The Stone Cup Cafe - Environmentally Conscientious

When Mindy and Sam Tallent purchased the Stone Cup in 2004 they decided they wanted the café to embody their commitment to building community and caring for the planet. They worked with Jennifer White of the Root Systems Institute to implement innovative measures that reduce the café's impact on the environment and are pretty cool as well.

• The Stone Cup is 100-percent powered by renewable, non-polluting wind energy.
• We have a comprehensive recycling and composting program and we are 99% waste-free. From eggshells to cups and plates, just about everything stays out of the landfills.
• All-natural, rbST-free milk from happy cows is a key ingredient in our lattes, mochas, pastries and everything else that uses dairy.
• Cage free eggs make our breakfast sandwiches and quiche consciously delicious.
• Coffee cups--those not created by our local pottery artist--are fully compostable as are our to-go boxes.
• A unique plastic made from corn is the base for our compostable smoothie cups, straws, lids, forks, spoons and knives.
• Our biodegradable and compostable plates are made from sugar cane. (Pretty sweet!)
• Everything gets squeaky clean with non-toxic and biodegradable cleansers and soaps.
• Our new t-shirts are made from bamboo and organic cotton. That's us, eco-fashionistas.
• We've even gone so far as to eliminate flies in the summer by planting pots of basil, a natural deterrent, around windows and doorways. Nothing like trading pesticides for pesto.

"Our children may save us if they are taught to care properly for the planet; but if not, it may be back to the Ice Age or the caves from where we first emerged. Then we'll have to view the universe above from a cold, dark place. No more jet skis, nuclear weapons, plastic crap, broken pay phones, drugs, cars, waffle irons, or television. Come to think of it, that might not be a bad idea." ~ Jimmy Buffet