San Francisco

Thank you so much for coming to Bernie’s Carrotmob.  With your support, on October 18, you helped Bernie’s Coffeeshop on 24th Street become even greener – and we had smashing results.  In just 3 hours, we quadrupled Bernie’s profits, grossing almost the same amount in that time as the coffeeshop does in a full day!  40% of all those sales are being reinvested back into the business making Bernie’s Coffeeshop more sustainable, and truly making this a win-win event for everyone.  Not only will the Carrotmob have long-term impacts on Bernie’s energy costs, it made for a great community event, bringing out neighbors from Noe Valley and beyond.

Check out pictures here: http://www.rebeccaprozan.com

Carrotmob is just another example of why grassroots organizing works – when you put something positive to unite folks behind a common cause, people respond.  We look forward to working with you on more events such as these in the future.

Once again, on behalf of the staff of Bernie’s, thank you for making our first Carrotmob in Noe such a rousing success!

Best,

Rebecca Prozan and Bernie Melvin

San Francisco’s Third Carrotmob!

Bernie’s
3966 24th St. (between Noe & Sanchez Sts)
Sunday, October 18, 11 AM to 2 PM

Google Map

Here’s how it came about:

A few months back, some friends and I gathered to kickstart a Friday evening with some wine tasting at Castro Wine Village.  Over an earthy biodynamic Pinot, we spoke about uniting people for a common cause: sustainability.  In essence, we wanted to bring community back (cue Justin Timberlake music).

Someone in the group suggested hosting a Carrotmob, a term which puzzled even the designated drivers.  What was this elusive idea known as Carrotmob?  After a Syrah hailing from the Santa Cruz Mountains, my wife and I went home, where I began researching the concept.

Though I wasn’t part of the March 2008 mob that rewarded K & D Market with over $9200 in sales over the course of a few hours, the video of the crowd captured their excitement.  And their energy stemmed from doing good – rewarding a small business owner for making a commitment to become more energy efficient.  I was hooked!

The process:

The next Friday, with almost the identical set of friends at the same wine bar (hey, we are consistent), we were abuzz with the notion that we’d host a Carrotmob.  The folks at Carrotmob provided us with a basic template for a letter to approach local businesses (thanks Brent!).  We chose to target cafes in the Noe Valley neighborhood.

We ended up approaching ten café owners with our written materials and palpable enthusiasm.  We listened to their concerns and then countered with facts gleaned from Carrotmob’s website.  Not a single business owner turned us away without hearing our pitch!  From those who expressed an interest, only Bernie’s made a pledge of committing 40% of her sales toward going even greener — Bernie’s is already a certified member of the Green Cafe Network.  We are working with this local gal now on improvements identified in a June energy audit, with the help of Kirstin at Green Café Network.

Mark Your Calendars!

Join me for San Francisco’s third Carrotmob at Bernie’s, 3966 24th St. (between Noe & Sanchez Sts) on Sunday, October 18, from 11 AM to 2 PM.

Volunteer for the event by emailing: carrotmob@rebeccaprozan.com

RSVP and Invite Your Friends!
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=142880802683

Here’s the best page to distribute as you tell your friends about Bernie’s Carrotmob: http://sf.carrotmob.org/bernies

As Time Magazine proclaimed, Carrotmobs really are cooler than boycotts!