mojito, you will need mint, limes, club soda, good rum, and some organic cane sugar. Follow these directions for the Perfect Mojito.

Simple and quick Lemon Drops

They don't get much easier than this old time favorite. Just mix organic lemon juice, organic cane sugar, and some Square One Vodka. Like your cocktails sour and sweet? Margaritas, frozen or on the rocks, are made with organic lime juice, Triple Sec and Tequila. Sea salt along the rim makes a nice topper.

Stir it up with an organic Sangria

The weather is nice; consider making Sangria, with fresh local wines. Connecticut has plenty of vineyards to choose from, and the selection of organic wine companies is increasing. Companies like Organic Wine Company will ship their wines to you. Choose your favorite wine, and use fresh berries picked up from your local farmer’s, Steaz lemon lime soda and mix it up. This is a wonderful treat with any barbeque menu!

         

Have a Look: GreenDrinks at iPark!

Thanks to Bruce Feldman from AllGreen Magazine for shooting and posting these photos of the Fairfield County GreenDrinks event at Ipark.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PIX! 

We want to know what you think! Post your comments here about this or other GreenDrinks events.

The Right People, The Right Place

By Chris Gallagher

I knew I was in the right place when I pulled in to to the lot and a small, oddly shaped car cruised past nearly silently.  It was an electric car, and people were having a lot of fun taking it for a spin in the (i)parking lot.  Inside the iPark building the energy level was off the charts.  If there was a way to power the lights from human conversation we could have covered the electric bill for a year.  Glasses of organic wine or beer in hand, everywhere I looked people were chatting with one another, passing cards, gesturing and laughing, all clear signs that great connections were being made.

It's never easy to get into the swing of a networking event.  I never want to be rude and interrupt someone's conversation, nor do I want to bother someone by introducing myself and forcing them into a conversation they don't want to have.  I've been to tons of Chamber of Commerce meetings, luncheons, awards ceremonies and fairs so I know what it feels like to get stuck with that guy who only talks about himself and doesn't have a thing to say about what you are interested in.

At GreenDrinks it's different.  Walking in I know that everyone there is just as passionate about sustainability and protecting the environment as they are about finding new contacts and helping their friends make great connections.  Because we all share that perspective, striking up a conversation becomes far easier, and far more rewarding.  Just last night I made two great contacts, met another five or six people I will speak to again and reconnected with some new friends from last month, all while sipping delicious organic beer from Middlebury VT and biodynamic wine from Mendicino, CA.  I walked in a little apprehensive about another networking event, but walked out thrilled I had made the drive.

So let this be a call to all of you out there that have read the invitation, but haven't made the trip.  Come on out.  We need you.  We need your passion and your perspective, we need your friends, your ideas, we need to know what you do and how it will help make this planet just a little bit better off.  For those of you that were there, this is a call to you bring your friends next time, and to please tell us how GreenDrinks has helped you do great business.

Chris Gallagher sells locally roasted, organic, fair trade and ridiculously fresh coffee beans for
Bean & Leaf Coffee Roasters