Education & Outreach Toolkit | 1
EDUCATION & OUTREACH
TOOLKIT:
Smit
hsonian Conservation Biology Institut
e
Migratory Bird Center
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Introducon .......................................................................................... 3
Bird Friendly® Acvies for AZA Facilies ............................................. 4
Bird Friendly® FAQs for Educators & Interpreters ................................. 6
Where Bird Friendly® Coee is Grown .................................................. 8
Seng Up a Bird Friendly® Coee Tasng ............................................ 9
Where to Buy Bird Friendly® Coee ...................................................... 11
Species Protected by Bird Friendly® Farms ........................................... 12
Bird Friendly® Exhibit Signage ............................................................... 13
Acvang Supporters to Request Bird Friendly® .................................. 14
Bird Friendly® Social Media ................................................................... 16
“Drink Bird Friendly®” Card, QR Code ................................................... 17
Education & Outreach Toolkit | 2
Funding to create this toolkit was generously
provided by the Associaon of Zoos and
Aquariums Conservaon Grants Fund.
Thank you to the Associaon of Zoos and
Aquariums Saving Animals from Exncon
(AZA SAFE) North American Songbird program
for their support of Bird Friendly® coee, and
this project.
EDUCATION
& OUTREACH
Introduction
Thank you for your interest in supporng Smithsonian Bird Friendly® coee!
This Educaon & Outreach: Supporng the “Drink Bird Friendly®
Message” toolkit is specically designed for educators and
communicators working at AZA-accredited instuons. Its contents
were informed by conversaons with zoo and aquarium sta, as well
as feedback from over 1,500 AZA supporters. The result is a collecon
of resources designed to make it easier for zoos and aquariums to
successfully support Bird Friendly® coee at their facilies.
If you have not already done so, please begin by reading
The Essenal
Bird Friendly® Toolkit
, which includes AZA’s most requested Bird
Friendly® resources, including key messages, a cercaon overview, an
overview of Bird Friendly® coee roasters, and basic informaon about
the Bird Friendly® cercaon standard and program.
The Educaon & Outreach: Supporng the “Drink Bird Friendly®
Message” toolkit contains the following addional resources:
• Bird Friendly® Acvies for AZA Facilies
• Bird Friendly® FAQs for Educators & Interpreters
• A range map of countries where Bird Friendly® coee is grown
• A guide to seng up a Bird Friendly® coee tasng at your facility
• A guide on messaging where to buy Bird Friendly® coee
• Highlighted bird species that can be found on Bird Friendly®
coee farms
• Examples of exhibit signage about Bird Friendly® coee
• How to acvate supporters to request Bird Friendly® coee in
your community
• Sample Bird Friendly® social media posts and related assets
• A “Drink Bird Friendly®” card, for supporters to request Bird
Friendly® in their community
• Drink Bird Friendly® QR Code
For addional informaon on the Smithsonian Bird Friendly®
program or to request a physical copy of this toolkit, please contact
BirdFriendly@si.edu
.
Education & Outreach Toolkit | 3
Education & Outreach Toolkit | 4
BIRD FRIENDLY
®
ACTIVITIES
FOR AZA FACILITIES
Bird Friendly® coee can easily integrate into your exisng educaon programs or daily in-park interpretaon. Below are
some examples of acvies and acvaons designed to educate and engage your guests in the “Drink Bird Friendly®”
message. Use the
“About Bird Friendly®: Key Messages for AZA Facilies”
document,
found in
The Essenal Bird
Friendly® Toolkit
to guide your messaging during these acvies.
Host a Bird Friendly
®
coee tasting
Coee tasngs are an excellent way to introduce your
guests to the Bird Friendly® cercaon– they raise
general awareness on the program while giving guests the
opportunity to sample Bird Friendly® roasts. Tasngs can
be held during events and programs, or can be set up as
an interpreve cart or table. Many Bird Friendly® roasters
are willing to donate coee for an in-park tasng. Some
may even come out to your facility to host a tasng during
an event!
Check out the “Seng Up a Bird Friendly® Coee
Tasng” document for a more detailed overview on
how to set up a tasng for your facility.
