Starbucks Redesign Emphasizes Green

Ch-ch-ch-changes may be coming to a Starbucks near you. Known widely for their rapid expansion in the 1990's -- some would more pointedly describe it as "global domination" -- Starbucks is often viewed as the antithesis to local charm and character. Nevertheless, when Starbucks begins its nationwide store redesigns in late 2010, local relevance will be one of its top priorities, along with the celebration of coffee heritage and an overarching theme of environmental responsibility.

There are currently twelve prototype stores that reflect this "Starbucks Shared Planet" three-pronged mission, and they are all part of a U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Volume Certification pilot program (now that's a latte-guzzling mouthful). In short? While LEED was originally established to enable the green-certification of office buildings -- a time consuming and financially draining measure -- Starbucks has been working to create a system that would enable the certification of retail-store prototypes, so that once audited and approved by the USBGC, they would be able to replicate the certified process at all new or significantly renovated company-owned stores. The other pilot sites are in cities as varied as Seattle, Washington; Atlanta, Georgia; Toronto, Canada; Lisbon, Portugal; and Kyoto, Japan. This falls on the heels of the news that Starbucks recently opened a café concept store that is serving wine and beer and hosting musicians and film viewings. Will all these efforts allow them to shake that image of the evil corporate empire?
The twelve stores are scattered across the globe in different "bioregions," reflecting the varying climate and geographic conditions which might impact such factors as energy and the availability of local materials. Slashfood had the opportunity to attend the unveiling of the newly renovated New York City pilot store, on the corner of Spring and Crosby Streets.

Unlike the ubiquitous green-lettered storefronts with their cookie-cutter interiors, this new shop has an organic, hip, industrial feel, with a mix of locally sourced and recycled materials. (A bench table, chairs and flooring are made from repurposed wood from Somerset, Pennsylvania; wallpaper comes from reused burlap coffee sacks; patchwork metal panels on the wall from retired espresso machines.) "Everything from the chairs themselves to the smaller café tables were chosen to create a more intimate environment for the customers," Starbucks SVP of Global Design, Tim Pfeiffer, told Slashfood on Tuesday. "Every design element you'll see was conceived to be functional, efficient and aesthetically pleasing." Laptop users will rejoice over one design update: outlets are more readily available throughout.

But the most noticeable element in this store is the artwork, which makes sense in Soho, as the neighborhood once renowned for its galleries and artists: graphic paintings by a local artist, Peter Tunney, and photographs picturing the source communities (in Latin America, Africa and Indonesia) where Starbucks beans are farmed. Tunney is an example of the sort of like-minded artists and long-standing supportive community members that Starbucks has been recruiting, and his paintings prominently display such messages as "gratitude" and "peace," in keeping with Starbucks' mission.

You'll also find somewhat subtle "Greenway Finding" plaques throughout the store, identifying eco design elements and supplying takeaway tips. "We hope to not only inform customers about our environmental efforts, but to motivate them to make environmentally responsible choices once they leave our stores," said Jim Hanna, Starbucks' Director of Environmental Impact.

Starbucks knows they still have a long way to go, however -- like addressing those millions of paper cups in landfills. Beyond offering a 10 cent discount to customers who bring in a tumbler for their java fix (an initiative in place since 1985), they will continue to expand their offering of mugs for in-store consumption. What about the lack of recycling bins in most stores? They have been working with municipalities to employ recycling initiatives to address front-of-store recycling needs, which, due to different waste capabilities from city to city, is not as simple as it would seem. Ironically, while cup waste might seem like the most significant environmental issue, it's energy use that accounts for roughly 80% of their carbon footprint. By the time their global implementation of LED lighting conversion is complete at the end of 2010, Starbucks predicts a 7% reduction in their energy use.

And if all this is a little too preachy for that pre-caffeinated morning brain of yours, you'll want to, at the very least, savor this information: The Spring Street store is the first New York City Starbucks to bear the much buzzed about Clover brewing machine, which originally cost $11,000. Now that the machines are sold exclusively to Starbucks, you'll need to visit the land of the green mermaid to sample what CEO Howard Schultz called "the best cup of brewed coffee [he had] ever tasted."

If these changes came to a Starbucks near you, would you be more inclined to visit, or to stay? Would trying out coffee from The Clover be a draw? And lastly, do you think these changes will negatively impact local coffee culture, or complement it?