Sip Coffee, Build for Change

@sipgoodcoffee

Triple-certified Bird Friendly, Fairtrade & Organic coffee in US-made compostable packaging. Documenting the building of our sustainable & walkable flagship location, welcome to all.

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Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· 24d

next client or sponsor who wants greener concrete can use our 2 mix designs (published here & on our website) as a starting point. We extended what others before us proved out & now our work will be extendable by others too #buildingdecarbonization #greenerconcrete #buildforchange

Using the lessons learned from the prior concrete pour, an elevated second floor metal deck is covered in lightwight concrete. There are windows along both sides of the brick and block walls, many of which are open. There is a large front window pane. The ceiling is wood and there is a large rectangular opening for the stairs towards the center of the frame. The floor extends most of the length of the building but stops short to create a two-story loft.

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· 24d

Sometimes a contractor says "we don't have experience" w/ the mix we're pouring or it's "too new". We try to take the perspective that it's actually new to everyone. There are ex's using ⬇️ Portland cement, using slag or fly ash, using lightweight aggregate, etc. We combined all of it & ometimes it

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· 27d

We continued to forge ahead to show it's possible. Now we can say concrete w/o Portland cement & w/ 100% ♻️ glass sand / "stone" is doable. The concrete is 96+% recycled content, 85+% ⬇️ emissions & weighs ~1/2 of typical. Breaking out of BAU can lead to incredible progress others can begin from

A red brick wall adjacent to a floor area of freshly poured concrete. There is a piece of 2x4 wood lumber at the edge of the concrete going across the narrow side of the space. Two plastic buckets sit atop the metal decking in front of the newly completed floor.

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· 27d

Breaking out of status quo, business as usual thinking is needed to get beyond the current trajectory of worsening storms, deadly heat waves, harm to wildlife & the economy. It's easy to continue on a path. That's why we set out to build using different methods & materials, against the grain. It

A reddish brick wall from the early 1930s is shown adjacent to a newly poured concrete floor. The concrete has nlseveral sustainability attributes.

There are two pours next to each other. The one further out of frame to the upper left is lighter in color. The concrete appears highly textured due to the lightweight recycled aggregate.

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· 28d

Sometimes you have the energy for a 30-minimute 1 pot meal & sometimes it's a 10-minute #vegan #tartine. Today's #lazylunch is #organic rye sourdough, evoo, jarred black beans, diced peppers, peppercorns, paprika & leftover caper brine for salt. The plan was more involved, but turns out this will do

A recycled dark grey speckled cutting board with two pieces of toasted organic rye bread. The piece towards the front overlaps the one behind it. The bread is layered with olive oil, black beans, finely diced red bell pepper, ground black pepper, and paprika.

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· 28d

Cities need #bluegreeninfrastructure to cool, which benefits people, pets & wildlife. Benefits are #safety, #mentalhealth, #economic, #biodiversity. Examples incl #urbantrees, #bioswales, #greenroof, #raingardens, #permeablepavements, #wetlands, #streams, #ponds. #Depave & #daylight where possible

A light grey metal shade structure composed of square posts and overhead strips of metal that are organized in an organic shape cover swings that people are sitting on and a paved pathway. On either side of the path are trees and lush green plants. People are both walking and seated along the course of the path. The path appears well shaded by the trees and structure.

Source: https://biofriendlyplanet.com/the-art-of-urban-shade-designing-for-comfort-and-climate-resilience-in-city-spaces/

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jul 13

"The hum of bees is the voice of the garden." -Elizabeth Lawrence #bees #savethebees #pollinators

A smaller bee on the upper seeds and petals of a yellow sunflower. The sunflower has bright yellow petals, a rich, copper brown-hued center, and is surrounded by green leaves on a stem with coarse whitish hairs. A darker green bush can be seen in the background, out of focus.

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jul 9

Because what goes around comes around, if you see this, share a circle, a disk, something round #pollinators

The majority of the frame centers on a sunflower with it's characteristic center of golden seeds and bright yellow petals. Green leaves frame the petals. On the upper part of the seeds is a bumblebee. A dusk sky shows through green plants and trees above the sunflower.

