The Green Sheet

Our goal at Blue State Coffee is to run a zero waste, sustainable business. The following is a list of some of our current and ongoing ecologically-minded practices.

Current Efforts

• Brew organic, fair trade, and shade grown coffee roasted locally.
• Source all our milk from local suppliers.
• Buy all of our baked goods from local bakers and use organic ingredients when possible (7 Stars Bakery, Sweet Creations, and Bagel Express).
• Use almost exclusively compostable and biodegradable paper goods including-
  • PLA (A compostable plastic made 100% from corn) cold cups
  • PLA straws, lids, soufflé cups
  • PLA-lined hot cups (most hot cups have a petroleum-based liner!)
  • Potato starch disposable knives, forks, and spoons
  • A full line of eco-friendly, biodegradable cleaning products
• Encourage customers to bring their own mug by offering a $.25 discount every time they use their own cup, and also selling a travel mug made from 100% USA corn.
• Donate all of our coffee grinds to local farms and school programs for compost.
• Donate all day-old pastries to a local food pantry.
• An in-store recycling program for paper, cardboard and bottles.
• Continue staff education and awareness about reducing waste.
• Power our store with 100% local wind power through the New England Wind Fund.

Ongoing Goals and Initiatives

• Eliminate the need for trashcans in our stores by completing our conversion to 100% compostable products.
• Educate community members on steps they can take to help reduce their impact on the environment through ongoing lectures in-store.
• Consult with local businesses on switching to eco-friendly alternatives and setting up recycling/composting programs.
• Develop an espresso/coffee truck powered by local, renewable energy.

Additionally Blue State Coffee donates 5% of every sale to progressive charities. This allows us to make an immediate and direct contribution to worthy causes around the country and in our local community.