Structurally green

Local sourcing practices are the “ground zero” of sustainability in bakeries.

Many operators recognize that sustainability applies to other aspects of their businesses. Birdbath Bakery, for example, was designed to be green, using wheat board walls made from sustainable stalks; reclaimed wood floors; vintage ceiling, door and light fixtures and 100 percent recycled paper countertop displays and shelves. Rubin describes his second Birdbath location as the ultimate in bakery recycling because it is an environmentally conscious retrofit of an almost 90-year-old landmark bakery. Staff uniforms are made from linen and hemp. Some are even fashioned from vintage 1950s (think June Cleaver) dresses.

Christine Littig, owner of Bernice's Bakery in Missoula, Mont., is another proponent of using reclaimed building materials when renovating. Finishing room staffers work on recycled high school science lab tables with tops salvaged from banquet tables. Most other items, including lumber, lighting, doors and even the door handles, come from a nonprofit building materials reuse center, thrift stores and garage sales, resulting in a significant reduction in expenses, she says.

Lester, a former accountant, saves money and energy by purchasing good-quality filters for his HVAC system, keeping a close eye on the gauges to monitor efficiency, and he blows the flour dust out of compressors regularly. “Because our equipment doesn't have to work as hard, we really save on our repair and energy costs,” he explains.

A growing number of operators use and support the development of alternative energy sources. Retail-only Birdbath operates on 100 percent renewable, emissions-free, wind-generated electricity, which provider Con-Edison says costs 2.5 percent more per kilowatt hour than standard electricity. According to ConEdison, Birdbath's purchase helps offset about five tons of carbon dioxide each year, which is “the equivalent of planting about five acres of trees or not driving 11,500 miles,” Rubin says.

The amount of wind power purchased by Pearl Bakery in a year helps support the replacement of about 60,000 kilowatt hours, equal to 72,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide, 850 trees or driving around the world three times, Lester says. At Monica's, Downen reduces what she can and offsets what she can't by purchasing renewable energy credits equal to the amount of electricity her business uses.

Reducing energy usage

Rubin, Lester and Littig have taken even more innovative steps toward reducing their — and their customers' — energy use. Rubin hires independent contractors with bicycle-driven cargo rickshaws to make deliveries between his City Bakery and Birdbath Bakery locations. Pearl Bakery contracted an independent delivery company that uses cargo tricycles.

Lester also encourages staffers to use mass transit or bicycles to commute to work by offering a bike subsidy program, a reimbursement of up to $20 per week to cover out-of-pocket costs for employees who bike to work at least three times a week. The bakery also subsidizes metro passes for those who prefer to take mass transit. Rubin offers a 25 percent discount for customers who travel to his bakeries via bicycle or skateboard.

Lester says Pearl Bakery, with its 52 percent recycled content, unbleached, food-grade bread bags, was the first or one of the first bakeries in the Northwest to use recycled paper. For his bakeries, Rubin found bags without wax lining, as wax is derived from petroleum. Gift baskets at Bleeding Heart are wrapped with corn-based cellophane and ribbon printed with soy ink.

Littig points out that until two years ago, finding green packaging was “a nightmare.” Now, Bernice's has an office staffer who spends a third of her time looking for packaging options that are environmentally sensitive as well as aesthetically pleasing. Littig's goal is to be able to find all paper products that are made completely or at least mostly from post-consumer recycled paper.

In addition to making themselves feel good about taking steps toward sustainability, operators can check into some of the federal and state grants and tax incentives that are available to offset some of the extra costs they may incur. Under the Energy Efficient Commercial Buildings Deduction passed in 2005, businesses that choose building materials, HVAC and lighting that meets certain guidelines may be eligible for tax deductions of up to $1.80 per square foot of real estate. Many utility companies also offer rebates to companies that increase their energy efficiency.

Grants also are available. For example, Kaplan's New Model Bakery, Philadelphia, received a $9,500 Small Business Energy Efficiency grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection last year, enabling the company to purchase and install an energy-efficient oven.

As awareness of sustainable practices increases, consumers are becoming more wary of businesses that “greenwash” their customers by giving lip service to environmental concerns without following through. But most, if not all, operators would agree that they don't expect or want customers to put them on a pedestal for their actions.

“We're just doing what we can right now, continuing to move forward and forgiving ourselves for not being able to do everything we want to do immediately,” Littig says.

“But we believe that as long as our customers know we are sincere in our commitment to the long-term goal of sustainability, they'll hang in there with us as we find our way.”