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jul 9

It seems some people forgot all the tall buildings of a lasting quality that were built in cities in the late 1800s and early 1900s. From New York to Baltimore to Kansas City there are plenty of examples. Today we fight for 5 stories in many cities

A mix of black and white and sepia toned photos in a grid that runs 4 across and 4 down, which shows 15 individual photos of skyscrapers from 1874-1900. The second box from top left reads "1880".

Source: The Skyscraper Museum, https://skyscraper.org/programs/all-the-tall-buildings-in-manhattan-1874-1900/

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jul 5

Best #hostgift ever -- outside of #coffee -- homemade peach preserve w/ orange zest & what tastes like cinnamon. Made an excellent, lazy Sunday #vegan breakfast paired w/ peanut butter, flax meal & flax seed

A photo of two pieces of bread shot on the bias. The piece closer to the camera is topped with an orangey-colored preserve made with pieces of peach, cherry, orange zest, and cinnamon. The pieces are visible, and not consistently distributed by the 👩‍🍳. In the background, the bread isn't in focus. The second piece of bread is covered in peanut butter and flax seeds. The bread is sitting on a tan parchment paper.

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jul 5

Good news. Next up getting visible #solar #livingroofs. Between HOAs & local gov prohibitions, this is a heavy lift. Solar over native plants benefits the panel capacity, w/ benefits to pollinators, ⬇️ heating/cooling loads, filtering & slowing stormwater. Good #climateaction, #costsnothing to city

A wood slat walkway with grass on either side leads to a glass door with transom to a courtyard. On either side of the walkway and porch are shrubs. The left wall of the home is stone, while the right is vertical wood boards. The roof is covered in lush green plants and has 3 solar panels with plants under and between them. A blue sky shines above.

Source: Go Solar with August via Pinterest, https://pin.it/4P5vAv6oC

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jul 1

Check out this creative #reuse of food-grade jute #coffee sacks to help the #communitygarden beds retain water while preventing weeds. We're thrilled to know our bags are helping a program that serves as both teaching for a local elementary school & donates fresh produce to a food bank. Win win

A raised garden bed is photographed with mulch to the left and somewhat worn grass to the right. A jute coffee sack is placed at the first of a series of beds over leaves. The jute helps the bed retain more water from recent rains. Since it is food grade and natural fiber, it will not contaminate the eventual plants that grow here, teaching local school children and feeding needing families with fresh produce.

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jun 28

❤️ bats. Whenever there is a bat mention, always remember the @givebatsabreak account on the old site weaving bat facts into a rebuttal to the then pope about their many ecosystem benefits www.boredpanda.com/the-pope-sin...

A screenshot of a tweet:

Give Bats a Break
@GiveBatsABreak

Replying to @Pontifex

On the contrary Holy Father, the darkness brings to the bat precisely that which it DOES want to face, not what it doesn't. Bats are not under the cover of night committing crimes for which it should be ashamed, but providing invaluable services to our ecosystems and communities.

❤️ 4,557 11:49 AM - Apr 22, 2020
🗨 707 people are talking about this

Source of photo: https://www.boredpanda.com/the-pope-sin-bats-twitter-expert/

A screenshot of a tweet:

Give Bats a Break
@GiveBatsABreak

Replying to @GiveBatsABreak @Pontifex

Bats pollinate a wide range of flowers and trees thay give entire countries their goods for export; they eat literal tons of bugs per night and save farmers millions of $$ in pesticides, which also improves the quality of our food; they spread seed & help reforestation after disaster.

❤️ 2,851 11:50 AM - Apr 22, 2020
🗨 276 people are talking about this

Source of photo: https://www.boredpanda.com/the-pope-sin-bats-twitter-expert/

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jun 21

Yes! The first time we saw one of these little guys out & about was a watershed moment. Like a golf cart emergency response vehicle perfect for old city streets where most responses aren't fires at all

The front of a historic brick fire house with two vehicles. On the left is what looks like a golf cart front with a tradesman truck body added on to carry supplies. A more traditional fire truck is in the bay to the right. The building is brick and has a USA flag hanging between the true divided lite wood windows. A rowhouse can be seen peeking out to the far right. A small container flower planter is on the far left.

