B&B employees celebrate signing the wind power agreement. April, 2001
As we see the effects of climate change on our oceans and sensitive eco-systems, it is more important than ever to realize that choices we make to reach environmental sustainability have far-reaching impact. Coffee is grown in some of the most beautiful and delicate reaches of our globe and it is in our economic and human interest to make sure they continue to thrive and create healthy futures for the inhabitants of coffee growing regions. Nearly ten years ago, an ad hoc group of Batdorf & Bronson® employees got together to discuss ways the company could be a better corporate citizen and environmental leader. Building on other successful company-wide sustainability actions like composting, solar power and recycling, the group came up with an initiative that would require a large scale commitment of resources and teamwork.
By following the logic of our corporate mission statement, the group agreed that we needed to make this decision the right way and so our partnership to purchase 100% renewable energy was born. With the encouragement of owners Larry and Cherie Challain, Batdorf & Bronson® Coffee Roasters entered in to a ten year contract with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation to purchase 100% of our electricity using Green Tag credits that invested our premiums into regional wind power projects. Each credit we purchased put an equivalent amount of wind power onto the grid, supplanting coal-fired and other polluting forms of electricity. We just signed off on our tenth year Green Tag purchase and thought this was as good a time as any to pat ourselves on the back. We will definitely be continuing to achieve more and better sustainable business practices and will keep everyone posted as to our next milestones.