llms.txt

We believe in second chances — especially for pastries. Our almond croissants are actually yesterday’s butter croissants, lovingly revived with almond filling, a toasty top, and a whole lot of savoir-faire. Recycling? No. Upcycling. This is croissant circularity.

### Annual waste audit

### March 2025

You already know the deal if you've been with us since the beginning. We're waste audit pros. This year we switched it up and completed our audit at the new store location to see how customers were handling compost. Turns out our customers are very well versed in the world of high-temperature aerobic decomposition of organic matter.

### $500 donated to Zero Food Print

### December 2024

In the first 9 months of our partnership with Zero Foodprint, we donated $500+ from the sale of our coffee beans! Buy beans, invest in regenerative ag, save the world!

### Not Too Good To Go

### October 2024

In an effort to reduce food waste behind the bar, we explored a partnership with Too Good To Go to resell unsold pastries. Ultimately, our models didn’t align, and the effort didn’t come to life. Until next time, Too Good To Go…

### Certifiably Green Denver Business Award

### August 2024

![Two women smiling, holding 2024 Centrally Green Denver Award, Blue Sparrow Coffee](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/448449_d6304da253824419b0951ee12ee40618~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_9,y_0,w_2875,h_3830/fill/w_82,h_109,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/IMG_3432_HEIC.png)

### Solar powered bathrooms

### August 2024

The solar was turned on at Backyard on Blake (where BSC Blake is located), offsetting 75% of the property house meter. Meaning our bathrooms are 75% solar powered at Blake Street!!

### Blue Sparrow Sherman Street Opened

### July 2024

And it has customer facing compost!

![Modern waiting area with pink chairs and gold divider](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/448449_fddd52eaa3e9499288fb34f157e1108e~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_511,y_0,w_9400,h_5475/fill/w_114,h_66,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Lobby%20-%20entrance%20-%20door%20open%20-%20lights%20on.jpg)

### Made for Milk in Stores

### April 2024

While evaluating food waste behind the bar we found that dumping out old batch brew coffee was one of our biggest offenders. So this year we brought back the classic, Iced Coffee, with a marketing twist--we called it... Made for Milk.

### Denver Public Schools and The Greenway Foundation collaboration launched

### April 2024

We passed out 4000 hot sleeves to 18+ schools across Denver K-12 and asked students to draw any Earth Month related image – the results were fantastic, inspiring, hilarious, and outrageous. We loved it! See one of our favorite examples to the left.

### Denver Public Schools and The Greenway Foundation collaboration launched

### April 2024

### [2023 "Sustainability" Report Live](https://www.bluesparrowcoffee.com/2023-sustainability-report)

### April 2024

![Blue Sparrow Coffee logo on cup sleeve](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/448449_d0454457bbfa4f18840639177065f7bc~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_71,y_108,w_1509,h_826/fill/w_99,h_54,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/448449_d0454457bbfa4f18840639177065f7bc~mv2.png)

### Annual waste audit

### April 2024

We've completed at least two waste audits beofre all three reports that have been published. Audits are the only way to know how customers are deciding what to recycle vs throw away. How do we complete one, you ask? We dump out your trash/recycling and count everything inside!

### Heat pump installed at Blake Street

### March 2024

With help from the City of Denver’s Electrification Feasibility Report Pilot Program, we replaced our outdated, over worked, unreliable heating and cooling unit with a new, efficient, electric, heat pump.

### [Zero Foodprint collaboration launches](https://www.zerofoodprint.org/)

### March 2024

We waited a long time for this one. Now, $0.50 from every bag of Blue Sparrow Coffee we sell will be donated to Zero Foodprint to help fund regenerative agriculture across the US.

### [BSC x Gandy x City of Denver ](https://www.gandy.cc/denver)

### January 2024

![Three coffee tins, Denver & Lhanood, sustainability](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/448449_cd42705c43fb4696816c808581452524~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_2,y_834,w_4235,h_5119/fill/w_86,h_103,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/IMG_4127.jpg)

### [MAINSPRING B Corp Certified\*](https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/river-north-investment-co-llc/)

### December 2023

\*MAINSPRING is our parent company, meaning we aren't a Certified B Corp but our work played a role in them becoming one!

