How Coffee Waste Can Fuel a Circular Economy
As Nina Goodrich explains it, a circular economy is based on the recognition that “we have to move away from what folks call our linear economy of take-make-waste and envision a next life for what currently is our waste. It’s about how we build and make things so that one person’s waste becomes another person’s input materials.”
we aim to do this in several ways
Local Coffee Purveyors
We are creating partnerships with local coffee shops to recycle in-house generated waste from landfills, where it emits methane and contributes to greenhouse gases. This waste gets reused in our mushroom growing media for use in a variety of cultivation methods. Patrons can get involved by encouraging their local cafe to partner with Golden Gills to recycle their in-house generated waste.
Responsible Redistribution
Mushrooms cultivated on collected coffee production waste are then provided to cafes with food programs, to be integrated back into their menu. If no food program exists, we offer our shelf stable Future Farm for purchase in these cafes. These mini-farms were also made with recycled espresso, and can be composted virtually anywhere after use. Golden Gills Future Farms allow the consumer to become part of the solution.
Education and Equity
Our Cups to Crops Initiative pledges a percentage of proceeds from our Future Farm sales to advocate for and introduce healthier food options in local food deserts. We aspire to change the way consumers see and interact with foods they are unfamiliar with having access to. We pledge to both educate where possible, and donate fresh mushrooms and/or funds to local food programs to forge a more equitable future.
How Coffee Impacts Various Waste Streams
In one shot of espresso, less than 1% of the coffee biomass ends up in the cup.
In 2018, it was found that Global coffee production created in excess of 23 million tons of waste per year, according to sustainability researcher Gunter Pauli, from the pulp of fresh coffee cherries through the packaging that brings the roasted beans to your favorite barista.
However, large portions of this 'waste coffee' offer a viable nutrient and mineral dense substrate, on which we cultivate mushrooms in an urban farm setting.
In the United Kingdom, one such group has been collecting and recycling spent espresso from local cafes, and cultivating oyster mushrooms on the collected waste. Since 2011, they’ve recycled more than 80 tons of espresso grounds and turned them into 20 tons of mushrooms.
Awareness as an Action
While we are aware of the waste that goes into and subsequently comes from the consumption of our favorite drink, it does not mean we cannot continue to enjoy it. Society is better served by creating innovative ways to move the industry forward.
It is possible to raise awareness and create solutions by leading a hyper-local movement for social shifts of perception and action.
In our eyes, if consumers are armed with facts about the environmental impact of coffee production, we believe a fair amount of those consumers will typically recognize their own contributions to the global problem and, in turn, are motivated to become part of the solution.
Three Principles of Radical Mycology We adhere to
one
'A social philosophy that describes cultural phenomena through a framework inspired by the unique qualities of fungal biology and ecology.'
two
'A mycocentric analysis of ecological relationships.'
three
'A grassroots movement that produces and distribues accessible mycological and fungal cultivation information to enhance the resilience of humans, their societies, and the environments they touch.'
- Peter McCoy | Radical Mycology -