Paint with Bird Friendly
®
coee grounds
While it’s not recommended that you serve coee to
your youngest visitors, there are sll ways for children to
connect to Bird Friendly.® Add a splash of water to used
coee grounds to create a natural watercolor paint that
children can use to paint pictures of their favorite birds.
This is a great acvity to pair with a Bird Friendly® coee
tasng, as grounds will be readily available!
Materials needed: paper, paintbrushes, small reusable
cups or jars, used coee grounds, water, clothespins
and line (for hanging up artwork to dry).
Decorate coee sleeves
Another way to engage younger visitors in Bird Friendly®
coee is to set up a coee sleeve decoraon staon.
Children can use stamps, sckers, markers or stencils to
customize their own coee sleeve, which can be shared
with parents or caregivers. Facilitators can either provide
blank coee sleeves or cardstock outlines which can be
cut and folded to create the coee sleeve. Facilies can
even host a compeon for young arsts to design a Bird
Friendly® coee sleeve specic to their zoo or aquarium!
Materials needed: blank coee sleeves or templates,
art materials (markers, sckers, stamps and stamp
pads, etc.).
Explore the dierence between
sustainability certications
The Bird Friendly® cercaon may be new to your guests,
and it can be helpful to explore the dierences between
Bird Friendly® and other commonly known sustainability
cercaons, like Rainforest Alliance, Organic, or Fair
Trade. One example of how this can be done is through a
felt board matching game, where parcipants can match
Overview”
document in
The Essenal Bird Friendly® Toolkit
for background informaon on sustainability cercaons.
Materials needed: variable, but could include a
felt board, laminated photos of commonly known
sustainability cercaons with velcro backing, and
laminated descripons or key phrases associated with
cercaons with velcro backing.
cercaon descripons to sustainability cercaon logos.
Reference
“The Bird Friendly® Gold Standard - Cercaon
Education & Outreach Toolkit | 5
Set up a “Drink Bird Friendly
®
”
pledge board
Pledge boards are a great way to show your community’s
commitment to making the switch to Bird Friendly®
coee. At the top of a large piece of butcher paper, dry
erase board, or other blank surface, write “[YOUR ZOO/
AQUARIUM/MUSEUM’S NAME] is Making the Switch to
Bird Friendly® Cered Coee.” Then, encourage guests
to ll out a themed paper cut-out (like a bird or coee cup)
with their name and commitment to “Drink Bird Friendly®”
and tape each commitment to your surface. If available,
provide a “Drink Bird Friendly®” scker or coupon for Bird
Friendly® coee at your facility as an incenve.
Materials needed: large blank surface (e.g. butcher
paper, dry erase board), blank themed paper
cut-outs, pens or markers, tape or glue, coupons or
sckers (if available).
Create a “Why birds are
important to me” mural
This acvity requires some arsc skill! To begin, draw
a Bird Friendly® farm habitat on a large poster or piece
of butcher paper and print blank outlines of dierent
migratory birds found on coee farms. Encourage guests
to write why birds are important to them on bird outlines,
then decorate their bird and add it to the habitat. Guests
may also help color in or add details to the habitat image.
Materials needed: a large sheet of paper, wring
and coloring utensils (markers, colored pencils, and
crayons work best), blank migratory bird cut-outs,
tape or glue.
Host a latte art competition
Engage your local coee community with this acvity!
Invite local baristas to come to your facility for a lae
art compeon, using Bird Friendly® cered coee.
Provide the theme of “wildlife conservaon” as inspiraon
for their art. Use special guest judges (such as curators
or keepers) or take photos of the art and post them to
social media to allow your guests to select the winner. If
possible, provide a prize (such as free ckets or animal art)
for your winner. This acvity is best-suited for an event or
formal program.
Materials needed: speak with your local baristas to
determine what is needed to best organize this acvity.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
Education & Outreach Toolkit | 6
Bird Friendly® cered coee is the gold standard in biodiversity-friendly coee farming. But, not everyone knows what
that means. Here are some helpful ps for addressing frequently asked quesons about Bird Friendly® coee.
What is Bird Friendly
®
coee?
