Snooze Celebrates Earth Day By Volunteering At Community Gardens

Photos courtesy of Snooze A.M. Eatery

Ever since Snooze A.M. Eatery first planted roots in Denver in 2006, the innovative breakfast brand has prioritized sustainability. In honor of Earth Day and its 18th birthday on April 2, Snooze is returning to its annual pre-pandemic tradition of community garden staff service days throughout the month of April. Snooze is partnering with Denver Urban Gardens (DUG) to help prep the nonprofit’s 200th garden, scheduled to open on June 27.

“Volunteering at community gardens has been a longstanding part of our Snooze culture,” says Clint Hughey, Snooze’s Director of Impact. “When it comes to responsibly sourced food and giving back, we are happy to get our hands dirty and contribute to our local communities through service.”

“Our partnership with Snooze has been fruitful for Denver and the planet,” says Nessa Mogharreban, Director of Corporate Partnerships at Denver Urban Gardens. “We all benefit from the Snooze team’s work at DUG community gardens. They are places where the community comes together to build greener, more connected neighborhoods, take climate action and reduce our carbon footprint.”

Snooze is also continuing its annual One Tree One Snoozer Earth Day tradition, planting one tree for every Snoozer, as well as a tree for every member of the MySnooze Bennyfits loyalty program that checks in on April 22. Snooze expects to reach a total of 20,000 trees planted in 2024 since the program began 2017, and is once again partnering with its coffee supplier, La Bolsa Coffee Farm in Guatemala, to plant the trees. Guests can support this green initiative by joining the MySnooze Bennyfits loyalty program and dining in-restaurant or online at any Snooze location on Earth Day, April 22.

Of course, Snooze’s commitment to the Earth doesn’t end after April. The breakfast brand is committed to sustainability year-round. This year, 98% of all 70 of Snooze’s locations are composting, diverting hundreds of thousands of pounds of food waste from landfills each week. Snooze’s Texas locations recently surpassed one million pounds of food scraps composted since the inception of the waste diversion program — keeping the equivalent amount of carbon that 50,000 trees would sequester in one year, or removing the equivalent carbon emissions of 700,000 miles driven. More information on Snooze’s year-round sustainability initiatives such as carbon-neutral delivery, Snooze-approved ingredient sourcing, waste diversion and much more are below:

SNOOZE ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES:

Snooze Approved Food

Snooze is setting the standard for responsible ingredient sourcing with its Snooze Approved Food Guidelines, creating its own supply chain of ethical ingredients. Snooze Approved Food passes a robust set of standards including animal welfare, social responsibility, avoiding banned ingredients and much more. Snooze is proud to serve cage-free eggs; Polidori Sausage; Tender Belly Bacon; B Corp-certified King Arthur Company Flour; The Real Dill Bloody Mary mix; Rainforest Alliance-certified La Bolsa Guatemalan Coffee, and 100% real maple syrup from Vermont family farm, Slope-side Syrup; to name a few partner examples. Snooze-approved suppliers must take a responsible stance on important global issues such as fair labor standards, business, ethics and integrity, climate change and toxins.

Waste Diversion 

Between single-stream recycling and composting, Snooze is currently able to divert more than 70% of its waste and is working towards becoming a zero-waste business. Snooze diverted more than 2,500 tons of waste from landfills in 2023, composting 1,400 tons of compost and recycling 1,100 tons.

Carbon Offset Initiatives 

Carbon-Neutral Takeout – Snooze supports the From Waste to Fuel: Improving Agriculture and Livelihoods project in Mexico, which provides small-scale and subsistence farmers with cookstoves, biofuel and organic fertilizer that generate savings, increase crop yields and incomes and improve livelihoods while diverting carbon emissions from the atmosphere. As part of its efforts to offset carbon emissions from takeout, Snooze offset 1,533 metric tons of Co2 in 2023, equivalent to four million miles not driven, by partnering with a Regenerative Grasslands Project in southeastern Colorado.

Sustainability Training

All Snooze employees undergo Sustainability and Community 101 training, and each location has a designated “Change Maker” that champions sustainability and community initiatives at the restaurant level.

One Tree One Snoozer Program 

Every Earth Day since 2017, Snooze plants a tree for every Snooze employee as an additional carbon sequestration effort. In 2024, Snooze will reach the milestone of 20,000 trees planted for Earth Day!

Snooze Approved Materials – Snooze sources compostable or recyclable takeout containers as well as sustainable cleaning supplies and merchandise.

Plant-Powered Menu Offerings – By providing numerous vegetarian and vegan options on the menu, Snooze helps reduce each customer’s carbon footprint when they dine.

Resource Conservation – Snooze makes conscious efforts to conserve water through efficient dish machines, slow-flow water fixtures, and only bringing water to guests upon request.

Sustainable Design – New Snooze locations are constructed with mostly Energy Star appliances, LED lighting and motion sensors for lights in low-occupancy areas.

Change Maker Report – Snooze is transparent about its impact and will release an updated Change Maker Report in 2024.