The SloCrafted Life: Recent Episodes
The SloCrafted Life
Welcome to the podcast that explores how to craft an intentional, thriving life in the face of the coming environmental changes and amongst society's shifting tides. If you believe the examined life is not worth living, and you love hearing about people who are succeeding while doing good in the world, this is the place for you. Welcome to The SloCrafted Life.
Teresa von Fuchs heads up a team of innovators at Bellwether Coffee, a venture-backed startup aiming to make coffee shops more sustainable not only for the environment, but for the people who own and work in them. When we talk about sustainability in the coffee shop industry, we have to talk about financial sustainability of the business and the sustainability of workers within the industry, which means opportunity for advancement and increased salaries over time. That's why the Bellwether machine caught our eye. Not only are they roasting beans in a way that reduces environmental impact and creates a better experience for customers (fresher beans roasted on-site), but they also create ways for small coffee shops to weather the economic storms of small business ownership by creating a way for them to generate income outside of selling individual cups of coffee (by selling bags to customers and wholesalers), but they also allow the shop to create a way for baristas to advance within the company by learning to roast and developing new flavor profiles that expand the shop's offerings.
When we talk about how to solve the environmental problems of the world, we can't pretend those problems are divided from the economic stability or physical safety of the workers involved. Bellwether has created a solution that tackles all facets of the problem, not just one, because when the shop owner is empowered to be able to purchase un-roasted beans, they have a much wider and more affordable spread of options, and that allows them to support fair trade, environmentally-friendly sources that are often not available to them without a way to roast the beans - so this really creates positive ripples throughout the entire supply chain.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- 19:31 How Bellwether handles the overwhelm of coffee vendors that are available when a small shop begins roasting, so that they can feel confident they are supporting and buying from growers that treat their employees well and grow in sustainable ways
- 23:55 How we, as Americans, can solve problems starting here on our own soil, and how big of an impact the things we do here in America have on the environmental impact of the goods and services we consume (cafe operations are the single biggest contributor to the carbon footprint of a cup of coffee, and it is usually built upon low-wage unskilled labor)
- 28:00 Bellwether's name is rooted in the goal of lighting a new path, and how this company is trying to do just that
- 41:47 What can we as consumers of coffee to help change the industry for the better? How can we be better consumers and help fund the change we want to see in the world?
- 44:00 What if you want to bring your own mug to a cafe? What should you do to make sure you're being a conscious consumer and still not creating an unclean environment?
- 46:30 Are most coffee shops composting? How are they being limited by regulations as to how they can be green?
- 49:00 UnRavel's Zero Waste Cafe - and what they're doing that you can implement now
- 59:00 Social justice and race in coffee production and marketing
About Bellwether Coffee Roasters:
Bellwether Coffee Roasting offers coffee shop owners a unique way to scale their coffee offerings, without the environmental burden of traditional roasting styles. This venture-backed startup is changing how coffee gets roasted in both small stores and large chains, using new technology.
Links:
Find out more about Bellwether here: https://www.bellwethercoffee.com/about/
Find them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bellwethercoffee/
Links & Resources
Website
https://www.agritecture.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Agritecture/
https://www.instagram.com/agritecture/
Blog
https://www.agritecture.com/blog-feed
Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaqBO5iafuXqpJRmyr4LDrQ
Seeds And The City Podcast
https://seedsandthecity.com/
The Next 100 Years by George Friedman
https://www.amazon.com/Next-100-Years-Forecast-Century/dp/0767923057
Locally Grown In Podcast
https://www.agritecture.com/locally-grown-in-podcast
Henry on Social
https://www.instagram.com/theagritect/
website
engage with The Ray
Ray Anderson Foundation
Mid-Course Correction Revisited
Draw Down Book
Waymo
WheelRight
Resources and Links:
Website- https://seawitchbotanicals.com/
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/naturemissesyou
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/seawitchbotanicals/
Certifications:
https://sustainableconnections.org/
https://bcorporation.net/
Charities:
https://www.onepercentfortheplanet.org/
https://www.conservationnw.org/
https://earthjustice.org
https://www.ewg.org/
Natural/Eco-friendly beauty and household brands
https://www.aveda.com/
https://www.seventhgeneration.com
https://www.badgerbalm.com/
Books & Podcasts mentioned:
https://www.amazon.com/Case-against-Fragrance-Kate-Grenville-ebook/dp/B01MDN68TR
https://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/
https://www.missedinhistory.com/
Links & Resources
Bestowed Essentials Website
Bestowed Essentials Instagram
Hippie Haven Podcast
Hippie Haven Facebook
Callee on Instagram
Emily's List
Find Vegan food near you
Links & Resources
Website
Zero Waste Daniel
Looptworks
Goodwill bins (outlet) locator
Links & Resources
Jessie's Site
Season Everyday Website
Marriage is funny Facebook
Style and Pepper Blog
Pepperologie
Links & Resources
blog- the chefs laboratory
Fungi perfecti. ~ Paul stamets
Paul Stamets- mushrooms as medicine
Lake way tilapia - Where Michael gets his fish
skateboards
https://www.kaly.nyc/
https://www.skateboltsd.com/tornado
hot kitchen nyc
Links & Resources:
Pink Salt Cuisine
Pink Salt Cuisine on Facebook
Pink Salt Cuisine on Instagram
Epic Renewal
Food Finders
Natural Products Expo
Forager Food
The Ecology Center
Resources & Links
Find Eric on Facebook
Email Eric: EricMcCool@gmail.com
Eric's book, "Portlyn"
"Permaculture Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability" by David Holmgren
"Egregores" by Mark Stavish
Resources & Links
Sylvia Bernstein – The Aquaponic Gardening Community. http://aquaponicgardening.ning.com
Kelly Slater Instagram account - “No Such Thing as Away.” https://www.instagram.com/kellyslater/
Ken Armstrong – Ouroboros Aquaponic Farm - https://www.ouroborosfarms.com
“Short History of Everything” - Bill Bryson https://www.amazon.com/Short-History-Nearly-Everything/dp/076790818X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1548355557&sr=8-1&keywords=bill+bryson+short+history+of+everything
SchoolGrown http://schoolgrown.org