Simply put, Bird Friendly® coee comes from farms that
provide good, forest-like habitat for birds and other
wildlife. Bird Friendly® coees are shade grown, meaning
the coee is planted under a canopy of trees, rather than
land that has been cleared of all other vegetaon.
Bird Friendly® coees are also cered organic, meaning
they are grown without the use of chemical pescides
that are harmful to the environment. And all bags of Bird
Friendly® coee are 100% pure, meaning every bean in
a bag of cered coee is grown in a way that protects
habitat for birds and other wildlife.
How do I know if the coee I buy
is Bird Friendly?
®
Look for the Smithsonian Bird Friendly® seal on the
product packaging:
What distinguishes Bird Friendly
®
coees from other coees?
Bird Friendly® coee ies above the rest by ensuring a
combinaon of canopy cover and tree diversity proven
to provide quality habitat for birds and other wildlife. Bird
Friendly® coees are also cered organic, meaning they
are grown without pescides, which is beer for people
and for the planet. And, unlike other cercaons that only
require a fracon of their product to meet sustainability
standards, Bird Friendly® coee is the only opon on the
market that guarantees 100% of coee beans roasted and
sold are grown in a way that protects habitat.
What is the dierence between the
Bird Friendly
®
certication and the
Rainforest Alliance certication?
There are three main dierences between the Rainforest
Alliance cercaon and the Bird Friendly® cercaon.
MORE STRINGENT SHADE CRITERIA
The Bird Friendly® cercaon requires farms to
have a canopy height of at least 12 m, a shade canopy
so dense that it lters 40% of the sunlight, and at
minimum of ten tree species and three canopy layers.
These stringent criteria ensure that Bird Friendly®
cered farms provide quality habitat that rivals
undisturbed forests. While the Rainforest Alliance
provides guidelines for shade cover, they are less
stringent and, notably, there is no core requirement
for shade coverage during inial cercaon.
ORGANIC CERTIFICATION
Bird Friendly® cered products are USDA Organic
cered, which means farms do not use chemicals,
whereas Rainforest Alliance cered products are
not required to be USDA Organic and can use certain
pescides, herbicides, etc. on their farms. These can
negavely impact birds.
PRODUCT PURITY
The Bird Friendly® cercaon requires 100% product
purity in order for the cercaon label to be used
on products, while Rainforest Alliance cercaon
requires 90% of the product to meet their criteria as
the minimum standard.
Education & Outreach Toolkit | 7
What are the benets of
Bird Friendly
®
for farmers?
By buying or sourcing Bird Friendly®, you support farmers,
incenvizing them to connue to protect vital forest
habitats rather than convert to less sustainable pracces.
By growing coee under Bird Friendly® standards, farmers
can supplement their incomes through secondary sources
such as fruit from fruit trees, mber products, and eco-
tourism. Bird Friendly® farmers also receive access to
beer specialty market prices, as they produce cered
beans that are both USDA Organic and shade grown. Many
Bird Friendly® coees are cered as Fair Trade, as well.
How does Bird Friendly
®
coee
relate to climate change?
According to a report from the Internaonal Center for
Tropical Agriculture, under current climate predicons,
about half of the world’s coee producing land will be
unsuitable for growing coee by 2050. The forested
habitat found on Bird Friendly® cered farms makes
them more resilient to climate emergencies, like landslides
or severe storm damage. In preserving trees and forests,
Bird Friendly® farms also help combat climate change by
sequestering carbon.
Where do Bird Friendly
®
coees
come from?
Like much of the world’s coee, most Bird Friendly®
coees are grown in the highlands of Lan American
countries from Mexico to Peru, as well as Ethiopia,
Thailand and India. A list of Bird Friendly® cered coee
farms can be found at
drinkbirdfriendly.com
.
Do Bird Friendly
®
coees cost
more than other coees?
Somemes, Bird Friendly® coees cost a few cents more
per cup than convenonal coees. Those who already
drink specialty coees won’t noce a dierence, as Bird
Friendly® cered coees prices tend to fall within the
same range as non-cered specialty coees. This is
a small price to pay for the benets to birds and other
wildlife, coee farmers and the health of the planet!
Why does Bird Friendly
®
coee taste better than
conventional coees?
Coee experts say Bird Friendly® coees taste beer,
because the beans ripen slower than coee grown in the
full sun, resulng in a richer, more complex avor!
