Customer : Shared Planet

Brewing Together Day of Service

Anna C — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:06:00 GMT

Hi everyone-

I’m pleased to return to the Ideas in Action blog to invite YOU to join Starbucks and MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” for Brewing Together Day of Service this Saturday, November 21st. Visit www.handsonnetwork.org/brewingtogether to find a volunteer event in your local community.

This service event is the next step in Starbucks Coffee Company’s partnership with “Morning Joe,” announced earlier this year. Both companies are coming together to encourage community service across the country. As part of raising awareness for volunteerism, “Morning Joe” will highlight volunteer efforts and information on-air during the weeks leading up to November 21.

As part of this partnership, we’ve also renamed the Gold Coast Blend® sold where you buy groceries to Gold Coast Blend®: Morning Joe Edition. This bold coffee is a fitting accompaniment to conversation, whether around the kitchen table, or during a break while you're volunteering in your community.

Be sure to visit www.handsonnetwork.org/brewingtogether to find a volunteer opportunity in your neighborhood on November 21st or any day throughout the upcoming holiday season. Thank you for joining Starbucks in our commitment to improving communities through service.

Best regards,
Anna

Starbucks Love Project!

Lindsey Austin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:00 GMT

Hey Lindsey here again! If you don't remember me from previous posts, I work on the marketing team and specifically support our relationship with (RED)™ - a key component of Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ and our ongoing commitment to the people and communities that grow our coffee.

Today, I’m thrilled to announce a new and fabulous way for you to support (STARBUCKS) RED. When you spend $15 (before tax and excluding money loaded to Starbucks Cards) at a participating Starbucks store in the U.S. and Canada, we’ll give you a special gift: The Starbucks & (RED)™ Exclusive CD “All You Need Is Love.” This beautiful CD includes exclusive tracks from U2, Dave Matthews Band, John Legend and Playing for Change singing the title track.

But that’s not all. For every CD we distribute, we’ll give $1 to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. “All You Need Is Love” CD supplies are limited, so don’t wait to get your copy. Once they’re gone, they’re gone!

To learn more about the CD and watch exclusive video content, visit our new website at StarbucksLoveProject.com. You can also create a “Love Drawing” which will result in a 5 cent contribution to the Global Fund (limit 1 million participants). Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more news on the Starbucks Love Project – we have some incredible events and surprises coming your way.

Cheers!
Lindsey

P.S. If you use your (STARBUCKS) RED Card to make your $15 purchase, Starbucks will give another 5 cents U.S. to the Global Fund. And we’ll continue giving 5 cents U.S. every time you use your card to make a purchase through December 31, 2010!! Just a little tip for all you customers looking for more ways to do good this holiday season and into the New Year.

It's Fair Trade Month- Join the Live Discussion

Katie Seawell — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:56:00 GMT

Hi!

My name is Katie Seawell, and I’m the director of marketing for Starbucks™ Shared Planet™.

Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ is our commitment to doing business in ways that are good to each other and the planet.

Coffee is a major global industry that involves more than 25 million people. As the largest roaster and retailer of specialty coffee, Starbucks believes we have a responsibility to treat farmers fairly, reduce our impact on the environment and be a good neighbor in the communities in which we operate.

This October we’re celebrating Fair Trade Month in the U.S. with one of our key partners, TransFair USA. Last year, Starbucks became the largest purchaser of Fair Trade Certified™ coffee in the world. This is a milestone we all can be proud of. But, the work has just begun. We are continuing to partner with Fair Trade to help identify even more areas where we can make a positive impact with the farmers who grow our coffee to help us make the best coffee we can.

To find out more, join a live discussion between Dub Hay, our senior vice president of coffee and tea, and Paul Rice, president and CEO of Transfair USA on Oct. 12th at 11 a.m. Pacific.

What questions do you have now? Tell us.

Want your Starbucks Card Balance without a Receipt? Read on!

_sbx_jbak2 — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Hello again, this is Jeff Carroll from the Starbucks Card team, here to share some exciting news about our POS (point-of-sale) system.

Many of you have asked for this and today I’m proud to say that we’ve delivered it. When checking your Starbucks Card balance at the POS, you no longer have to print a receipt!

Now when you want to check your Starbucks Card balance, you will have the option to print a receipt or have your barista tell you your balance. I’m particularly excited about this new feature because it touches upon three issues that are near and dear to the hearts of our customers and partners– improving operational efficiency, reducing/minimizing our environmental impact and enhancing the Starbucks Experience.

Thanks again for all of your wonderful ideas, and please keep them coming!

