The Grounds for Growth: Sustainable Coffee Initiative, a successful project launched by ELI students, Alyssa Boucher and Phoebe Wagner, transforms used coffee grounds into nutrient-rich compost. In an effort to close the coffee loop, Alyssa and Phoebe launched this effort to turn coffee grounds into growth.
Globally, an estimated 560,000 tons of spent coffee grounds are sent to landfills every single day. Recognizing the price our environment pays for coffee consumption, Alyssa and Phoebe sought out a sustainable solution. Forming local partnerships, Alyssa and Phoebe now ensure spent coffee grounds in Isla Vista are being used to enrich local soils rather than taking up space in the landfill. Coffee grounds turned into compost have a lower environmental footprint than coffee grounds releasing carbon dioxide in a landfill.
In collaboration with Old Town Coffee and the Isla Vista Compost Collective (IVCC), Alyssa and Phoebe manage a weekly compost cycle. Every Monday, they collect spent coffee grounds that have been set aside by Old Town Coffee staff and deliver them to the IVCC. There, they assist in preparing the compost, integrating the grounds into a nutrient-rich soil mix that is then sold to local residents. The compost has been sold through Paradise Nursery in Goleta and the IV Food Co-Op in Isla Vista.
IVCC has chosen to continue the Sustainable Coffee Initiative to ensure the program’s longevity by adopting all management and oversight tasks. Follow the Grounds for Growth instagram account (@groundsforgrowth_) for more information on volunteer opportunities and where you can find the compost. Alyssa and Phoebe’s work is a powerful reminder that sustainability starts with small, thoughtful actions—and a few coffee grounds can go a long way.