Where can I purchase
Bird Friendly
®
coee?
Right here at our facility! We’re proud to sell Bird Friendly®
cered coee by the cup and/or container.
[PROVIDE DETAILS ON YOUR FACILITY’S BIRD FRIENDLY®
COFFEE, SUCH AS WHERE IN THE ZOO OR AQUARIUM IT
CAN BE PURCHASED, WHICH ROASTER IT’S FROM, ANY
TASTING NOTES, OR OTHER RELEVANT DETAILS.]
You can nd more informaon on Bird Friendly coee,
including where it can be purchased, at
drinkbirdfriendly.com
.
For more informaon on the Bird Friendly® program,
including a comprehensive overview of Bird Friendly®
coee cercaon criteria, please reference the Bird
Friendly® Cercaon Overview.
WHERE BIRD FRIENDLY
®
COFFEE IS GROWN
Education & Outreach Toolkit | 8
Education & Outreach Toolkit | 9
SETTING UP A BIRD FRIENDLY
®
COFFEE TASTING
Coee tasngs can be a great way to introduce your guests to Bird Friendly®. They can also provide an excellent plaorm
for educang your guests about the cercaon and helping to overcome barriers (like “Will I like how it tastes?”) that
may get in the way of making a switch to Bird Friendly®. Bird Friendly® coee tasngs have also been proven to increase
coee sales! The informaon below provides a general guideline on how to set up a Bird Friendly® coee tasng at your
facility. Use the
“About Bird Friendly®: Key Messages for AZA Facilies”
document, found in
The Essenal Bird Friendly®
Toolkit
to guide your messaging during the tasng.
Getting Started
SELECT ONE OR TWO BIRD FRIENDLY® COFFEES FOR
YOUR TASTING.
If you’re currently selling Bird Friendly® coee at your facility,
this choice is easy! You can support your facility’s sales of
Bird Friendly® while spreading the “Drink Bird Friendly®”
message by oering up samples of your Bird Friendly® coee.
If the coee roaster you’re working with is local to your zoo
or aquarium, you can also invite them to host a promoonal
tasng at your facility. Roasters have a deep knowledge
of the coee they are selling and can be a great asset in
promong Bird Friendly® coee to your guests. If your facility
is not currently selling Bird Friendly® cered coee, you can
use the
Bird Friendly® Roasters for AZA database
,
found in
The Essenal Bird Friendly® toolkit
, to select a coee. Several
roasters expressed an openness to donang coee for
educaonal events and tasngs. If you’re working with a local
Bird Friendly® roaster, they may even want to join you on-site
for the tasng!
DETERMINE HOW YOU’LL BREW YOUR COFFEE.
Ask your concessions team to borrow coee brewing
equipment, or see if they can brew the coee for you. Air
pots are best for serving during the tasng. If concessions
teams are not able to assist, borrow coee brewing
equipment from your oce or purchase a French press and
electric kele to brew coee during your tasng. If a local
Bird Friendly® roaster will be at your tasng, they may be
able to bring brewing equipment.
SOURCE YOUR MATERIALS.
The checklist on this page outlines the priority items
you will need to host your coee tasng. Use your best
judgment in purchasing quanes, given your expected
aendance at the tasng.
STATION SET-UP:
• Table
• Tablecloth
• Compost bin or trash can
• Access to electricity
• Cooler lled with ice, or access to refrigeraon
FOR BREWING:
•
Bird Friendly® cered coee, ground
•
Air pots (at least 2)
•
Method for coee brewing (e.g. French press,
drip coee maker) and all necessary accessories
(e.g. lters, measuring spoons)
•
Water
•
Method for heang water (if necessary)
FOR TASTING:
•
4 oz. hot beverage tasng cups
•
Coee srrers
•
Milk and/or creamer (be sure to include a plant-
based creamer)
•
Sugar
•
Low-calorie sweetener
•
Napkins
FOR EDUCATING:
•
Bird Friendly® promoonal items (e.g. postcards,
sckers—available by request)
•
Bird Friendly® Infographic
•
“Request Bird Friendly®” cards
Education & Outreach Toolkit | 10
Review Bird Friendly
®
Materials
Provide
“About Bird Friendly®: Key Messages for AZA
Facilies”
and
“Bird Friendly® FAQs for Educaons &
Interpreters”
documents to anyone working at the coee
tasng. Read up on the Bird Friendly® coee you’re
serving—be sure to note things like origin, tasng notes,
and where the coee can be purchased in the community.
