It’s been quiet here on the blog, but not at The C Shop! Lots of painting, scrubbing and rearranging has been going on. I’ll have some fresh pictures of the progress soon.

So along with a bit of a new look, The C Shop is also going on a diet – a trash diet! In December when we attended the Whatcom Bounty Expo put on by Sustainable Connections, we resolved to reduce our garbage by 80% during 2010. Many other Whatcom County businesses participate in this program. Look for the Toward Zero Waste logo to see who’s on board and reducing their garbage.

Sound impossible? We thought it would be a challenge, but we were very encouraged by the support and tips provided by other member restaurants that have reduced their waste to the equivalent of one household garbage can per month. Really! If Boundary Bay can do it, so can we.

The C Shop already composts and recycles, of course, but we’ll be examining our waste stream for improvements. We’ll be changing over our to-go containers to compostable and/or recyclable versions as we use up old stock. We’ll also implement reduce our usage of disposable cups in favor of glasses and cups. Everything will be examined with an eye on reducing waste. It saves us money and, more importantly, it’s a small step we can take as a business to do our part in saving the environment.

Another step that we’ll be taking which will more indirectly reduce our waste is to refill customer’s water bottles with tap water for free. This is to encourage the use of reusable containers instead of the purchase of bottled water. Bottled water is a great drain on the earth’s resources and we should all be drinking our safe and tasty tap water. Heck, if you’re drinking bottled water in Washington, you’re most likely drinking the tap water of the town of Concrete!

Those are just a few of the small steps that The C Shop is taking to be a more sustainable business. We’re doing other things that may not be as noticeable as well. We hope that you’ll help us and not ask for a disposable container unless you need it and feel free to come in and refill your water bottle! What other suggestions do you have for us to try?