Danielle Connor of Retrograde Coffee is Sebastopol's newest Zero Waste Superhero

This program of Sebastopol's Climate Action Committee focuses on local people who go the extra mile to keep things out of the landfill and protect the environment

Retrograde Coffee Roasters’ owners Danielle Conner and Casey Lanski

This is the second article in the series Zero Waste Superheroes sponsored by the Zero Waste Working Group of the Sebastopol Climate Action Committee. Our second Zero Waste Superhero is Danielle Connor of Retrograde Coffee.

Danielle wrote the piece below about how she came to be an owner of Retrograde Coffee, what inspired her to adopt Zero Waste policies at Retrograde, and a list of some of the things they do at Retrograde that have made Retrograde a Zero Waste Superstar.

Casey and I started Retrograde Coffee Roasters in 2014 when we were baristas. We've both worked in coffee for most of our working lives and honestly almost half of our lives at this point! I've been a barista for 15 years and Casey for 18 years. We wanted to build a place that we wanted to work at. We decided to move up to Sonoma County from Oakland in 2015 to pursue our business in an area that we already knew we loved. Back then, we roasted coffee out of our home kitchen and trucked our coffee around to countless farmers markets and events. We wanted to plant our roots in a smaller community that shared our values, and I’m so glad we did.

When we opened our coffee shop in Sebastopol in January of 2017, suddenly we had to start buying single-use items in bulk in ways that we hadn't needed to before. A couple of  years later, our business was really finding its stride, and we began to purchase single-use things like cups and coffee bags in bigger quantities.

I had this moment where I just  thought, ‘All of this is going to end up in the trash,’ and honestly, it made me sad. I felt like there had to be a better way to run our business so that our actions were more in line with our values. That's when I started looking for resources to be as green as we can be and found the CA Green Business Network. Their resources are free and truly rooted in helping businesses make the best choices for the environment, which also helps you save money.

Casey and I both grew up in California in households that were conscious of waste and the environment. Growing up in California, we were particularly mindful, especially during drought years, of the scarcity of vital resources like water. We would always pick up trash on walks, and we’re conscious of food waste. Growing up in California, we were also aware especially during drought years of how limited important resources like water are. These little things helped frame our mindset as kids, and as we all get older and battle things like climate change, it should be more and more apparent that our choices matter to our Earth. It's really easy to get caught up thinking that you’re just one person, but if we all realize we can be one person contributing to a greater good, we can see there’s strength in numbers when we're all working towards the same goal. 

Here are some of Retrograde Coffee’s Green Business Policies which have made Retrograde a ZeroWaste Superstar:

WASTE REDUCTION:

• All of our to-go items are recyclable or compostable. This includes cups, straws, lids, boxes, utensils, bags for coffee beans and you name it!

• Our coffee bags are zero waste, thanks to Savor Brands partnership with TerraCycle. Bring your coffee bag back to the shop and drop it in the Zero Waste Bin. Empty coffee bags are sent to TerraCycle where they are recycled back into raw material to produce new coffee bags.

• We offer guest incentives for bringing your own cup and containers for food. Bring your own cup or food container for 25 cents off.

• Empty burlap coffee bags are donated to True Grass Farms. They use them in the garden beds as an organic weed suppressant and say it works great!

• Chaff, a parchment like by-product of coffee roasting is collected and donated to Meandering Farmers. It’s used as bedding in their chicken coop and acts as a natural chicken litter.

• Coffee is roasted multiple times a week based on demand. This allows us to commit to serving coffee that’s always fresh in our cafe too and not let anything go to waste.

• Used coffee grounds are composted and donated to Earthworker Farm.

• Food by-product is collected for local family ranchers. Their pigs, sheep and goats love eating our nutritious food scraps that would otherwise be wasted. Composted food items include: hemp-coconut pulp, egg shells, unusable produce pieces, mis-made orders, cheese etc.

• Less than half of a percent of total goods (coffee, food, beverages, ingredients etc) are wasted. All food waste is tracked and analyzed with the goal of reducing waste for the next month. We currently have .02% of product going to waste. In the food industry, 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted every single year.

• Leftover deli meats are donated to the Sonoma County Humane Society. Their training department loves using our pastrami, turkey and bacon for scrumptious dog treats. 

Zero Waste bin for empty coffee bags.

ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERRED PURCHASING & TOXIN ELIMINATION:

• We buy fresh, local and organic products. Our goal is to support smaller family farms that use organic and biodynamic methods. Through FEED Sonoma, we are able to make this a reality. We offer a curated selection of wellness drinks with a health focus. We also offer vegan, probiotic, gluten-free, sugar-free and paleo-friendly options.

• A selection of our coffees are certified organic in addition to all of our loose leaf teas. Not all are certified organic due to prohibitive circumstances (location, cost). Through our importers, we are able to buy from coffee farmers that are not using harmful practices. For many small farmers in rural communities, organic certification isn't easily attainable. By supporting these small farmers by paying premiums for specialty coffee beans, we can help them re-invest in their future.

• We pay above Fair Trade minimums for coffee. Presently, the Fair Trade price for coffee is $1.40. We pay nearly double that with prices per pound paid starting at $2.80. Our average price per pound paid for green coffee exceeds $3. To be sustainable, farmers need higher wages to reinvest in their farm, continue to grow high quality coffee and receive more money, all while supporting their communities.

• Only Green Certified cleaning products are used in our coffee shop.

• We choose to partner with purveyors who share our values and Green Business practices.

• We purchase carbon-offsets.

WATER & ENERGY CONSERVATION:

• We elect to use local 100% renewable energy through Sonoma Clean Power.

• Leftover water is collected to water our plants and outdoor patio garden. This includes leftover water from guests, pre-heating cups and teapots, rinsing coffee filters, etc.

• All sink faucets are equipped with low-flow aerators to save water. This saves between 2-16 gallons of water a day!

• Energy use is lowered during times of high demand. When there’s a flex alert we raise the AC to 78 degrees and turn off unnecessary lights and equipment.

• Our cafe and roastery are equipped with motion-activated LED lights. Motion sensor lights automatically turn off, ensuring we are always maximizing our energy efficiency.

• We use Energy Star appliances. Energy Star is the government-backed symbol for energy efficient equipment such as refrigerators and dishwashers.

Team education is vital for us to meet our sustainability commitments listed above. We spend time educating our team members on all of our sustainability commitments and practices. Our team has made our Green Business Certification possible!  

Together we all consciously make decisions to create a greener cafe environment and a greener world. You can do it too! This is a simplified list of information we found to be most relevant to share. There's always more to do, but what matters most is that we all start by doing something, anything. If you have suggestions, questions or want to learn more, you can reach Danielle at danielle@retrograderoasters.com.   

If you know a Sebastopol Zero Waste Superhero we could feature in an article, please contact us at ClimateActionCommittee@cityofsebastopol.org.