7 Wonders :

Tarryn Reasoner
Ernesto Urueta
Hieu Currey
Syeda Haq

in your hand

The Judge
Frank Puglia

Eco-Cup
Mother Earth is

Stella Ngan
Clinton Ferrell
Shi Hui Goh

Table of Contents
i.

Introduction.....3

ii.

Background.....5

iii.

Proposal...7

iv.

Plan......8

v.

Staffing..11

vi.

Budget...12

vii.

Authorization.....14

viii.

References.15

Introduction
Since its conception, Starbucks has expanded beyond a general coffee brand to an
international conglomerate that enriches the typical urban life with flavorful products and
friendly service. In tandem with companies of similar breadth, Starbucks has begun to reach out
to the environment in an effort to polish the company image. We have built Greener Stores,
recycled waste, and reduced the use of plastic cups and other materials. (Environment Starbucks
Coffee). Starbucks shares its commitment to protect the environment as a gesture of their
concern for human survival and prosperity.
Photo A. Building Greener Stores (Starbucks, 2014)
As stated on our website,
building environmentally sound
stores and facilities, conserving
the energy and water we use and
purchasing renewable energy credits, were pushing ourselves to reduce the
environmental footprint of our operations. (Environment Starbucks Coffee)
Photo B. Recycling & Reducing Waste (Starbucks, 2014)
Our

goal is to provide recycling in our

stores and ensuring the recyclability of
our cups are two of our foremost
priorities. (ESC)

Photo C. Cups & Materials (Starbucks, 2014)

In order to improve the company

image,

in

regards

environmentally-friendly
Starbucks is

to

more

methods,

constantly looking to

innovate and collaborate with like-minded organizations to reduce [their] cup and
packaging waste. (ESC)
Photo D. Climate Change (Starbucks, 2014)
For almost a decade, Starbucks has
been

aggressively

pursuing

strategies to address [climate change]

and help farmers mitigate the impact of climate change on their farms. (ESC)
The white cup is an iconic feature of Starbucks, but has presented a challenge to
recycle efficiently. Nevertheless, recycling strategies have been developed to advance and
bolster the green movement. Starbucks' goal is to ensure that 100 percent of its cups are
reusable or recyclable by 2015. In an effort to ensure that our recycling goal is met,
Starbucks has innovated its current product, introducing the Eco-Cup. In any event,
when someone purchases a beverage at any of our locations, he/she will be reminded:
Mother Earth is in your hands.

Background
Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse in the world. The company was founded in 1971, as a
single store in Seattles historic Pike Place Market. The goal was to share great coffee with
friends and help make the world a better place. Currently, there are more than 18,000 stores in 62
countries. The mission statement of the company is to inspire and nurture the human spirit one
person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time (Starbucks, n.d.).
Every day, millions of people around the world start their day with a Starbucks beverage.
As a growing city, Dallas has a huge demand for Starbucks. As the citys population expands, so
does the demand for Starbucks beverages. Each year Starbucks sells 4 billion disposable cups
(Minter, 2014), however, the rapid expansion of Starbucks stores has also increased the
production of paper cups, which pose a threat to our environment. The environmental
consequences are millions of trees cut down and tons of greenhouse gases produced every year.
Most of the cups are not recycled properly, and join landfills as waste (Minter 2014.
The word paper might suggest that the paper cup is easily recycled and that it is not as
bad as its plastic cousin. However, most paper cups are coated with a plastic resin (i.e.,
polyethylene) for durability and convenience, therefore making both their composting and
recycling uncommon, as well as releasing the specter of carcinogenic chemical leeching.
According to a study on the environmental impacts of paper cups, each cup, taking into account
the paper, the paper sleeve, production and shipping, emits about 0.11 kilograms of CO 2. CO2 is
considered a greenhouse gas and is one of the ingredients of Global Warming (Raghavan &
Notaras, 2009).
As a result, the loss of trees, ecosystem degradation, and green house effects are
increasing because of paper cup production (Raghavan & Notaras, 2009). In the world of

