Starbucks Plans Renewable Energy Buy, Green Building Standards

Starbucks says that by 2010 it wants 50 percent of the energy used at its stores to come from renewable sources, wants to incorporate green building standards in all of its new building construction, and wants to “re-establish” ceramic coffee mugs as its “global standard” for people drinking coffee in stores. That’s some of the news coming out of its 2007 Corporate Social Responsibility Report.

Footprint of a typical Starbucks store:

• 6.78 kilowatt-hours of electricity per square foot per month to light and cool the store and operate equipment.
• 0.058 therms of natural gas per square foot per month to heat water and warm the store.
• 25 gallons of water per square foot per month to make beverages and clean up.

Other highlights:

• Sustainable coffee: Purchasing 65 percent of its coffee in fiscal 2007 through Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices — Starbucks program for sustainable coffee — with a goal of purchasing 80 percent of coffee from C.A.F.E. Practices-approved suppliers by fiscal 2013.
• Fair Trade Certified coffee: Continuing to be the largest purchaser, roaster and distributor of Fair Trade Certified coffee in North America, and among the largest worldwide, purchasing 20 million pounds (9 million kilograms) in fiscal 2007.
• Conservation International (CI) collaboration: Announcing a five-year commitment to CI to address climate change by supporting farmers and communities who are preserving forests in coffee regions.

In March, Starbucks was the latest Fortune 500 company to get involved in ecosystem services, or finding ways to repay nature for the products it produces.In November, Seattle’s Starbucks Center, built in 1912, was the largest and oldest building in the country to earn a national green certification for existing buildings.