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jun 21

#happyfathersday to the #catdads & #dogdads. To the dads who treat animals w/ love, care & compassion. 🐈 🐕 ❤️ Celebrating w/ #vegan brunch of whole wheat toast, fried bean sprouts, garlic curry, soy sauce, sesame seeds & ground pepper

Toast on parchment paper. The vegan toast is loaded with fried bean sprouts, sesame seeds, ground black pepper, and soy sauce on a spread of curried garlic.

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jun 21

The tabby is similarly bothered. She ran away one summer before the 4th when people were setting off fireworks unexpectedly. People can be heard for days leading up to & after the 4th + other holidays. 0 concern for neighbors w/ pets, little kids or those w/ ptsd

A gray and tan colored tabby rests comfortably on a tan pillow with white geometric pattern. The pillow is on top of an upholstered char, with caned sides and green and brown hexagon pattern. She looks sleepy, but continues to keep her head up.

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jun 20

What #plantbased butter substitutes do you use? There is a local brand w/ non-vegan and #vegan cookies. The latter has #palmoil in their butter while the former doesn't. Trading one kind of animal suffering for another is not a tradeoff we'd make

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jun 19

Jarring to see the data presented this way. So much work to do to reverse the worst of this & not much time

Chart:
Global temperature change
Relative to average of 1961-2010 [°C]

Y axis -0.9 to 0.9
X axis 1850 to 2025

The colors until the late 1900s are lightening shades of blue. The latter part of the 1900s and all of the 2000s are pink and red. The scale of the increase in that period shows a sickening, unlike the relatively more stable late 1800s to mid 1900s.

This work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Source: https://showyourstripes.info/c

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jun 19

💯 lots of small acts lead to meaningful change for the birds, bees, bats & everything else in natural 🌎 We're creating a parklet with river rock foraged from the excavation, used steel parts bins, coffee sacks & native plants. More nature can always find a home in our cities #reuse #urbanwildlife

Three rectangular steel planters with mesh sides filed with tan-colorer river rock. The planters abut a chan link fence next to a brick building.

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jun 15

Good morning & to a wonderful week. Here is true building artistry from a historic farmhouse renovation using our broken bricks & discarded slate found on site. This will welcome visitors to the renovated barn. Let's stop seeing material as trash when it can still create beauty #buildforchange

A large rectangular area framed with rows of antique reclaimed brick. The red and pink bricks are a mix of types, including ones with holes. The interior pattern is a sun made of brick and pieces of grayish colored slate that was discarded on their site. There are mountains in front of the sun made of slate.

The historic property is located in a mountain range in Maryland, so the image of mountains is important to the builder to represent the natural heritage of the site.

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jun 15

"When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realize we cannot eat money." -Cree Indian Proverb AURORA - The Seed

A still from AURORA'S The Seed music video.

A redish-orange oval at the upper left corner over a teal background with blackish stems of woody plants. White text appears in the middle, saying:

"When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realize we cannot eat money." -Cree Indian Proverb

Source: https://youtu.be/_Mc_OM5oNA8?si=G0MvG4KN6oGItReW

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jun 13

#fridayfun watching our foamed glass aggregate be loaded onto concrete trucks. The sand & stone is 100% post consumer recycled container glass, requiring no dredging or mining while weighing a fraction of usual materials. Nixing Portland cement ⬇️ emissions. Concrete w/ less envt harm is possible

A large yellow excavator swings a super sack filled with recycled foamed glass sand over the hopper of a white concrete truck more than 10 feet in the air. Further back are large trees and a light blue sky.

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jun 7

Metallic silver, aqua & grey #silkscreen #heron made from an original photo taken in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina recovery work. Created at @theartleague.bsky.social as we were coming out of the great recession. Silkscreen was healing during an especially tumultuous time #birdart #birdsky

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jun 7

The bad news: millions of acres of forest have been destroyed. The good news: community led restoration produces benefits for people, wildlife, plants & the climate using local & indigenous knowledge drawing on multiple traditions while creating dignified opportunities

The arms and hands of two farmers tending to seedlings in a grey tray in front of them. There are dozens of seedlings with small green leaves. On the left the hands are holding a pruning type tool. Behind the farmers are more young trees that are being cultivated for reforestation work. White text at the bottom reads "Milions and millions of hectares of forest have been destroyed in the world in the last decade."

https://youtu.be/9k-trcC7kZA?si=77uBpJF_zA6C7qte

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jun 7

A farmer speaks to people's initial negative reactions -‐ it wouldn't make money & doubting the purpose. People really do fear change & can be hostile to the forward looking belief others have when they can't yet see it. "So I think that, in this way, it's a calling. It's a calling from the earth."