growing landfills, reusable plastic cups could be a great substitute for paper cups. Though
Starbucks has already produced reusable plastic cups, they are not very popular among the
public, seeing as the use of paper cups is significantly higher than the use of the reusable plastic
ones. Starbucks said in its 2013 Global Responsibility Report, it wasn't going to meet its
recycling goals in 2015, if ever. In fact, five years into its program, the company had only
managed to implement customer recycling at 39 percent of its company-operated stores (Minter,
2014).
Our goal in introducing the Eco-Cup is to benefit the company in advancing its recycling
goal. In this case, our goal is to present the reusable plastic cups in a new way to make them
more appealing among the general public, furthering the reduction of paper cup production. Our
plan is to change the color theme of the regular reusable cups, to make them more aesthetically
pleasing, and to put more effort into creating social awareness by organizing social events,
rewarding customers. Our slogan of this mission will be- Mother Earth is in Your Hand.
.
Photo E.

Proposal
help

Starbucks

has taken great strides to

protect

environment

the

by using

recycled material and better farming methods (Starbucks,2014), however, Starbucks alone
cannot save the Earth. We need the help of our customers as well as other businesses to make the
Earth more Eco-friendly. We want to begin a yearly event that will help people and other
6

businesses become Eco-friendly and hopefully attract the attention of wealthy beneficiaries so
they too can help kick start many of our ideas into making Earth a better place. This can all be
accomplished while still making a profit!
Eco-Cup
The Eco-Cup is not only 85% recyclable, but also reusable. As such, we want customers
to keep their cups for as long as possible to reduce waste. The cups will not only help fund the
Eco-Event (described below), but also bring in a profit. Our customers will have to buy the cups,
but the cups provide incentives for customers to keep using them every time they want
Starbucks. The cup is a huge step in preserving the environment.
Eco-Event
The event that we propose hosting is the perfect way to get people and businesses
motivated to preserve our Earth, that of which will continue our companys growth. We will have
all kinds of souvenirs and games for our customers. We want to get other companies to start
going green, so we want to share ideas and to hopefully one day live on a world where our
children can live without the fear that Mother Nature may one day wither and die.

Plan
Benefits
Our project is concentrated on improving the world we live in, and our first step is to
educate individuals in their awareness of current problems in the environment. The biggest
benefit that is being addressed is the usage of our cups, as we improve on the idea of the
recyclable and reusable cup that Starbucks already has. Our Eco-Event is going to give
individuals more of an incentive to buy and reuse this cup. The money that the event produces
will be donated to environmental companies that are currently engaged in green projects.
Also, we will be inviting individuals who are focused on going green. Green independent
business owners will be given an option to rent a space for $500 on the event day. We will have
150 tents available on a first come, first serve basis. They will also have the option to advertise
7

around the venue with company banners at a cost of $150 per banner. We are expecting to have
about 120 company banners throughout the venue. Not only will these companies individually
profit from the publicity; their purchases will be put towards the aforementioned donation
towards the green companies. The event will be held in Addison circle, and an entry fee will be
collected, that of which will also be donated. In this event, we will have environmentally sound
companies that will buy space from us to raise more donations, while selling their own items to
individuals who were invited.
Resources
In order for this event to be possible, multiple items must coincide at the correct time. If
we are to have this event around September, the funds must be collected with reasonable time for
preparation. The funds to plan and host the event will come directly from our Eco-Cup and
donations. We are estimating a total sale of 150,000 cups, which will bring in a raw profit of
$102,000, with the cups being sold at five dollars each. This revenue, after the cost of producing
the cups, leaves us a profit of about $468,000 for Starbucks donation.
Marketing
University of Texas at Dallas
o UTD mercury paper
o Radio UTD ( bullets boards )
Dallas Morning News
o Classified Ads section to build brand image and notice loyal customers
Radio Online website that corresponds directly to the Eco-Event
o Classified Ads section to build brand image and notice loyal customers
Attractions
Multiple eco-companies selling product
Multiple presentations of large stage that showcase current eco projects and their benefit
8

Costs (will be covered by Starbucks)

Event venue
o Addison Circle
Security
o Allied Barton
Labor
o

Paid and unpaid volunteers recruited.

