Better Business Challenge: C’ville Coffee

CvilleCoffee (click PDF)

Fall 2011

Team members: Anthony Kennedy & Abby Decker

By working with C’Ville Coffee in the Better Business Challenge and through our Global Sustainability course, we were not only able to help C’Ville Coffee become more sustainable but also developed our own skills and knowledge of sustainability. Our objectives in the project were to evaluate the level of sustainability Toan Nguyen (owner of C’ville Coffee) had already accomplished, plan additional projects that we could accomplish during the semester, and take action through our collaboration with Mr. Nguyen and Terri Kent, our Community Partner.

Mr. Nguyen had already accomplished a lot through previous participation in the Better Business Challenge and through his own belief in sustainable business practices. More than half of the scorecard was already completed by Mr. Nguyen, but we saw need for growth in the area of customer involvement. This is where we devised the idea to create signs encouraging people to “just use one” paper towel. This idea was taken from the one used on the grounds of The University which encourages people to be more conservative in their use of paper towels. Additionally, we surveyed customers on how many paper towels they generally use after washing their hands. We hope that our signs will influence customers at C’ville Coffee to reduce paper towel waste.

We asked a contact experienced in advertisements and signage to help create the sign to be used in C’Ville Coffee. We used the same color scheme and logo of the Better Business Challenge so that the customers would be aware that the community was backing this idea. The signs were printed, laminated, and hung in the bathrooms and kitchens of C’Ville Coffee—where they are in clear sight for when people use paper towels.