Starbucks Newsroom: Fact Sheet: University Village

News

Jul 06, 2009
Fact Sheet: University Village – Seattle, WA

Starbucks is reinventing the store experience with a new design approach inspired by Starbucks™ Shared Planet™, our ongoing commitment to ethical sourcing, environmental stewardship and community involvement.

We’re working to strengthen our customers’ sense of community and reduce our impact on the planet by locally sourcing materials and incorporating reused and recycled elements where possible. We want each new or renovated Starbucks store to reflect the character of its surrounding neighborhood, allowing customers to feel truly at home when visiting “their” store and giving them opportunities for discovery at our other locations around the world.

We’ve placed plaques throughout our new concept stores to identify and explain specific green design and construction elements. We hope these markers not only inform customers about our environmental efforts, but motivate them to make environmentally responsible choices once they leave our stores.

Reused & Recycled Materials

The countertop on the bar contains 85 percent recycled content
The wall tiles in the restroom contain 40 percent recycled content
The interior entrance mats contain 100 percent recycled content
The redwood siding on the exterior of the store was reclaimed from hop vine poles in Eastern Washington
The merbau wood on the exterior entrance mats was reclaimed from existing buildings
The structure of the bar incorporates reclaimed and recycled materials
The ash used to make the table was salvaged from a fallen tree in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood
The informational piece on the bar utilizes recycled slate from Seattle’s Garfield High School and salvaged metal and wood from the Seattle area
The leather on the face of the bar is scrap leather obtained from shoe and automobile factories
The burlap coffee bags on the wall are repurposed from a Starbucks Roasting Plant in the Seattle area
The Douglas fir in the wall fixtures and cabinets was reclaimed from school bleachers
The metal panels on the community wall were repurposed from old espresso machines
The original floor was recycled rather than thrown away

Water & Energy Conservation

Dual-flush toilets and low-flow faucets significantly reduce our water use
LED and CFL bulbs reduce our energy use
Our hand dryers are energy efficient and reduce paper towel consumption

Waste Reduction

During construction, over 80 percent of the waste was diverted from the landfill
By using one of our “for-here” mugs or bringing in their own, customers can help us reduce waste

Store Environment

Paint, finishes and adhesives were carefully selected to avoid interference with the aroma of our coffee

For More Information
If you have questions or need more information, you may visit starbucks.com. For more information regarding Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ visit www.starbucks.com/sharedplanet. For news media, please contact us at (206) 318-7100 or press@starbucks.com. © 2009 Starbucks Coffee Company. All rights reserved.

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