Timetable
Wednesday, December 31
Monday, June 15
Tuesday. June 30
Wednesday, June 1
Monday, July 6
Monday, July 27
Friday, July 10

Authorization
Total completion of cups all 150,000
Contracts are worked and collected donations
Total profit are allocated from cups
Finalization of schedule for event day
Final Preparation for event
Event Date

Eco-Event
8:00 Am

Staff arrives

8:30 Am

Green independent business start to set up

9:30 Am

Doors open

9:30 Pm

Calculate earning of event

Staffing
The eco event will be held in the Green at Addison circle, and staffing requirements have
been assigned due to maximum capacity allowed in that building. This allows us to accurately
assign enough of each type of employee to the designated areas. The building is 142,894 square
feet, allowing us to create a route that leads in from one end and out to the other end to increase
the pace of foot traffic

Event

Cleaning

Medical

Security

throughout the day

(Addison.com).

Staff

Staff

Staff

Staff

Staffing will be

based on paid-only

10 hours

12 hours

10 hours

10 hours

employees at
minimum wage

40 people
Total

8 people

5 people

15 people

and volunteers

68 People

will also be
acquired through

eco organizations who would like to give

a helping hand.
Staffing requirements at
minimum levels are as follows: All staff members will be provided uniforms as indicated in the
budget. We will have a total of 68 paid staff members and are looking at 20-30 volunteers who
are willing to give up a day to help make a change to the environment. Staffing positions will be
posted on career builders, monster.com and in Starbucks locations.

10

Budget
Budget for the Eco-Cup
(Made with 85% recycled materials) (SB funding $102,500)
Quantity Cost of $.5 Cost of labor Advertising Selling $5 per Total Profit for Ecoper cup
150,000

$75,000

$.15 per cup

$22,500

$5,000

cup

cup

$750,000

$647,000

Budget for the Eco-Event

Venue

10 hours

Event

Cleaning

Staff

Staff

10 hours

12 hours

Advertising

TV,

Medical

Security

Uniforms

Total

Staff

Staff

& Supplies

Costs

10 hours

Pens,

Radio 10 hours

and Online
40

Booths, exc.

8 people

5 people

15 people

$7.25

$7.25 per

7.25 per $7.25 per

per hour
$2,900

hour
$696

hour
$362.50

people

$4250

$10,000

hour
$1087.50

$1,500

$20,826

(Addison
circle.com)

Expected Donations from Eco-PROJECT GOING TOWARDS SELECTED charities

11

Donations
$630,000

$626,674

$620,000
$610,000
Donations
$600,000

$593,000

$590,000
$580,000
$570,000
Eco-Cups

Eco-Event

Entrance $5 per person, we estimate about $100,000 throughout the day of the event.

Tents

+ Banners + Entrance

$75,000 + $18,000 + $500,000 = $593,000

Eco-Cup Profit Eco- event
$647,500 - $ 20,826 = $626,674
Total donations for eco organizations $1,219,674 (fully tax deductible)

12

Authorization
This project will help Starbucks reduce the cost production of disposable cups each day,
and will benefit the community by creating recyclable and meaningful coffee cups.

The

customers will also have a free cup of coffee once they have enough award points though our
new awards program. We will set up the event annually to encourage more people to participate
in a greener way of living. We are requesting $102,500 for the production of the cups, which will
kick start the funds for the Eco-Event.

Signature__________________________________

Date ____________________

Signature__________________________________

Date ____________________

Blake Shelton
Research and Development
Starbucks Corporation

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References
Addison.com. Retrieved April 16, 2014, from
http://www.addisontexas.net/REPOSITORY/ASSETS/FORMS/ACP_RATES.pdf
"Environment." Starbucks Coffee Company. N.p., n.d. Retrieved March 13,2014 from
http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/environment.
Fernie, S. (2007). The Way I See It. (Photograph). Retrieved
from http://www.flickr.com/photos/albinoflea/381133495/
Raghavan , R., & Notaras, M. (2009). Sad Demise of the Paper Coffee Cup. Our World.
Retrieved May 26, 2014, from http://ourworld.unu.edu/en/strom-in-a-paper-cup
Starbucks.com. Retrieved March 26, 2014, from http://www.starbucks.com/about-us
Minter, A. (2014, April 8). Why Starbucks Won't Recycle Your Paper Coffee Cup. Chicago
Tribune. Retrieved April 19,2014,from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-0408/opinion/ct-starbucks-recycling-oped-0408-jm-20140408-2_1_starbucks-customersstarbucks-cups-paper-mills

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