Sin

Guilt free decadence

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This bakery/coffee shop/bar, while chill and fresh during the day, switches on some lively vibes after dark, and never fails to indulge. Sin also makes incredibly beautifully cakes to order for any occasion. What’s hard to see, while fixated on an array of decadent offerings, is that owner Jennifer Luxmoore is also committed to environmental sustainability in all its forms.  

 

Jennifer composts all her back-of-house food waste and is evangelical about getting other restaurants to compost as well. She is actually rallying restaurant owners get on board with composting by hosting educational events at her space, making it not only an indulgent bar but an educational community hub as well.

 

Just months ago she signed up with Harvest Cycle compost pick-up service, which picks up her food waste via bicycle (no emissions, no carbon footprint) to a compost depot right in the neighborhood. One could say that Sin’s compost game is hyper local, it provides sustainable job and workforce training for the youth staff at Harvest Cycle, and it enriches the ecology of the very neighborhood within which the bar is situated.

 

Harvest Cycle picks up Sin’s food scraps twice every week and the compost bin now sits where the trash can used to be. So, while they originally thought that their growing business would necessitate an increase in trash pick ups, by diverting their food waste, this has proven unnecessary. In fact, Sin hasn’t experienced any issues with composting, the training of the staff went smoothly, and the space hasn’t proven to be any issue.

 

What is even more remarkable about Sin’s zero waste efforts is what can only be seen from the heavens, the  building features solar panels which supply the shop with electricity! In the month of July the restaurant was able to offset enough carbon emissions to equate to the work of seven trees! Sin also eliminated “to go” lids and replaced them with “sippy” tops which are recyclable and do not need straws.  They give a discount to people that bring their own cups, which supports re-use habits, and all their in-house silverware is reusable.

 

Jennifer does get some finished compost back from Harvest Cycle for her own gardening, but for her the most important reason for composting is “just knowing that putting stuff back into the earth makes a difference; I feel guilty when I’m not composting.”  And, her final message to others is: “Composting is super easy.  We have had no issues with smell, and it’s much easier than you think it is.”  

 

If only all sins were as beneficial for us as this Sin is!