With almost 8 billion people on the planet, human consumption and waste is a pressing issue. Sustaining that many meals every day requires more than the limited power of our exploited fossil fuels.

Businesses and restaurants that value and promote environmentally friendly practices ensure the continued success of food production. The Huffington post recently shared that 67% of organizations believe sustainability is necessary in order to be a competitor in the food industry.

The Coffee House at UC Davis is certainly ahead of the pack and is deeply committed to running a sustainable operation. I sat down with Susie Houlden, Sustainability and Production Manager, to find out more. Dating back to its inception in 1968, the CoHo has always functioned with the environment as a priority. The practice was founded by a group of students who wanted to provide their peers with an alternative to large food corporations and has retained its initial core values throughout several transitions. In 2010, during its most recent renovation, the CoHo chose to add a compactor to its equipment, allowing the possibility of large-scale post consumer compost. This means that all cardboard boxes, coffee grinds, milk cartons, paper products, food scraps and everything in the yellow compost bins is diverted from landfill. The CoHo specifically sources sandwich bags, soda cups, lids and straws that are compostable so as to reduce plastic waste.

Although the business requires a larger volume of produce than local farmers can provide, it sources locally whenever possible. Each summer, the Student Farm is asked to plant large quantities of basil, which are used in pesto sauce throughout the year. Bagels and bread are also sourced locally from Sacramento and the CoHo values these strong relationships with farmers and homegrown businesses.

Aside from post consumer trash and cardboard, the CoHo aims for zero food waste. The butts of sliced tomatoes are used in salsa, which saves about 4 gallons of tomatoes per week. Turkey shavings are used in fowl salad and cheese slices that aren’t large enough for sandwiches are shredded for use in burritos. Employees are trained to be creative in using every part of the produce, which helps the environment and saves money! It’s rare that there’s ever a large quantity of extra food but any leftovers are taken home by employees, sold at a discount, used in other recipes or frozen to stay fresh. The CoHo aims to never order or make more food than needed and takes a proactive approach to food waste.

The CoHo supports sustainable promotions such as the One Cup Challenge, which rewards customers who use their own reusable coffee mug with a free coffee refill. The CoHo also consistently offers a 25-cent discount for an own cup or an own plate and encourages customers to bring their own dishes. The founders of the One Cup Challenge were actually former CoHo employees!

The CoHo strives to stay ahead of the curve and to adapt to environmental issues. It has remained true to its humble beginnings and strikes a balance between sustainability and loyalty to its customers, who are primarily students on a budget. As a consumer you have the power to vote with your money and purchasing an item means that you vouch for the practices behind its production. The Coffee House provides delicious choices that you can feel good about buying, and encourages sustainable awareness. Susie encourages customers to educate themselves about issues they feel are important. Education makes getting involved a whole lot easier and you can start by making a stop at the CoHo!