Our Environment
We believe in doing all that we can to have a positive impact on the environment. Here are some of the environmentally friendly features of our day-to-day operations and of the design of our restaurant, and contact information for some of the providers we worked with.
Day-to-Day
Suppporting local and organic farmers. We prepare all our food from scratch using as many local and organic ingredients as possible. By doing so, we are reducing the distance food travels from farm to plate and the pollution that comes from that transport. And we are supporting farmers that are stewards of the land. Check out a map of some of our producers.
We keep close track of our food purchases and update our food sourcing numbers monthly. We believe it’s very important to share where our food comes from with our customers.
Eliminating waste. Since day one, we’ve been composting. Over 120,000 pounds so far have been diverted from the landfills and instead have been turned into nutrient rich soil. Working with Eureka Recycling, a local non-profit firmly committed to this cause, our compost goes to a commercial facility where almost everything we would otherwise throw in the trash can be composted – this includes all food scraps, non-recyclable paper products, the to-go containers and utensils we use (made of corn and/or sugar cane), and more.
By composting, we not only reduce the volume of trash created and instead create nutrient rich soil – we also reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are created when this kind of waste goes into a landfill.
We recycle all the items we can. But we know it’s better not to use bottles and cans in the first place – we serve tap water and not bottled water – we support our great local public water system, and not corporations that bottle and ship water long distances. All of our beer is served on tap out of kegs – better beer, and all the containers are reusable! Our milk comes to us from Castle Rock dairy in Wisconsin – not only is it organic, farmer/dairy direct, and very tasty, but it comes in reusable bottles that they wash and use again.
Environmentally Friendly Design
Salvaged Materials. The floor in our front seating area was salvaged from a barn that was falling down in Glencoe, MN. Oak planks were remilled and turned in to great flooring at the cafe. The table tops in our front seating area were made on site out of worm-hole maple that was salvaged from a mill that burned down.
We fully remodeled the interior of the cafe. When pulling out old walls, our contractor saved all the reusable wood, pulled out all the nails, and used it to assemble new wood. It took a lot longer than the standard practice of throwing it all in a dumpster and not thinking about it, but not only did we prevent the waste, the wood was of much higher quality than we would have been able to purchase now and we reduced costs.
The lighting in the front of the cafe was salvaged from the old University of Minnesota greenhouse and the lights over the counter came from a north Minneapolis warehouse. Lighting on our patio was stage lighting in south Minneapolis.
We found the window that now looks into our bakery covered over in a side of the building.
The planters on our patio are large lockers from a local hospital turned on their side and reconfigured for use as planters.
Environmentally friendly materials. Our counter top is made from recycled cardboard by a Southern Minnesota company.
The table tops in our side seating area and our meeting room were made on site using panels made from sunflower hulls. Wheat-based board made by the same Southern Minnesota company is used on the partial wall by our front entrance.
The floor in our side seating area is made of linoleum, made from linseed oil and a variety of byproducts. Our meeting room is carpet tiles that are recycled, recyclable, and made domestically in a low emission plant.
Energy efficient operations. Our hood system includes a variable speed hood that senses temperature and speeds up or down based on what we’re cooking. Most of the time, it runs at a slower speed, using half as much energy.
We have an on-demand hot water heater – that means no tank of hot water to hold warm.
Some of Our Suppliers
Fulcrum Point Services. Our general contractor for the entire remodel, from table tops to our kitchen. (612) 462-1760
Guilded Salvage. Salvaged lighting, wood and lots more. (612) 789-1680, www.guildedsalvage.com
Bauer Brothers. Huge warehouse of salvaged building material. (612) 521-0494, www.bauerbrotherssalvage.co
Barnwood of MN. Salvaged wood for our table tops and flooring. (320) 864-3034, www.barnwoodofmn.com
Shetka Stone. Our recycled cardboard countertop, from Le Center. www.shetkastone.com
Environ Biocomposites. Sunflower and wheat board, from Mankato. www.environbiocomposites.com
Interface Carpet. Recycled and recyclable carpet tile. www.interfaceflor.com
Common Roots Cafe • 2558 Lyndale Ave. S. • Minneapolis, MN 55405
(612) 871-2360 • info@commonrootscafe.com