This week's Green Passport Destination spotlight is Yola, an organic, farm-to-table, yogurt, smoothie, and baked goods shop located in Dupont Circle.  If you haven't heard yet, Green Passport DC is a game that Clean Currents is running through the month of April that encourages anyone and everyone to visit local wind-powered businesses.  There's no cost to play Green Passport - all you need is a mobile phone and the Facebook application.  Simply register for Green Passport DC by clicking THIS LINK and then visit any of the 48 locations throughout the city, check in, and earn CASH!      

Clean Currents staff member Nicole Dvorak had a chance to sit down with Laura Smith, Co-owner of Yola, for a little Q&A session on yogurt, coffee, and all things tasty and eco-friendly.

Nicole: “Business Owner” hardly begins to describe it, right?  What is your typical day or week like? 
Laura: I work on the floor, manage the staff, create schedules, ordering, inventory, everything!

Nicole: What do you enjoy most about your job?
Laura: The thing that I enjoy the most—the People.  Networking, our staff, I love every single person.  Being creative (like how to have better or different offerings), creative problem solving and thinking outside of the box.

Nicole: What question are you asked most often?
Laura: “How do you get on the Wifi?”   Also (when composting), people ask, “Where does my cup go?”

Nicole: What is your background?  Where did these amazing green ethics of yours come from?
Laura: My own personal reading and learning—the book Omnivore’s Dilemma, the movie Food Inc., becoming aware of how we source food.  When I was in Europe, I thought “Why does this food taste so much better?”  We have a pretty debilitated food system, which has lead to a decline in taste. 

Nicole: Something that you wish more people knew about?
Laura: I wish people understood how complicated the food industry is.  One really great company is Counter Culture, and I wish more people knew the lengths that they go to do things right. They  have relationships with farmers---they try to have great tasting coffee AND focus on sustainability.  They are really great.

Nicole: What is your vision for the future of Yola? 
Laura: It would be to make Yola more of a community gathering place---Not just a place where you come to eat, but a place to learn, etc.  (Be sure to check out the Yola blog for more info on current events!)

Nicole: Why did you choose renewable wind power through Clean Currents?
Laura: You guys were one of the most visible clean energy providers in the city.  I don’t even know about what others are out there.  In keeping with the rest of our mission, it seemed like the right thing to do.  We looked at other businesses that we admired to see what they did, and they chose you guys.

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