Know where Bird Friendly® coee can be purchased within
your facility and if there are any discounts available for
guests who parcipate in the tasng.
During the Tasting
• SET UP YOUR STATION AND BEGIN BREWING
COFFEE. Ensure you leave enough me to brew coee
prior to the start of your event—brewing mes may
vary, depending upon method. Display Bird Friendly®
promoonal materials and signage to aract guests to
your staon.
• SERVE BIRD FRIENDLY® SAMPLES TO YOUR
GUESTS. It’s best for your team to pour the coee,
then hand it to guests to dress how they’d like. While
guests are dressing and tasng their coee, talk to
them about the Bird Friendly® program and answer
any quesons they may have about the coee.
• CONTINUE BREWING THROUGHOUT THE EVENT.
Have at least two air pots or carafes of coee during
the event, so there is always one available if the other
is being relled.
• ENCOURAGE GUESTS TO “MAKE THE SWITCH TO
BIRD FRIENDLY® CERTIFIED COFFEE.” Talk about
your facility’s relaonship to Bird Friendly® and what
it means for habitat conservaon on coee farms.
Encourage guests to join your facility in making the
switch to Bird Friendly® cered coee. Provide Bird
Friendly® promoonal items (e.g. sckers, postcards)
as visual prompts before guests leave the staon.
After the Tasting
• CLEAN UP ALL MATERIALS. Coee grounds, lters,
and napkins, as well as some cups and srrers, can
be composted, if services are available. Return all
borrowed materials, as well.
• SAFELY STORE ALL NON-PERISHABLE EXCESS
MATERIALS. Coee lters, tasng cups, sweeteners,
srrers, and napkins can be stored alongside
promoonal materials and signage in an airght bin. Be
mindful of coee shelf life and “best by” dates, if there
are excess, unused coee grounds aer the tasng.
• EVALUATE THE TASTING’S SUCCESS. Meet with
your team to discuss what went well during your
tasng, and what can be improved for next me. Store
a copy of your notes alongside extra materials, so they
can be easily accessed for future programs.
Education & Outreach Toolkit | 11
WHERE TO BUY BIRD
FRIENDLY
®
COFFEE
When guests are ready to make the switch to Bird Friendly® coee, a crical piece of informaon they need to know is
where to buy their coee. Knowing where to purchase Bird Friendly® can be the dierence between taking a one-me
acon or engaging in sustained conservaon behavior.
Below are some opons on where to direct guests looking to purchase Bird Friendly® coee. It’s best to provide one or
two clear, specic ways for your guests to purchase Bird Friendly®—providing mulple opons can lead to confusion,
resulng in a lack of sustained behavior change. Ask how they typically purchase their coee, then provide the answer
that’s best-suited to their current purchasing habits.
At Your Facility
If your facility sells Bird Friendly® cered coee at gi shops
or retail locaons, encourage guests to purchase their coee
from you! Be sure to know specic details on your facility’s Bird
Friendly® coee (Is it in every gi shop, or just one? Where is it
found within the gi shop or stand? Which coee is being sold,
and what does it taste like? How much does it cost?). Keep in
mind that, while it’s very convenient for guests to pick up their
rst of Bird Friendly® coee at your facility, it’s unlikely that they
will come back to your gi shop whenever they are in need of a
rell. It’s best to supplement this informaon with where to buy
Bird Friendly® coee outside of your facility, as well.
Online
For the most up-to-date resource on where to purchase Bird
Friendly® cered coee, guests can visit
drinkbirdfriendly.com
.
This website provides a list of retailers stocking Bird Friendly®
cered coee, as well as opons for purchasing directly online.
If your facility is selling Bird Friendly® coee from a certain
roaster, direct guests to that roaster’s website. Provide online
ordering details and instrucons, as appropriate.
