Keeping cafe green provides kai for thought

Matthew Galvin is a passionate man. Brought up in a family where contribution to society was highly valued, Matthew added to this his deep feelings about the need to protect the threatened environment.

He understands the impact of climate change.

"One metre sea rise will dramatically affect Motueka," he says. "It's not talked about in the way it should be. It's happening."

He also believes that it's everyone's responsibility to do their bit in cutting emissions and protecting Nature.

So when Matthew and his partner, Ruth Sicely, came to open Kai Waka, a coffee shop on Motueka's High Street, it was clear that their principles would be expressed in their business.

Matthew and Ruth take great care in their sourcing of products for their café. They apply a principle of sourcing within 100 nautical miles, to cut down the carbon footprint of their business. When possible they buy from the farmer.

They want to know where their ingredients come from. Fresh food made from real ingredients is their motto. Ninety-five percent of their food and drink is made on site. Matthew and Ruth even make their own almond milk on the premises, in a press invented by Matthew and a friend, so no hard-to-recycle cartons are used.

They are highly attentive to the issue of waste. (Both food waste and packaging waste are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.) All organic waste is composted.

Their sourcing patterns cut back dramatically on packaging waste. Most fruit and vegetables come in reusable boxes, with little being wrapped in plastic. Their milk is delivered daily from Oaklands Dairy in Wakefield, in reusable glass bottles. Eggs are delivered in reusable containers. This has made a very big difference in what they return to a landfill.

"Takeaway coffee drives me nuts," says Matthew.

Matthew serves it in New Zealand-made biodegradable cups, for which he must pay more. He is working with others, together with Our Town Motueka, on a clever scheme to greatly reduce the entire town's use of single-use coffee cups, soon to be unveiled.

Already they have halved the amount of waste produced by the business.

Their choice of electricity supplier is Meridian, as it is 100 per cent renewable.

Matthew is aware of the emissions-reducing practice of eating less meat.  "We don't need meat every meal," he says. The café offers many vegetarian options.

Asked a challenging question about whether he sold water in plastic bottles, Matthew went to his drinks cabinet and pulled out two bottles of water – one brand was glass and the other was bioplastic. He himself favours the excellent tapwater available in Motueka, and it is regularly served to guests.

The couple would love to go further when they are able to. Solar electricity and hot water, a building incorporating eco-principles, a wood-burning stove are some of their aspirations. They would like to see all of us better educated on how to lighten our burden on Earth, and as consumers, asking for a more principled approach from those who supply our needs.

Matthew and Ruth at Kai Waka are ready to respond.

Joanna Santa Barbara is a retired physician, and a climate activist working with Our Climate Declaration, a national organization, and The Renewables, a Motueka climate group.