### Last quarterly barista training

### December 2023

### [Check out our 2024 goals and see we are changing up how we train on “Sustainability”. Keeping everyone on their toes!](https://www.bluesparrowcoffee.com/2023-sustainability-report)

### Install smart water meter at Platte Street

### August 2023

We decided to install our own smart meter to help uncover how much water we were truly using at the Platte Street location. [Here](https://flumewater.com/product/?gad%5Fsource=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw8diwBhAbEiwA7i%5FsJd6pcOPMLa0kVCA8faFSk5BBIsYLi3MPivp8IgLkotSQH6jPJjQV4RoCgH8QAvD%5FBwE) is the one we went with and [here](https://www.denverwater.org/business/rebates-and-conservation-tips/commercial-rebates) is the rebate we used to help pay for it!

### Start re-writing Vision Statement to reflect "sustainability"

### July 2023

[Check out our hard work at the top of the page!](https://www.bluesparrowcoffee.com/sustainability-home)

### Changed "Sustainability" Fund to subsidize alt-milks

### April 2023

We decided to subsidize the cost of alternative milks to keep prices low on lower impact options within our store. 100% of our single-use charge now goes to keeping alternative milks cheaper, in the name of "sustainability".

### [2022 Sustainability Report Live](https://www.bluesparrowcoffee.com/2022-sustainability-report)

### April 2023

### [Blue Sparrow on KDVR](https://kdvr.com/news/local/local-coffee-shop-serving-up-more-than-lattes-for-earth-month/)

### April 2023

### [Blue Sparrow Coffee x Alejandro Gaeta Collaboration](https://www.bluesparrowcoffee.com/alejandro-gaeta-x-bsc)

### March 2023

![Team photo: Blue Sparrow Coffee crew](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b09943_e28007bf9e534d00baeac20f8c56f205~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_75,h_100,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/b09943_e28007bf9e534d00baeac20f8c56f205~mv2.jpg)

### Quarterly barista training

### March 2023

Check it out [here](https://www.bluesparrowcoffee.com/%5Ffiles/ugd/448449%5Fe60b7f4d21da416a82b516949bd189d5.pdf)!

### [Certifiably Green Denver Business](https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Climate-Action-Sustainability-Resiliency/Cutting-Denvers-Carbon-Pollution/Community-Engagement/Certifiably-Green-Denver)

### February 2023

We love our friends at Certifiably Green Denver and completed the city run certification as our first “Sustainability” credential

### Annual Waste Audit

### February 2023

![Used Basic BC sanding strips](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8314bd_e2a5fd600af14e228298bdbbafb75e20~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_334,w_2768,h_3721/fill/w_73,h_98,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Photo%20Feb%2012%2C%208%2010%2058%20PM.jpg)

### ASHRAE Level 2 energy audit

### January 2023

### We hired Xcel to complete a walk-through assessment, review of our utility bills, machinery check, and interview of our Sustainability Analyst to monitor energy effeciency.

### Replaced sugar packets w/ refillable syrups

### August 2022

Our waste audits quickly revealed that sugar packets are nothing but a contaminant to our recycling streams, so we removed them all together. Adding syrups in their place!

### Oatly Big Idea Grant application

### October 2022

Check out our application [here!](https://www.bluesparrowcoffee.com/%5Ffiles/ugd/448449%5Fb3252849093e49918d418c02fae2b0a7.pdf) Want to fund it? Let's talk!

### Quarterly Barista Training

### November 2022

![Baristas at Blue Sparrow Coffee preparing drinks](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/448449_975da9695ed74af1a3a581fb352ab759~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_79,h_95,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Screenshot%202024-04-10%20at%203_05_25%E2%80%AFPM.png)

### Tracked our "recyclables" to see where they were really going

### August 2022

[Remember this?](https://www.denverpost.com/2018/03/13/starbucks-coffee-cups-recycling-stand-earth/) We decided to replicate the experiment by placing GPS devices in to-go cups and sending them off to be recycled (fingers crossed). One was quickly lost, the other ended up in the dump, and the last one standing made it allll the way to a landfill outside of Boulder, CO.

