Nomad Café Saving the Planet One Bag of Coffee Beans at a Time—Environmental efforts earn California's top waste reduction honor, Jan. 11, 2005, Press Release

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California Integrated Waste Management Board

Nomad Café Saving the Planet One Bag of Coffee Beans at a Time: Environmental efforts earn California's top waste reduction honor

OAKLAND—The Nomad Café in Oakland received the State of California’s top waste reduction environmental award today for outstanding achievement in on-site recycling, materials reuse and diversion, and waste prevention. One of only 10 businesses statewide to earn this distinction, the café was presented with the 2004 Waste Reduction Awards Program WRAP of the Year honor by the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

"True change begins with a grassroots commitment to make our communities better places to live," said Board Member Linda Moulton-Patterson at the award ceremony. "The Nomad Café exemplifies sustainable business practices and it is a pleasure to recognize this company for its voluntary efforts to protect the environment."

The Nomad Café is an independently owned Internet café located on the Oakland-Berkeley line in the East Bay Area. Recognized as an earth-friendly, community-based arts establishment, the restaurant proactively recycles and diverts 95 percent of its waste. Compostable materials, such as coffee grounds, are diverted to a local food-waste recycling program, or are taken home by customers to be used as rich garden soil amendments. The Nomad Café annually keeps more than 12 tons of waste out of California landfills. In addition, the company is committed to environmental stewardship on a global level—all coffee products are organic and Fair-Trade-Certified to promote sustainable farming and a healthier planet.

"It’s not enough to be environmentally green," said Nomad Café owner-entrepreneur Christopher Waters. "We also have to be politically and socially green. It’s up to us to create a green infrastructure so that others will be inspired to join the movement, one new person, one new business, one new community at a time. It’s the same with the community efforts that have gone into crime reduction and blight reduction in our neighborhood. These are tremendous efforts that were built from scratch. The Nomad is an example of how the ‘little guys’ can build community and inspire people to use small footprints to make great strides. Composting, recycling, nontoxic materials, Fair Trade – to some people, these efforts we make may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of global corporate industry, but we’re planting seeds for a greener future."

The business has earned the State’s WRAP award for the first time and was selected as a distinguished 2004 WRAP of the Year honoree for its model programs to manage materials and reduce waste. for more information on the company's environmental initiatives, please visit www.nomadcafe.net.

Now in its 12th year, the Waste Reduction Awards Program is open to private industry and nonprofit organizations throughout California and provides recognition for exemplary and model business practices to reduce waste, recycle, reuse materials, and send less to landfills. In particular, the WRAP of the Year designation honors companies of all sizes for successful waste reduction practices in the workplace.

The award is a special distinction made from among hundreds of outstanding businesses that earn WRAP awards from the State’s Integrated Waste Management Board each year. For 2004, WRAP honors went to 1,403 California companies, from which this year’s top 10 WRAP of the Year honorees have been chosen. More than 12,200 WRAP honors have been awarded since the program’s inception in 1993, with many companies winning the award for multiple years.

Other winners of the 2004 WRAP of the Year (WOTY) awards include:

American Honda Motor Co. (Torrance, Los Angeles County)

Eco-Pop Designs (Moss Beach, San Mateo County)

Friedrich-Houston Enterprises (Lomita, Los Angeles County)

Frito-Lay, Modesto Facility (Modesto, Stanislaus County)

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company—Palmdale (Palmdale, Los Angeles County)

Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens (L.A., Los Angeles County)

Northstar-at-Tahoe (Truckee, Nevada County)

Quady Winery (Madera, Madera County)

RICOH Electronics, Inc. (Tustin, Orange County)

For more details about all WRAP winners and their locations, including WRAP of the Year honoree businesses, please visit us online.

The California Integrated Waste Management Board is the State’s leading authority on recycling and waste reduction. It promotes a zero waste California in partnership with local government, industry, and the public. This means reducing waste whenever possible, promoting the management of all materials to their highest and best use, and protecting public health and safety and the environment.