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Exploring the sustainability of the Barn

University of British Columbia. Sustainability Office

The Barn Coffee Shop is currently losing money, thus threatening its economic sustainability. Recognizing that economic sustainability is interconnected with ecological and social sustainability, we believe that enhancing the ecological and social sustainability of the Barn will facilitate improvements in economic sustainability. Using past surveys, conducting our own surveys, using websites and personal interviews, we found that faculty and staff comprise the majority of the Barn’s customers, but that students are interested in the up-coming changes. These changes include removal of the grill and offering daily paninis and pastas, incorporating Tim Horton’s coffee and baking, and possibly fostering a partnership with the UBC farm. We assessed sustainability through indicators such as amount and type of waste, profits or losses, and customer satisfaction surveys. Through our strong anthropocentric viewpoint, we recommend improving ecological and social aspects of the Barn to improve the economical sustainability. Primary recommendations include: elimination of Styrofoam, conversion to paper take-out containers, improved advertising for special features, establishment of a partnership with the UBC farm, and education of staff on sustainability issues. Suggestions for future research include measuring indicators once renovations are complete and recommendations are implemented to determine their impact on economic, ecological and social sustainability of the Barn. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”

Text

University of British Columbia. AGSC 450; UBC Social Ecological Economic Development Studies (SEEDS) Student Report

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0108736

Land and Food Systems, Faculty of

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ca/