### First barista training

### July 2022

Baristas are the voice of our “sustainability” work, we implemented quarterly trainings in year one to ensure they are up to speed on the initiatives we are launching, our reports, and the environmental science behind our work. Oh yes, and they’re paid to learn all of this. [Click here to see the first training!](https://www.bluesparrowcoffee.com/%5Ffiles/ugd/448449%5F1e625243c028452989c9bfead6b10e47.pdf)

### Hosted an event to clean up the communal trash room at Platte Street

### July 2022

### Quarterly barista training

### June 2022

### Changed our customer facing napkins

### June 2022

We removed the "100% recycled content" branding on our napkins to reduce the chances of them contaminating our recycling bin. Our first waste audit made it clear that they were a top contaminate. Anecdotally, it totally worked!

### Compost added at Platte Street

### June 2022

### Compost added at Blake Street

### May 2022

Adding compost allowed us to ensure 100% of all coffee grounds were being diverted from the trash.

### Added MS Marketplace to slack

### May 2022

We created our own version of a used goods marketplace for staff 35+ staff members to share items they no longer want and keep their closet clean outs circular!

### Daily trash sorting for BSC X Alejandro Gaeta Earth Day collaboration dress

### March 2022

Our 2023 [Blue Sparrow Coffee x Alejandro Gaeta](https://303magazine.com/2023/04/blue-sparrow-coffee-local-couture-designer-sustainability/) collaboration was made of 100+ used to-go cups, so we stopped by the store at the end of every day to gather them for our designer!

### [2021 "Sustainability" Report live](https://www.bluesparrowcoffee.com/2021-sustainability-report)

### April 2022

![Woman holding coffee cup: "Sustainability is DEAD"](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/448449_35a6e8e9f974448585a9bf3afa6c2c5e~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_91,h_99,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Screenshot%202024-04-10%20at%205_04_34%E2%80%AFPM.png)

### Tried to donate our leftover pastries

### March 2022

Turns out we don't have many! We loved the idea of partnering with local non-profit [We Don’t Waste](https://www.wedontwaste.org/), but we rarely had leftovers to share. Currently, any leftovers get taken home, handed out, or composted.

### First water meter reading at Platte Street

### March 2022

In response to our year two water data ([which was x2, x3, x5, even x10 times higher than the year before](https://www.bluesparrowcoffee.com/2022-sustainability)) we started reading the meter ourselves. We continue to do this twice a month and won't stop until we understand our water usage.

### Put our lighting on a tight schedule to reduce energy use in stores

### March 2022

### Single-Use Initiative launched

### January 2022

We started charging $0.10 per single-use cup going out our doors, knowing that customers are more likely to change behavior when they're fined than when they’re rewarded. All single-use fees go back into our “Sustainability” work at Blue Sparrow Coffee. Read more, [here](https://www.bluesparrowcoffee.com/2023-sustainability-report).

### First waste audit completed

### February 2022

![Blue Sparrow Coffee cleanup: gloved hands collect litter](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/448449_da931787b5e048c98ceb774ef9b3511d~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_60,h_90,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/448449_da931787b5e048c98ceb774ef9b3511d~mv2.jpg)

### Changed our candle supplier to

Keystone Inspired Co.

### November 2021

Keystone Inspired Co. has a whole page on their sustainability practices [here.](https://keystoneinspired.com/pages/sustainability)

### Hired a Sustainability Analyst

### October 2021

![We hired a sustainability analyst to secure grant funding and certifications, collect our utility data, train baristas on "sustainability" initiatives, publish reports, and write this very page. ](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/255db9_af49b91609eb41fbabb9979c8e2021ca~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_85,h_107,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/17865406307838305.jpg)

### Made the switch to strawless lids

### August 2019

### Replaced plastic straws w/ paper straws

# June 2018

Paper > plastic, any day. Now we have our iconic blue and white stripped straws, always available by request!