Comments on: Starbucks to add a shot of energy efficiency to its coffee shops

By: Dave in Seattle

Dave in Seattle — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 17:33:37 +0000

When it comes to these 30-day contests, there are loads of way to “win”. For example, just turning down the heating/cooling system (beyond comfort zone) will help you “win”. Or just close the store for 30 days so you don’t have to use the espresso machines or lighting at all.

Also, the stores with the least sales for that month may have much lower energy use (less use of all those espresso machines). So should they reward the stores with low sales? Maybe, if you agree that the goal of continual increased consumption is the ultimate threat to sustainability.

Real efficiency changes would come from a company wide change such as going to all LED lighting for all stores or improving equipment efficiency of delivery trucks. These changes would provide long term savings that go beyond a 30-day contest.

By: Joe Ariganello

Joe Ariganello — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 19:02:32 +0000

Energy efficient competitions are a great way to create excitement about a new behavior as well as inform and teach employees how to change their behaviors. It’s great that these competitions are expanding to new types of businesses, such as restaurants, in addition to traditional types such as office buildings and colleges. http://bit.ly/Qy62pL

By: larochechris

larochechris — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 17:58:33 +0000

How about something to decrease the amount of paper cups they go through? 4 billion cups a year worldwide is a lot of carbon (not to mention the cultural shift in many countries that used to reuse porcelain cups -like England and Spain- before Starbucks made paper ‘cool’). If Starbucks wants to be ‘sustainable’, they really need to address the waste of paper cups.

By: RobertF

RobertF — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 02:25:16 +0000

How’s that working out for ‘ya?

By: Devon Nullz

Devon Nullz — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 02:07:55 +0000

Actually, going out of business would be the greenest thing they could do.

By: jcluma

jcluma — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 18:42:31 +0000

The best solution might be to use solar panels on the roofs of where ever the franchises are located. Work out deals to get that done and “get off the grid.”

By: Mosaic Technology

Mosaic Technology — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 16:20:47 +0000

Energy conservation competitions are a great way to simultaneously move your business towards a more sustainable future and also to obtain positive publicity. We at Mosaic Technology applaud companies for getting involved in competitions like this. Hopefully companies will pay attention to the energy data obtained from the software in order to learn and make necessary changes.
Mosaic Technology
http://www.mosaictec.com