A male farmer wearing a blue shirt and darker blue apron has his arm raised while speaking. Behind him in this closely shot scene, he is surrounded by young dense trees that are being cultivated for the restoration work. White text at the bottom says "So I think that, in this way, it's a caling".

https://youtu.be/9k-trcC7kZA?si=77uBpJF_zA6C7qte

The hands of a younger farmer are tending to a sapling with tender small green leaves. The sapling is in a small grey container. A few other saplings can be seen to the left. White text at the bottom, continued from the prior image, says "It's a calling from the earth."

https://youtu.be/9k-trcC7kZA?si=77uBpJF_zA6C7qte

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jun 7

Beautifully shot & told story of Brazilian forest restoration on degraded land using communal knowledge & labor, producing dignity for the farmers. Highlighting a few parts that spoke most to us; the entire short is worth a watch. "the forest knows how to come back if you give it a chance"

A lush green overhead shot of a tree canopy that has been restored. There are different types of trees, so while largey shades of green there is still visal variation in the color and textures. White text at the bottom reads "but the forest knows how to come back if you give it a chance."

https://youtu.be/9k-trcC7kZA?si=77uBpJF_zA6C7qte

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jun 3

Respect to the industrious people who see value in what others deem trash & build something useful out of it. There is simply too much throw away culture. When things are cheap people scrap viable material & products that can still be meaningfully used. We found homes for commercial bread shelves,

Black rubber-type floor underlayment being reused at a multi-building historic renovation under their new floor system. These had separated the oak floor from the synthetic one above it.

Beyond the floor underlayment the scene is a residential construction site with a door and window on the back wall and another window on the right. There are two wood columns. The room is taking shape, with a build up of different materials.

An exposed wood ceiling and metal light are above a piece of drywall. Below the drywall reused pieces of pink and yellow fiberglass insulation are visible. The lower wall, adjacent to the insulation, stairs, and floor are all warm wood tones.

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· Jun 1

We proved out that structural concrete can achieve 5,000+ psi with 0 Portland cement & 0 natural sand. Blast furnance slag & ♻️ glass do the heavy lifting. Today this was possible, but all of these materials will have shortages in the future, highlighting the desperate need to find alternatives

A section of concrete underpinning achieved without Portland cement or natural sand is in the center of the frame. The section poured is directly under the original footer and an area of original brick. Next to it to the right is a section that was excavated to be poured next; this section sits under the original footer and cinderblock with brick above. To the left is more dirt left to be excavated. The photo is light grey, white, and tan hues.

The mix uses recycled glass sand from bottles instead of dredged river sand that contributes to ecosystem damage as well as labor and human rights issues in some areas. #sandcrisis

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· May 31

Dolce far niente ‐-> the sweetness of doing nothing. We were meant to enjoy our morning coffee, the smell of flowers in a garden, the sight of a bird, the purr of a cat, the mindfulness of cooking. Slowing down is good for us. There was a sign in a restaurant in Italy "Slow Food" & the S was a 🐌

Quote post of a grey text box with black lettering that reads:

Dolce far niente

A beautiful Italian phrase that means "the sweetness of doing nothing."

It captures the art of slowing down, being present, and savoring life's quiet, idle moments, withkut guilt or rush. It's not laziness, but a celebration of stillness, rest, and being alive.

Sip Coffee, Build for Change@sipgoodcoffee· May 28

Building is a gauntlet. Doing it as #womeninconstruction is that +. Being called a bitch by someone who doesn't want change adds to it. Today was such a day. The soundtrack playing (unheard to him) was U.N.I.T.Y. The ❓️ we need to ask more: who you callin a bitch? U.N.I.T.Y./Queen Latifah/'93 🎶