Category archives: Our causes
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July 1st, 2008
Posted by Alex Payson at 6:30 am
Our spring quarter just ended and in a few days we will be announcing the voting and donation results from our 300 Thayer St. store.
For the next two weeks we will be collecting customer suggestions for our next local causes.
Stop by the store and drop your suggestion in the glass bin at the condiment bar (no purchase is required).
Posted in General news, Our causes, Stores, Providence/Thayer St Store | 
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May 5th, 2008
Posted by Alex Payson at 12:30 pm
Besides providing our customers with the freshest, most ecologically sound, and tastiest cup of Joe, we are proud to be able to donate a portion of our sales every quarter to progressive local and national causes that we believe in. We currently are donating 10% of every purchase made in-store and on this website.
During the months of January through March we were able to donate another $10,000 to the following important organizations:
We have now donated over $40,000 since we starting selling coffee in September of 2006!
Thank you for your support, these organizations appreciate it.
Posted in General news, Blue State Coffee news, Our causes, Stores, Providence/Thayer St Store | No Comments »
February 28th, 2008
Posted by Alex Payson at 9:51 am
Tomorrow, leap day 2008, we will be holding a one-day mock election simulating the Rhode Island primary that is being held this coming Tuesday, March 4th.
Stop by anytime at 300 Thayer St in Providence between 7AM-11PM to vote! We will be announcing the results on Monday the 3rd both in-store and here on the blog.
And in case you are a Rhode Island voter and do not know where to vote this coming March 4th- Just head on over to the voter information center to find out!
Posted in General news, Blue State Coffee news, Politics, Our causes | No Comments »
February 12th, 2008
Posted by Alex Payson at 8:13 am
We are very proud to announce the release of our first CD- A State of Blue!
A State of Blue is a compilation CD to benefit the Fund for Community Progress, a Rhode Island not-for-profit federation that raises funds for its 26 local member agencies.
Each of the 11 tracks on the CD is from a different Rhode Island band- offering a slice of local rock from the 80’s, 90’s and today.
The Providence Phoenix gave us a nice write up in their most recent issue- read it here.
It is available for purchase on our website, at our store on 300 Thayer Street and several music stores in the Providence area.
We will soon have a CD page up on our website were you will be able to samples from the CD- check back soon!
Posted in General news, Blue State Coffee news, Our causes, Stores, Providence/Thayer St Store | No Comments »
October 10th, 2007
Posted by Alex Payson at 11:58 am
David Sandalow, a scholar from the Brookings Institution, former director for environmental affairs in the Clinton administration, and good friend of Blue State Coffee has just released a book entitled “Freedom From Oil”. His book discusses our dependence on oil, why that is not a great thing, and covers some of the options for starting to remedy our current situation.
The book is available at amazon now, and should be widely available at bookstores very soon!
Check it out here.
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September 20th, 2007
Posted by Alex Payson at 10:06 am
In the last two weeks I have covered joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), and then building a backyard grill with which to cook your awesome local foods.
Today I will cover what you can do with the food scraps or produce that occasionally goes bad before you can use it.
Home composting varies from the simple (an open pile of scraps mixed with leaves/grass/mulch) to multi-compartment insulated bins that retain the heat and allow easy turning and rotation of the compost.
Personally I have opted for a large black plastic compost bin. It has vents on the side for aeration, a lid on the top, and the black color helps heat the contents (increasing the heat and oxygen flow to your compost will speed the rate at which your compost will biodegrade back into nutrient-rich soil).
Here in Rhode Island you can buy one of these home compost bins at a discounted price (about $50) at the state recycling center in Johnston.
As far as what you can add to your compost pile- anything organic will compost. That said, many people do not recommend adding meat/fat to your compost as it can increase the odor output and in certain areas attract pests. You want to mix in layers of food scraps with leaves or other mulch- most guides advise to add a bit more mulch than food scraps for optimal composting.
Depending on the size and heat reached in your compost pile the contents can completely compost in anywhere from a few months to a year or two. Turning your compost to oxygenate it as well as increasing the heat of the pile are the main methods to promote rapid decomposition.
Once the composting has finished, you will have some of the best organic fertilizer for your garden or lawn you can get.
Happy composting!
Posted in General news, Our causes | 2 Comments »
September 5th, 2007
Posted by Alex Payson at 9:48 am
This post marks the beginning of a series of blogs on some of the ways I try to be more eco-friendly (or earth conscious, green-minded, or whatever else you wish to call the effort to live a life that has less of a negative impact on the world).
A CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) is a system in which a consumer purchases a share of a farm’s produce for the upcoming growing season. This provides the farmer with a guaranteed income for the growing season, and also lets them know in advance how much to produce of each crop. For the consumer, it means you get fresh produce, locally grown, every week from spring to fall. Weekly shares vary depending on what is available and in season.
This year I joined Ledge Ends CSA. Located in East Greenwich, RI they are also certified organic and have a weekly pickup spot right in Providence. This allows me to have locally grown, organic produce for 20 weeks (the length of Ledge Ends CSA season) that I can pick up five minutes from Blue State Coffee.
The quality is amazing, and getting to have that personal connection every week with the people growing your food is incredibly satisfying. Probably the most challenging part of joining a CSA is trying to actually eat the bounty that arrives each week before the next share! A weekly newsletter supplies recipes related to the produce of the week and gives tips on storing and preserving the generous share.
To find a CSA near you check out this national listing compiled by Wilson College- you can search by state, zip code, or farm name.
Happy eating!
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June 13th, 2007
Posted by Alex Payson at 9:07 am
Improved hybrid, electric, and fuel cell vehicles are definitely coming soon as gas prices continue to rise, and oil reserves start running dry.
For the time being however, most commercially available vehicles that are eco-friendly are incrementally better than previous options. While small steps are vital, it is always exciting to read about people who are leaping ahead.
Check out this article about a retired engineer who converted his truck into a completely electric vehicle. Expect to read about (and see) a lot more vehicles like this in the coming years.
I can not wait to have a car that breaks the 100 miles/gallon barrier.
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May 24th, 2007
Posted by Alex Payson at 9:03 am
How does a website that has a separate page for every species on earth sound?
An ambitious project to do just this had recently been started. Freely available to the public, the Encyclopedia of Life is scheduled to have its initial species pages working by the middle of next year. With a little bit of work, they hope to have 1.8 million species listed within ten years (this is a popular estimate of the number of species on earth).
So far they have several demonstration pages available at their website www.eol.org. Knowledge may not be the only answer to our problems, but projects like this can make a great start and are exactly what the internet is for. Good luck!
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April 30th, 2007
Posted by Alex Payson at 10:53 am
I recently learned of CODEPINK, a grassroots women-organized civil disobedience movement. They have garnered attention recently for their rather vocal protests and demonstrations in Washington at Alberto Gonzales’s hearings, getting arrested in a senate building while calling for impeaching Bush and Cheny, and much more.
CODEPINK’s mission(from their website)-
CODEPINK is a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end the war in Iraq, stop new wars, and redirect our resources into healthcare, education and other life-affirming activities. We reject the Bush administration’s fear-based politics that justify violence, and instead calls for policies based on compassion, kindness and a commitment to international law. With an emphasis on joy and humor, CODEPINK women and men seek to activate, amplify and inspire a community of peacemakers through creative campaigns and a commitment to non-violence.
They seem like a great group, I am always in favor of “active” activism and a little civil disobedience. To learn more, check out their website.
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