The music in this cafe is god awful. For the ideals we espouse like beings hip and trendy, one would think the baristas would have some control over the music. This is interesting.
We are adamant recyclers, and many of our regular patrons recognize this as one of the major reasons they are involved with us. As far as cafes go, we are relatively environmentally friendly. We try to use ceramic mugs w/”for here” orders. We recycle all our paper and plastic. Yet this is a perfect example of the problem stemming from cultural patterns interwoven into society. In the upwardly mobile city, the latte is a sort of status symbol. Movers and shakers need energy in a cup to incorporate all their productivity. And I’m sure a similar statement can be made regarding the more casual consumption of coffee.
What would such a statement say?
Back to the environmentally friendly cafe…What is the difference between FTO (Fair Trade Organic) and Rainforest Alliance? Of course, Zingerman’s is a rather progressive company itself. Nine separate entities in Ann Arbor all banded together under the name Zingerman’s. I also hear that they are shifting to a lateral composition. I can’t remember the proper term for that, but where the profits are split evenly by all employees.
Now the reason I talk about cafe culture at this particular cafe in which I work (at the time) is that most of the people seem to be environmentally minded as long as it doesn’t conflict with their behavioral habits. For example, a to-go cup with lid and sleeve costs 53 gallons of water to produce between going from raw materials to your hand. These coffees and teas are shipped from all over the world. Dairy consumption and waste must hit all time highs among cafe culture. We carry some 30+ syrups and flavors that are shipped in glass bottles from San Francisco.
All of these things boil down to Food Miles, but this isn’t even real food! These are novel status symbols contributing to the hyperindividualistic social ecology of this region.
The Zingerman’s ad we display let’s consumers know that Zingerman’s is locally roasted. This is smoke and mirrors scheme to put the consumers conscience at ease.
Most people are operating without considering the complicated process involved in the means of production. .