Green businesses are becoming a trend these days. However, beyond being trendy, they also have a bigger purpose of being less harmful to the environment. So how can you make your café a green business? How can you minimize the harmful effects your business has on the environment? Take a look at the following tips to figure out.
Limiting Water Usage
Any diner is going to have high water consumption. But there are plenty of ways you can reduce and minimize the water usage. For example, instead of using one-time use plastic bottles, you can install water filters for your customers. You can also install low-flow faucets, motion sensor taps to reduce the use of water at sinks or bathrooms. If your café has an outside area like a garden or a patio, you can also try installing water catchments.
Switch to Paper
When it comes to take-out, try your best to switch to paper materials rather than polythene and plastic. Encourage your customers to limit the usage of plastic straws or promote paper straws. Even when it comes to displaying your food or presenting them, you can switch to more eco-friendly alternatives such as paper trays or wicker baskets. You can check the collection at Box Fox for more paper packaging ideas.
Waste Less Food
When it comes to food industry and hospitality industry, sometimes food waste is inevitable. But what if there are ways to reduce this. For example, instead of simply throwing away food remains, you can use them for recycled fertilizer. If you do not have space for creating fertilizer or compost bins, you can donate them to local farmers so they can use them as fertilizer for their crops. If there is excess food, why not donate them to a homeless shelter? It is always better to make some use of the ‘wasted’ food instead of letting them just waste.
Make Your Staff and Customers Aware
In order to continue with your green habits, your staff and customers has to be on board with the idea. Make sure your staff members are aware that your business is a green business. That way they can help you keep up with the practices and make sure your green goals are met.
They can also ensure that your customers are aware and practice the same habits. Until your café gets the reputation of a green café, you can keep informing them through small notices, displayed at the café or even your social media pages. Encourage them to use reusable straws like metal straws, using apps for payment instead of using receipts etc.
Once these practices are put to place, you will be able to reduce the impact on the environment by a significance amount. Remember that these methods will not only be simply trendy and eco-friendly, but also profitable for you as well. As your business grows you can also adapt more practices such as reducing the energy consumption and utilizing renewable energy sources.