Jeff

This blog was inspired by an idea: Get My Card Balance Without a Receipt

How does Starbucks support local communities?

sbx_jska — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 22:14:00 GMT

People often ask how Starbucks gives back to the local community. From the neighborhoods where our stores are located, to those where our coffee is grown – we believe in being involved in the communities we’re a part of. Bringing people together, inspiring change and making a difference in people’s lives – it’s all part of being a good neighbor. And it’s a commitment rooted in the belief that we can use our scale to be a catalyst for change.

My name is Joelle and I work on the Global Responsibility team. Today I want to share with you one fantastic area where Starbucks is involved in local communities. Through grants, called the Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ Youth Grant, Starbucks provides funding to nonprofit organizations that support young people in creating change in their local community. These grants help move us forward in reaching our Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ goal of supporting 50,000 young people in creating change in their local community.

While I could write stories about the grant recipients, I know it is much more interesting and personal to meet them yourself through video. Below is the first of several short videos showcasing the stories of our grant recipients. I hope you enjoy it and maybe, just maybe, it will inspire you to be a catalyst for change in your community.

(Watch video here)

Joelle

Trivia Tuesday: Featuring Farmer Support Centers

sbx_bean — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:50:00 GMT

Question: What is a Farmer Support Center?
Answer: You may have heard the term “Farmer Support Center” from Starbucks before. Our farmer support centers are run by agronomists and other scientists in coffee-growing regions so that they can work directly with coffee farmers and suppliers. The staff evaluates social, environmental and economic aspects of coffee production to help ensure that the coffee Starbucks purchases is grown and processed in a responsible manner while helping to improve the quality of the crops. Our agronomists also help share best practices with farmers to improve growing and conservation techniques.

Question: When did Starbucks first open a Farmer Support Center?
Answer: The first Starbucks Farmer Support Center was opened in Costa Rica in 2004. This center allows Starbucks to work closely with farmers and suppliers who implement Starbucks coffee growing guidelines known as Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices, the ethical sourcing guidelines under Starbucks™ Shared Planet™. C.A.F.E Practices is a set of guidelines that include more than 120 standards for quality, environmental practices, social and economic standards, and price transparency to farmers. This commitment to ethical sourcing allows coffee farmers to share in Starbucks mission and success.

Question: How many centers are there?
Answer: Last month we opened our second Farmer Support Center in Rwanda. Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, visited Rwanda to meet with President Kagame, the head of the Coffee Development Board, and local coffee farmers and exporters. The center will work with East African coffee communities to help them continue to improve their coffee quality and to increase the number of suppliers producing coffee that can be imported by Starbucks. The farmer support and service is available for free. Starbucks agronomists and quality experts work directly with farmers to develop and use more responsible methods to grow better coffee and help improve the quality and size of the harvest to attract better prices.

We are also planning on opening a center in Ethiopia at a later date.

Question: Are there more pictures of Howard’s trip to Rwanda for the opening of the Farmer Support Center?
Answer: Yes! Check out our Facebook album (you don’t have to have a Facebook profile to view our photos).

More questions? Post them in the comment stream below. Thanks for reading!

To learn more about our Farmer Support Centers, please visit our Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ website.

What is LEED® certification?

John Harrison — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:29:00 GMT

Hi! My name is John and I work on our store development team.

With all the recent press about our renovated University Village store and its goal of LEED® certification, we’ve learned that many of you are interested in knowing what LEED is and what else we are doing in this area of store development.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It’s an internationally recognized green building certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The certification provides proof that prerequisite standards are met for site construction, energy use, indoor air quality and recycling. Many items that may be documented for certification include more efficient heating and cooling systems, lighting and water fixtures, recycled content of building materials, and finishes and materials that do not emit toxic smells.

For the last six years, Starbucks has played an active role in the USGBC’s LEED Portfolio Program, as well as the LEED for Retail Program. As an extension of Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ commitment to environmental stewardship, we are aiming to achieve LEED certification for all new company-operated stores worldwide beginning in late 2010.

Now that you know what LEED is, you’re probably wondering what other Starbucks buildings are LEED certified! To date, Starbucks has achieved LEED certification for the following:

•    Our newest roasting plant in Sandy Run, South Carolina
•    The building that houses Starbucks Support Center (our headquarters) in Seattle
•    One Starbucks store in Hillsboro, Oregon

Our 1st & Pike and University Village stores in Seattle and our new Paris Disney Village store are currently registered to be LEED certified. These stores feature plaques that explain specific green design and construction elements. Our hope is that these plaques not only inform you about our environmental efforts, but also motivate you to make environmentally responsible choices once you leave our stores.

John

To learn more about Starbucks environmental goals, please click here.
To learn more about LEED, please click here.