 The Peace Crew is celebrating Earth Day by getting dirty for a good cause: the environment. In this issue of Peace Spokes, we investigate the positive impact composting can have on the Twin Cities and beyond, then offer uses for coffee grounds in our Composting Corner. We also report on our participation in the recent Hire MN rally for green investments and living-wage jobs at the State Capitol. Also in the issue, we offer Peace Coffee customers a 20% discount on tickets to the Guthrie Theater's production of the musical Caroline, or Change. And in the Roaster's Corner, Keith introduces our new Peruvian Full City Roast. Pull up a chair, grab a mug of your favorite Peace Coffee and read on...  Peace Coffee is a big believer in understanding where our food comes from and the impacts of its production. But what about where our coffee grounds go? Thanks to local waste-reduction nonprofit Eureka Recycling, local restaurants and their customers (like you!) can now compost food scraps (and coffee grounds) instead of wasting them!  The energy saving benefits of recycling have been touted for years and most people understand the incredible energy savings and resource conservation that is achieved by recycling. For example, making a new aluminum can from old cans results in 90-97% energy savings compared to making a new can from bauxite and other raw materials. By contrast, the benefits of composting are just surfacing. Many people believe that food scraps and paper products in a landfill are harmless because they biodegrade. However, when food scraps are thrown in the trash, they contribute significantly to climate change. When these materials decompose in a landfill, they become powerful contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. When food waste and paper products decompose without oxygen in a landfill they produce methane, which has 23-71 times greater heat trapping capabilities than carbon dioxide. Landfills are the single largest direct human source of methane. Likewise, when they are burned in incinerators they contribute to emissions and pollution.Composting is not only an alternative to wasting our food scraps, it is necessary to grow healthier food. When composted, food scraps and non-recyclable papers (like napkins and paper cups) create nutrient-rich soil that is in high demand to replenish our exhausted soils. Composting reduces the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and greatly improves soil quality. Not to mention composting eliminates all of the methane gas that would be generated in landfills. (Backyard composting piles and well-run industrial compost operations produce negligible greenhouse gas emissions -- mostly from the operation of equipment which can be further reduced using alternative fuels like biodiesel). Read on... (Back to Headlines)    Economy, the Environment and EquityDespite the chilly weather & rain, the HIRE Minnesota rally at the Minnesota State Capitol on Monday, April 20th, was a huge success. Thousands of people joined HIRE Minnesota, a coalition of more than 70 community organizations which includes Peace Coffee, in pressuring elected officials to pass legislation that creates living-wage jobs and green investments for Minnesota communities. While the Minnesota Legislature considers how to spend millions of dollars of federal stimulus money, HIRE Minnesota has been bringing the message that smart investment of those funds can help solve both the economic and the environmental crises before us. "Our government is making big decisions about how to stimulate our economy. This is happening at a time when climate change is considered to be the most serious threat facing the world and while millions of people are unemployed," said Louis King, co-chair of HIRE Minnesota and president and CEO of Summit Academy OIC. "We can solve both of these problems with green jobs. But we also need our decision-makers to make sure those opportunities get to low-income communities and communities of color, both of which bear disproportionate burdens of these problems."  Will Steger, polar explorer and founder of the Will Steger Foundation (whose office is next door to Peace Coffee’s), joined the HIRE Minnesota effort as co-chair when he saw the tremendous opportunity to tackle pollution and poverty at the same time. "We can find solutions to our crumbling economy and our environmental crisis," said Steger. "We are joining together at the capitol to demonstrate to our legislators that we want them to create living wages for our communities, but to also focus on green investments that can help reduce harmful global warming pollution." If you’d like to join in the efforts to promote green jobs and hiring equity, as a means of jump starting our economy & help ease the climate crisis, then please help get the word out to your friends, family & legislators.For a complete list of ways to take action and go to: http://www.hiremn.org/Take-Action.html. Check out Angelica’s photos from the HIRE MN Rally at the Capital. (Back to Headlines)   Peace Coffee lovers SAVE 20% on tickets to the musical Caroline, or Change now through May 10! The Tony-nominated musical plays now through June 21 on the Guthrie’s Wurtele Thrust Stage as part of a three stage celebration of playwright Tony Kushner.Caroline, or Change book and lyrics by Tony Kushner music by Jeanine Tesori directed by Marcela Lorca Regular price: $29 - $65 Your price: $23 – $52 Set against the backdrop of Lake Charles, Louisiana, in 1963, this award-winning musical centers on Caroline Thibodeaux (Greta Oglesby), an African American maid, and Noah Gellman (Noah Coon, Ryan Poehler), the son of the Jewish family for whom she works. Featuring a virtuosic score by Jeanine Tesori (Shrek the Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie), this musical blends blues, gospel, klezmer and traditional Jewish melodies, creating a breathtaking medium for Kushner's provocative and personal story. Visit CelebrateKushner.com for a complete performance calendar. Call the Guthrie Box Office at 612-377-2224 and mention "A55: Peace" to receive this offer. Offer excludes Saturday evening performances. Not valid online, with other offers, or on previously purchased tickets. (Back to Headlines)  Coffee grounds can be used in the garden and farm for so many good things!
Please email info@peacecoffee.com if you have other uses for coffee grounds that you’d like us to share. |
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