In addition, Green Mountain is well known for its ethical business practices and
its commitment to social responsibility. Not long after Green Mountain was
founded, a group of employees formed an environmental committee that
became the foundation for the firm’s social responsibility projects. The
committee began with initiatives to turn off lights and turn down the heat in the
company’s offices to save energy. They then redesigned some of the firm’s
shipping boxes to reduce weight—which also reduced costs. Next they came
up with the idea for Rain Forest Nut coffee, the sale of which helped develop
public awareness of the depletion of rain forests in South America and raised
money for the Rainforest Alliance and Conservation International. (Historically,
rain forests have been cleared by coffee farmers to produce additional spaces
for growing more coffee.) Consumers loved the taste of Rain Forest Nut coffee,
as well as the philosophy behind it, and sales took off .