All Over Albany

Sustainability Education at The Brakes Coffeehouse and Provisions

Project: Sustainability Education at The Brakes Coffeehouse and Provisions

Who: The Brakes Coffeehouse and Provisions

Short bio
The Brakes Coffeehouse and Provisions offers coffee, vegan meals and baked goods, and locally produced foods in a relaxed and social atmosphere. We aim to educate the public about climate change and sustainable living by offering a plant-based menu that will show even die-hard meat-eaters how easy it can be to eat sustainably. And we want to offer educational programming and materials for those who want to learn more.

The owner, Emily Ayers, has a PhD in ecological engineering. She decided to shelve her degree (it's actually up on the wall next to the certificate of occupancy) in the hopes that she could make a bigger difference by starting a coffeehouse that also served as a center for education and activism. She's really hoping it works.

A description of the proposed project
We recently opened our doors to begin serving coffee and vegan food in a beautiful space on Lark Street with a big picture window that looks down the rows of brownstones on Chestnut Street. (You can look out the window from a venerable old couch which, like all the other furniture, is pre-owned--no emissions!) We've gotten a great response from the community, and want to introduce the next stage of our project: sustainability education. We hope to use our space to host programs that teach community members how to live sustainably in urban and suburban environments. Between hands-on activities, conversations with city officials and sustainability experts, and vegan recipe demonstrations, we will empower Albany-area residents to transition to a low-carbon lifestyle.

How would the grant money help?
The $1,500 would be used to purchase some giveaways and materials for sustainability workshops and to promote the programming in local media. We would like to purchase reusable coffee mugs and travel containers, CDTA bus passes, and materials for a workshop on composting in an apartment. Some funds will also be used to promote these workshops in local media outlets. Also, the funding will allow us to create informative displays for the café that explain the importance of sustainability, the urgency of the challenges we face, and which personal decisions and lifestyle choices have the greatest impact on carbon emissions.