In the Community
It’s important to know where Bird Friendly® coee can be
purchased within your community.
Drinkbirdfriendly.com
provides an overview of retail locaons throughout North
America where Bird Friendly® coee can be found. If you’re
having trouble nding Bird Friendly® cered coee in your
community, use the
“Requesng Bird Friendly® Coee at
Grocers & Shops”
template in the
Retail Operaons: Selling &
Serving Bird Friendly® Coee
poron of this toolkit to request
Bird Friendly® coee at a store near you.
If your facility is selling Bird Friendly® coee from a certain
roaster, talk to that roaster to understand where guests can nd
their product.
SPECIES PROTECTED BY
BIRD FRIENDLY
®
FARMS
Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center researchers have idened dozens of migratory and resident bird species who live
within the habitat created by Bird Friendly® cered coee farms. Here are a few of those species.
Wood Thrush
HYLOCICHLA MUSTELINA
HONDURAS
While the characterisc ung
song of the breeding Wood
Thrush is not heard in its wintering
range, it is a common but
oen overlooked bird in coee
understories, where it forages
among the dead leaves for insects.
Chestnut-sided
Warbler
SETOPHAGA PENSYLVANICA
GUATEMALA
This small warbler can be found
in mixed-species ocks traveling
through the canopy above coee
farms where it searches for
insects on the underside of shade
tree leaves.
Scarlet Tanager
LEIOTHLYPIS PEREGRINA
PERU
A favorite among birdwatchers
in North America, these brightly
colored tanagers change their
plumage to yellow and black while
migrang to their winter homes
among coee farms of South
America where they eat both
insects and wild fruits found in the
shade trees above coee farms.
Golden-winged
Warbler
VERMIVORA CHRYSOPTERA
NICARAGUA
The threatened Golden-winged
Warbler is found primarily in forests
and coee farms that retain thick
vegetaon with the characterisc
hanging dead leaves that these
warblers probe inside for insects.
Recent studies show female Golden-
winged Warblers are more likely to
be found outside of coee farms
while males are more likely to be
found within them.
Baltimore Oriole
ICTERUS GALBULA
COLOMBIA
Nectar and pollen from owering
trees found on coee farms are
an important food source for
overwintering Balmore Orioles in
Central and South America. This is a
symbioc relaonship, as orioles and
other birds serve as pollinators for
the trees, increasing the producon
of fuelwood and fruit growing on
coee farms.
To learn more about the birds
found on Bird Friendly® farms, visit
SMBC’s
“Meet the Birds” webpage
.
Education & Outreach Toolkit | 12
Education & Outreach Toolkit | 13
BIRD FRIENDLY
®
EXHIBIT SIGNAGE
Whether at an exhibit, within the park, or at the locaon where you’ll be selling Bird Friendly® coee, signage can
help tell the story of Bird Friendly® coee at your facility. Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center studies have shown that,
once zoo and aquarium supporters know just a lile bit about Bird Friendly® coee, they overwhelmingly support
it—and will pay over a dollar more per cup to buy it!
Included in this secon of the toolkit are
examples of Bird Friendly® signs currently
on display at Naples Zoo, as well as a generic
sign template that can be downloaded and
used as a Bird Friendly® sign for your zoo,
aquarium, or museum.
Naples Zoo Sign
Examples
•
Saving Songbirds with the
Smithsonian
•
Shade Grown Coee Helps Farmers,
Birds, and the Land
•
Is Your Coee for the Birds?
General Bird Friendly
®
Exhibit Signage
•
Download the 8.5”x11” sign
Three-quarters of the world’s coffee is farmed using practices that
leave no place for birds, or worse, actively destroy forest habitat.
When forests disappear, birds and other wildlife disappear, too.
BIRD FRIENDLY
®
COFFEE FARM
Provides habitat for 243 bird species
SUN-GROWN COFFEE FARM
Provides habitat for 61 bird species
Smithsonian Bird Friendly
®
certified coffee comes from
farms that provide good, forest-like habitat for birds and
other wildlife. Bird Friendly
®
is the only coffee that’s
guaranteed to be 100% shade grown and organic.
YOUR COFFEE IS
STRONGER THAN
YOU THINK.
