Starbucks takes fancy to wind energy

Coffee giant will buy 5 percent clean power for its U.S. stores

Posted by Lisa Hymas at 2:04 PM on 14 Apr 2005

Read more about: business | energy | renewable energy | wind power

You may hate its coffee, you may hate that it drove your favorite mom-n-pop coffeehouse out of business, you may just hate its bland ubiquity -- but you gotta give Starbucks props for its latest initiative. Today the java giant announced that it will buy enough wind energy to meet 5 percent of electricity needs at its North American stores.

From the company's press release (not yet up online, the slackers):

"Starbucks is mindful of the long-term implications that climate change has on the environment," said Sandra Taylor, Starbucks senior vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility. "Because the energy used at our retail stores makes up nearly 50 percent of our total greenhouse gas emissions, this is a natural starting point for us. By supporting renewable energy sources we believe we are taking a step in the right direction and encourage other businesses to do the same." ...
The move to purchase renewable energy for its company-operated retail stores -- generated by approximately 11 large-scale windmills -- is estimated to cut emissions by two percent. It also catapults the company into the current top 25 U.S. purchasers of renewable energy.

(That last fact strikes me as remarkable. Just by agreeing to buy 5 percent green power for its stores -- not its production plants or business headquarters or whatnot -- Starbucks will become one of the top 25 buyers of clean energy in the U.S.? There are that few big buyers? Damn.)

Sure, it would be easy enough to point out all the bad things Starbucks is doing, and all the good things it isn't doing -- environmentalists have made an art form out of skewering corporations for their sins and failings. But we aren't so good at giving positive feedback. So from me, to the corporate coffee chain that I never patronize: Hey, nice work, keep it up.

For story: Starbucks takes fancy to wind energy
5 Comments | Post a Comment

Due Credit

You're right. Sure there are plenty of reasons to dislike Starbucks (for myself, it's the miniscule percentage of the coffee that they buy which is shadegrown) but let's give credit where credit is due.

Starting today I'll officially reduce the amount of time I spend loathing and/or badmotuhing Starbucks by five percent.

by bhosey at 2:16 PM on 14 Apr 2005

A wind-powered community radio station

At the other end of the corporate spectrum from Starbucks is KZMU, a non-commercial, non-NPR, volunteer community radio station in Moab, Utah. For the last year or so we have been a completely wind-powered radio station.

Check out the programs at www.kzmu.org

by mtperson at 10:50 AM on 15 Apr 2005

How two cups of coffee a day can destroy a world

I drink two or three cups of coffee a day. The Internet is rife with the controversies stirred by my cups of coffee. Was the coffee "shade" grown? Were the farmers paid a fair price? Those two cups when multiplied by 3 or 4 billion other people drinking coffee have destroyed millions of acres of rain forest and disrupted the migratory patterns of some bird species. The underlying problem is not so much how we live; it is that there are so many of us.

In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

by biodiversivist at 4:06 PM on 15 Apr 2005

Throw Them a Bone

Look everyone. I've seen this article on many other sites and I see the same idea that such a large company could do more. Of course, can't we all do more. Some grumble that corporate America isn't doing it's part. When they do something, even if it's just a jesture, someone will blast them for not doing more.

At this stage in the move to clean renewable energy, corporate America needs to be coached along. Now I'm a city dweller and like my coffee from time to time. I also purchase enough green tags or energy credits so my power is 100% wind generated. I try to do my part and thank any business in joining in that effort. Starbuck's action will, I hope, make other businesses consider making similar decissions just to say they're just a little "green" as well.

M. Dale Brose www.Krystal-Planet.com/NorthStar

by NorthStar at 10:37 PM on 17 Apr 2005

It's more than the 5% figure would indicate

After talking with Starbucks' Director of Environmental Affairs about their wind purchase for a case study this summer, I must say, just looking at the 5% figure belittles their effort.

Note the second part of their announcement, down at the very end -- Starbucks is supporting other organizations that are spreading the word about renewable energy -- an acknowledgement that Starbucks can't change the world alone.

Starbucks is supporting the World Resources Institute's Green Power Market Development Group and the Climate Group. Starbucks also announced a two-year commitment of cash and in-kind contributions to Global Green USA.

By Starbucks' own admission, it's not just about saving the planet.

"We could take care of our entire climate footprint and still not mitigate the long-term risk of climate change to the company," they said, referring to the potential negative impact of global warming on coffee harvests. "We have concerns about the long-term implications of climate change on our core business, which is coffee."

Starbucks wind case study

Denis Energy Priorities

by dubois at 8:31 PM on 08 Dec 2005

ADVERTISING POLICY

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