First Experience: The Green Grind

The Green Grind
Address: 567 College Street
(@ the corner of College and Manning)
Neighbourhood: College Street
@The_Green_Grind 
Website

Sitting in a cafe one day with a like minded friend we discussed how nice it would be to enjoy our drinks without a feeling of guilt.  Why did our favourite pastime have to have a negative impact on the environment?  Why couldn’t the coffee options we were given be all fairly traded, direct-trade or organic, or better yet, all of the above?!  Why did our coffee have to come served in unrecyclable paper cups? Why did the cookies and muffins we consumed in the cafe have to be full of pesticides?  We grew up with anti-littering campaigns, “reduce, reuse, recycle” slogans, and blue boxes, the messages had sunk in. 
The idea behind The Green Grind is simple: combine a love of cafe culture with a passion for the environment.


MAD respect for the Green Grind, trying to educate the masses about their impact on the earth we live on and how be conscious of our green footprint can help us maintain our equilibrium.
They were also voted #1 in the Best cafe for wifi - on BlogTO. 
I can see why they were voted as the Peoples (BlogTO loyalist) choice. With large windows inviting the mid-morning sun, and the mural painted wall that is reflective of their mood, it's a no-brain-er for mobile office types.



Machine: 2-Group Nuova Simonelli Aurelia
Beans: 7-Blend
Roaster: Mountain View
Grinder: Mazzer - Major

Verdict: dull. Smelt stale, and tasted like ash.
Harsh - but it was consist with the different visits I had at the cafe. Really wished they would pull shorter shots.....

What makes The Green Grind unique. (Taken from their website)

• LEED certification  is being targeted to assure everyone that we are not another ‘green washed’ company.  When we say we’re green, we mean it, and we will have the certification to prove it.  LEED is a strict environmental certification process that ensures everything to do with the construction of the cafe is environmentally responsible.  For more on certification see our page on LEED or ask any of our staff in the store.
  

• 1% For The Planet will be joined so that each and every sale done in the cafe is actually a donation.  1% of ALL sales at The Green Grind will go to this environmental organization. 

• Bullfrog Power  will be joined so that we can run the coffee shop on clean, renewable power.  We will also be able to say that we’re the first (and only) coffee shop in Toronto that is Bullfrog powered.  

• Locally roasted coffee means that you’ll always receive the freshest coffee possible.  Although we can’t do anything about importing coffee from far away locales, we can control where our coffee is roasted.  Our working with local roasters cuts down on transportation and gives you super fresh coffee.
  

• Natural cleaning products All cleaning in the coffee shop will be done with natural, green cleaners instead of using harsh chemicals.
  

All this adds up to you being able to lead your busy life while still enjoying an awesome latte, cappuccino, or cookie with zero guilt.

Environmentalism can co-exist with consumerism when a new generation of informed consumers  begin to make the right choices.  Instead of choosing a plastic bag, they can reuse cloth bags.Instead of driving SUV they are driving hybrids, instead of using pesticides they are choosing organic. We can choose organic fairly traded coffee in biodegradable cups to sustain our consumption....
Until there is a better way to auto-inject the smell, taste, and sensory overload that comes with coffee.... let's try to make a conscious effort.

Happy Hump Day! 咖啡冒险 says Kudos for the Sustainable message, rethink your bean selection.