Sustainablity
Our vision on sustainability
“Good food must taste good, be good for the body and be good for the environment.”
JoCo Green Business Program (JCGBP)
The Green Business Program was developed by the solid waste division of the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment (JCDHE) to recognize organizations that have adopted sustainability initiatives throughout their operation. This program has been a valuable resource for us in establishing a waste management program based on recycling or composting by offering technical assistance, educational tools, and training for our staff. Together, we are dedicated to minimizing our environmental footprint.
Composting Food Waste
In the United States, 30-40% of all food produced is wasted. About 25%, or approximately 41.7 million tons, of all garbage that ends up in landfills every year is improperly disposed food waste. Because food waste in a landfill decomposes without oxygen, it creates primarily methane gas as a byproduct that absorbs heat from the sun effectively warming our planet at 21-70x the rate of carbon dioxide. Food waste that decomposes as compost has access to oxygen because it is regularly turned and aerated. As a result, it releases carbon dioxide, which can be reused by our natural ecosystem to provide energy to vegetation. That’s why we are proud to partner with local composting organizations like Compost Collective KC.
Recycling Glass & Plastics
We recycle all our glass, plastics, and paper goods. We partnered with Ripple Glass to ensure proper glass recycling. Recycling one glass of beer or soda bottle saves enough electricity to power a standard light bulb for 4 hours. Recycling glass reduces pollution and extends the life of our local landfills. We hope to educate our current and future generations on the benefits of recycling and using recycled or reused materials. Recycling glass is good for our planet and for our local economy.
High-efficient
LED Lighting
We use high-efficient LEDs in all our locations from small pop-ups to our market and taqueria. This allows our lighting to be 6 times more efficient than that of a typical traditional restaurant. The average efficacy of an LED bulb is 78 lm/w (lumens per watt), compared with around 13 lm/w for an incandescent and approximately 18 lm/w for a halogen equivalent. Not only does this lower our carbon footprint, but it also reduces our long-term energy expenditure while brightly illuminating our spaces.
Renewable energy use
In the US, 63% of our electricity comes from fossil fuels, which release greenhouse gases and contribute to climate change. However, the harmful effects of fossil fuels extend far beyond greenhouse gas emissions. Long before they make it to power plants, fossil fuels use huge amounts of energy and devastate local environments. Energy companies have found ways to extract large quantities of fossil fuels, and the uranium necessary for nuclear power, trapped underground, but those methods take a huge toll on the environment decimating wildlife habitats and polluting waterways.
That’s why we partnered with Arcadia, a tech company that connects our energy consumption to local solar farms to help us meet sustainability goals and encourage the use of alternative renewable energy sourcing.
77,155
pounds of CO2 avoided annually
85,822
kWh of clean wind energy annually
Sustainable Packaging
We believe in sustainable packaging in reducing our environmental footprint by using recycled or raw renewable materials, minimizing the carbon footprint in production or supply chain and creating a sustainable economy of recycling and reusing certain materials. Recycling saves energy and water, lowers pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, improves air and water quality, preserves landfill space and conserves natural resources. Currently, 75% of our packaging is made from renewable materials like compostable and plant-based materials or recyclable plastic. We are making a commitment to use 100% renewable and recycled materials in the next 5 years.
All-natural refrigerants
Hydrocarbon refrigerants are natural, nontoxic refrigerants that have no ozone depleting properties and low global warming potential. They are one of the most climate-friendly and cost-effective refrigerants to cool and freeze. Specifically, the R290 hydrocarbon refrigerant is highly refined propane that is a safe, environmentally friendly alternative in refrigerator and freezer applications. Used in all True Natural Refrigerant models, R290’s thermodynamic properties are superior to both current HFC refrigerants. With R290’s heat capacitance approximately 90% greater than R134a and 140% greater than R404a with lower viscosity, the R290 can absorb more heat, faster, resulting in quicker temperature recovery and lower energy consumption.
Cooking Oil Recycling
When greasy oil goes down the drain, it begins to solidify and eventually blocks drainage pipes or causes damage to your city’s sanitation pipes. Instead, cooking oil can be refined into biofuel that burns clean in most diesel engines. If it goes to a processor, the anaerobic digestion process will break down the oil and any other organic ingredients without oxygen into a gas that can be used as alternative energy. If it’s sent to a biodiesel plant, it is filtered and processed into fuel that can be burned in most diesel engines, like trucks.
Energy Star efficient equipment
Restaurants use about five to seven times more energy per square foot than other commercial buildings. High-volume quick-service restaurants may even use up to 10 times more energy per square foot than other commercial buildings. Restaurants generally use the most electricity for refrigeration, followed by lighting, then cooling. Restaurants face a number of challenges and opportunities for energy management, so ensuring efficient energy use is a business practice that improves profitability, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and conserves natural resources. That’s why we are proud to use Energy Star certified equipment to ensure efficiency in making the smallest possible environmental footprint.