Join the movement to Drink Bird Friendly
®
.
Look for the Bird Friendly
®
seal when
purchasing your next cup or bag of coffee.
We support Bird Friendly
®
certified coffee as a simple,
yet impactful way to protect
important forest habitat on
certified coffee farms.
Education & Outreach Toolkit | 14
ACTIVATING SUPPORTERS
TO REQUEST BIRD FRIENDLY
®
AZA supporters—volunteers, members, guests, and social media followers—are an important asset in building a Bird
Friendly® movement in communies across North America. Once these individuals have commied to making the
switch to Bird Friendly® themselves, they can be acvated to request Bird Friendly® cered coee from local coee
companies, shops, grocers and other retail locaons as ambassadors to the Bird Friendly® program. Below are examples
of two dierent templates that you can share with your supporters to request Bird Friendly® coee in your community
and engage them as Bird Friendly® Ambassadors. Feel free to modify these templates to best suit your perspecves
and instuonal needs. Also included in this toolkit is a printable copy of a
“Drink Bird Friendly®” card
, which can be
customized with your zoo or aquarium’s logo and distributed to supporters.
REQUESTING COFFEE ROASTERS JOIN THE BIRD FRIENDLY® PROGRAM
Click here to download a copy of this template
Subject: Smithsonian Bird Friendly® Cered Coee & [INSERT ROASTING COMPANY NAME]
Hello [INSERT ROASTER NAME],
My name is [INSERT YOUR NAME] and I’m a supporter of [INSERT ZOO/AQUARIUM/
MUSEUM NAME], who recently began selling Smithsonian Bird Friendly® cered coee. As
an environmentally-conscious coee drinker in this community, I’m reaching out to you today to
request that you include a cered Bird Friendly® coee in your product line.
As you may know, Bird Friendly® cered coee is the gold standard in biodiversity-friendly, shade
grown coee—no other coee comes close. Unlike other third-party cercaons, Bird Friendly®
is the only cercaon that guarantees every coee bean sold is grown in a way that protects
habitat for birds and other wildlife. Each bean comes from USDA Organic farms that maintain strict
environmental criteria around canopy cover and tree diversity proven to provide quality habitat for
wildlife. Check out this
one-pager
and
infographic
, which both illustrate the program’s benets to
biodiversity and further explain what Bird Friendly® coee is doing for farmers and wildlife alike.
It’s important to me that the products I purchase work to protect habitat and the wildlife that
depend upon them. When it comes to coee, this means buying only Bird Friendly® cered coee
roasts. As a local coee company commied to high-quality and sustainable coee, I feel you would
be an excellent addion to the Bird Friendly® program!
Becoming a Bird Friendly® cered roaster requires just two simple steps: sourcing Bird Friendly®
coee beans and comming to a licensing agreement with the Smithsonian. I’d be happy to
connect you with a member of the Bird Friendly® team to begin these conversaons—if this would
be of interest to you, could you please send along the name and contact informaon of the best
person to get in touch with?
Thank you for considering this idea. I hope to be able to purchase Bird Friendly® cered coee
from you soon!
Best regards,
[INSERT YOUR NAME]
Education & Outreach Toolkit | 15
REQUESTING BIRD FRIENDLY® COFFEE AT GROCERS & SHOPS
Click here to download a copy of this template
Subject: Selling Smithsonian Bird Friendly® Cered Coee at [INSERT
STORE NAME]
Dear [INSERT STORE MANAGER OR OWNER NAME],
My name is [INSERT YOUR NAME] and I’m a supporter of [INSERT
ZOO/AQUARIUM/MUSEUM NAME], who recently began selling
Smithsonian Bird Friendly® cered coee. As a loyal [INSERT STORE
NAME] customer, I’m reaching out today to request that you join them
in oering this product to our community!
Bird Friendly® cered coee is the gold standard in biodiversity-
friendly, shade grown coee—no other coee comes close. Unlike
other third-party cercaons, Bird Friendly® is the only cercaon
that guarantees every coee bean sold is grown in a way that protects
habitat for birds and other wildlife. Each bean comes from USDA Organic
farms that maintain strict environmental criteria around canopy cover
and tree diversity proven to provide quality habitat for wildlife. Check
out this
one-pager
and
infographic
, which both illustrate the program’s
benets to biodiversity and further explain what Bird Friendly® coee is
doing for farmers and wildlife alike.
