Sarah Kelly
“Food is a binding force that can bring us all together. By promoting sustainable local food systems and raising awareness about consumption, CIIS Café actively makes change each day.”

Assistant manager of the CIIS Café, Sarah Kelly hails from a background in Environmental Policy and Anthropology. At Colby College in Maine, one of the greenest schools in the country, Sarah worked to make the campus more energy efficient.
She conducted an energy survey and worked with school operations to implement energy saving technology in dorms, offices and classrooms.

Sarah also modeled solar panels on roofs throughout the campus to determine optimum placement. The findings of her energy study continue to inform new energy efficiency and reduction projects at Colby.

Passionate about both the local and global struggles for environment and social justice, Sarah has traveled to places such as Russia, Belize, India, New Zealand, Mexico, and Tanzania to engage in these issues and learn the local realities. These past projects fuel her desire to build community and positive change at home in the US.

Prior to her arrival at CIIS in January 2008, Sarah worked on environmental policy issues in relation to carbon trading for a private company. While she found California climate change policy to be foreword thinking and progressive, she prefers to play a more active, hands on role in her job and in life.

Sarah was drawn to the Café both by its emphasis on sustainable ideals and its focus on educating and engaging the CIIS community. With a diverse background in food -- from the preparation and growing to the serving and politics that surround it -- Sarah is thrilled to contribute to the café’s growth and evolution.

“Food is a binding force that can bring us all together,” she says. “By promoting sustainable local food systems and raising awareness about consumption, CIIS Café actively makes change each day.” She is grateful to be a part of the vibrant, warm community that CIIS fosters.

Patrick Numair
“If we can’t do it here at CIIS, then where else can we try to make a difference?”

Café Sustainability
The Cups are made of corn, the soup bowls of sugar. Sandwiches feature hormone-free meats, and the organic, fair-trade coffee is purchased directly from Costa Rican farmers. For just $1.50 you can replace that midafternoon caffeine fix with a liquid vitamin shot. Welcome to the CIIS Café.

Reopened in fall 2005, the eco-friendly, third-floor café is replete with blond wood tables, original art, plush cushions and comfortable couches. It has a health-conscious menu, with many organic and vegan options and uses 100 percent biodegradable plates and utensils.
And, yes, those are recycling and composting bins at the café entrance.

Patrick Numair who established the revamped café and manages its day-to-day operations takes a decidedly proactive approach to issues of good health and sustainability -- a testament to his unflinching commitment to green business practices.

The greening of the café and the addition of a roof garden and private study spaces also reflect CIIS’s efforts to better serve its student community.

A student survey in 2005 revealed a strong desire for a comfortable and pleasant space in the Mission Street building where students can read, study, converse with friends, or enjoy a quick meal. That year, under the guidance of then-Dean of Students Richard Buggs, and the support of the Student Alliance, the café underwent a transformation: Once-white walls turned rich hues of plum and cream, and new equipment was purchased.

Driven by a desire to create a more sustainable green business, Patrick Numair researched and implemented many changes to the café. Prior to joining the CIIS staff, the 29-year-old professional DJ and musician ran an organic catering business at the Bodhgaia Retreat Center in Richmond, Calif.

Numair couldn’t wait to put into action his strong belief that the health and viability of the individual and the planet depend on green business practices, or “bringing conscious food into a conscious environment.”
That includes supporting organic farming, purchasing locally grown products, recycling and composting trash, promoting fair-trade goods, and using green alternatives to plastic and Styrofoam products.

In his ongoing effort to serve the students and the CIIS broader community, Numair constantly researches new products and practices, soliciting requests and suggestions from café customers.
As an immediate first step, Numair overhauled the café’s “to go” products, ensuring that they are 100 percent biodegradable.

The coffee cups, for example, are now made of 100 percent recycled paper and lined with a vegetable coating rather than the usual petroleum, which can be toxic.
A year ago, the café stopped selling bottled water, opting for on-site filtered water also in biodegradable cups.

Numair is convinced that CIIS can serve as a role model for other universities and colleges -- and should -- given its commitment to sustainability.
“If we can’t do it here at CIIS, where else can we try to make a difference?” he asked, wryly adding, “if we don’t take the hard stand, McDonald’s isn’t going to.”

CAFÉ HOURS:
Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Open weekends (limited hours).