Frankly, I am not sure that any large company can ever be green. No matter how much they try their very existence as a corporation will preclude them being environmentally friendly.

Green belongs to the small, local coffee shops that use “for here” cups and buy their organic, shade grown, bird friendly coffee from a local roaster or roast it themselves. Green belongs to small, family owned companies that operate in communities, support the local communities, and refuse to grow past a certain, controllable point.

The problem with those small green companies is that the big companies that pretend to be green run them out of business. People prefer to save a buck here or there and in this economy who can blame them? And it isn’t just that. If you have ever owned a small business you know that all of the various regulations, inspections, permits, and taxes work together to maintain a high level of stress and frustration. You are expected, as a business owner (at least in a small town) to be nice, friendly, always available, always compliant, and always ready to give your product away for free to friends, neighbors, and city officials.

Companies like Starbucks are corporations. That is an entirely different set of rules. It is sort of the difference between being a work at homemom and a work at an office mom. Both work really hard, and both may be equally talented and successful but the work at home mom will be expected to babysit for neighbors, make cookies for the class party, and keep an eye on all of the latchkey kids for two miles. Different standards apply.

There is a point that you have to choose between your budget and your commitement to green-ness. Pretending like a corporation is green is like pretending a president or other government official really will do something about the environment. They won’t. As long as there are private jets using gallons of fuel, and multiple domiciles with staff I can’t be comforted that they care as much as I do about environment.

Starbucks will always be more interested in growth and profits than environmental concerns. If that wasn’t the case ALL of their coffee would be organic.

image:sxc

Post from: Kettle and Cup

So, as I said Saturday, Starbucks is losing money and is set to close 600 stores across the country.
Let’s chat about what that means, shall we?

I am thrilled at the news, personally.  Not because I want to see the company go under but I see in Starbucks that same shark-like business practices that I despise in Wal-mart. They will do anything and everything to put mom and pop shops out of business.  I said on Saturday that there is a corner in my area that has (or did have) three Starbucks on it; one in a grocery store, one in a Barnes and Noble, one free standing.  This seems like bad business all around, diluting the market beyond repair.  In fact within 2 miles of that corner there is at least one other Starbucks.

With the money that they have to spend on advertising and wooing consumers, as well as creating an image, how are the small family owned shops going to be able to compete? I know that our coffee shop/tea room was unable to compete and went under.  The coffees were better quality, we had more of a selection and if you check out Baking Delights you will KNOW that the food was better.

I saw a coffee shop that had been in place for more than 10 years go under when Starbucks came in nearby.  The coffee was much better than Starbucks and the prices were comparable or less, so why?

I think that to some extent it has to do with the sick American need to be surrounded by name brands.  What ever the cool kids are doing we want in on.  And then we wonder why our kids pester us for the right clothes and the correct gadgets.  Not only was Starbucks accessible, they were cool.

When is the last time you saw a family owned grocery store?  We used to shop at one when I was a kid.  They have all but disappeared.  In fact, I don’t think there is one in my area.

If we don’t support  small local businesses then we lose a valuable resource.  We lose a valuable freedom, the freedom to choose.

And lets face it, big business is like politics.  When it gets big the quality and ethics begins to disappear in the soft warm glow of the bankroll.

My suggestion is that if you can, seek out a local coffee shop.  Buy your lattes there, pick up a pound of their coffee.  Encourage the owner.  Build community ties and relationships.  Sure, Starbucks deserves to make as much moey as they can.  That is what free enterprise is all about.  But when free enterprise begins to turn into the corporate behomoths that these places have become, and when it begins to cannibalize smaller companies then it is time to draw a line in the sand.  By feeding the corporations at the expense of the privately owned, local companies we ultimately give up our freedom of choice.  Just like there are fewer and fewer mom and pop grocers and cafes, there will be fewer and fewer small coffee shops and there will be no choice at all.

Do you go to a local place or Starbucks?  What are your thoughts on this?

Image:Morguefile 

Post from: Kettle and Cup