As an environmentally-conscious consumer, it’s important to me that
the products I purchase work to protect habitat and the wildlife that
depend upon them. When it comes to coee, this means buying only
Bird Friendly® cered coee roasts.
Stocking Bird Friendly® cered coee is easy, and does not require
any formal agreement. I’d be happy to connect you with a member of
the Bird Friendly® team to begin these conversaons—if this would be
of interest to you, could you please send along the name and contact
informaon of the best person to get in touch with?
Thank you for considering this idea. I hope to be able to purchase Bird
Friendly® cered coee from you soon!
Best regards,
[INSERT YOUR NAME]
Education & Outreach Toolkit | 16
BIRD FRIENDLY
®
SOCIAL MEDIA
The Bird Friendly® team encourages you to share your support for Bird Friendly® cered coee through social media.
Use the sample posts, hashtags and assets below to help us create a digital movement for Bird Friendly® cered coee.
Don’t forget to tag the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center in your posts!
Sample Posts
• [INSERT YOUR ZOO/AQUARIUM/MUSEUM’S
NAME] is proud to support Smithsonian’s Bird
Friendly® certified coffee—the only certification
that guarantees every coffee bean sold is grown
in a way that protects habitat for birds and
other wildlife.
• We’re excited to announce that [INSERT YOUR
ZOO/AQUARIUM/MUSEUM’S NAME] has
partnered with [INSERT BIRD FRIENDLY
ROASTER’S NAME] to bring Smithsonian Bird
Friendly® cered coee to our facility. There are
many shade grown coees on the market, and it
can be overwhelming trying to determine which
one is best for wildlife. Bird Friendly® cered
coee maintains the strictest environmental criteria,
making it the most biodiversity-friendly coee
on the market—and, the right choice for us as a
conservaon organizaon. We hope you’ll join us for
a cup of Bird Friendly® coee during your next visit!
• Three-quarters of the world’s coee is farmed
using pracces that leave no place for birds, or
worse, acvely destroy forest habitat. When
forests disappear, birds and other wildlife
disappear, too. That’s why we’ve switched to
Smithsonian Bird Friendly® cered coee. Bird
Friendly® coee habitat ies above the rest by
ensuring a combinaon of foliage cover, tree
height, and biodiversity proven to provide quality
habitat for birds and other wildlife living on coee
farms. Join us in choosing to #DrinkBirdFriendly®!
• Making the switch to Smithsonian’s Bird Friendly®
cered coee is an easy way to protect wildlife
habitat on coee farms. It’s never been easier to
become a supporter of Bird Friendly® coee—just
look for the Bird Friendly® seal when purchasing
your next cup or bag of coee (hint: you can nd it
at our [ZOO/AQUARIUM/MUSEUM]!)
Hashtags
• #DrinkBirdFriendly
• #ProudlyServingBiodiversity
Images
The Bird Friendly® team has created a folder of images
that you are welcome to use in your posts about Bird
Friendly® cered coee. The folder contains images
specically sized for Facebook, Instagram, and Twier.
Note: Please read through the social media guide before
posng.
Click here to access this folder.
Videos
In addion to images, the Bird Friendly® team has three
videos that can be used on social media. Click the links
below to access and download a copy of each video.
•
What is Bird Friendly® Coee? (0:34)
•
Drink Bird Friendly® (0:14)
•
Drink Bird Friendly® (GIF)
Tag SMBC!
@MigratoryBirdCenter
@SMBC
Education & Outreach Toolkit | 17
DRINK BIRD FRIENDLY
®
CARD & QR CODE
Bird Friendly® Request Card
The Bird Friendly® Request Card can be printed and
distributed to guests who are interested in requesng Bird
Friendly® coee from their favorite roaster, grocer or shop.
To request physical copies of these cards, please contact
.
Bird Friendly QR Code
Use the Bird Friendly® QR code as an easy way to direct your
guests to
drinkbirdfriendly.com
, where they can buy Bird
Friendly® cered coee online, or nd a local retailer.
