A young Torontonian is connecting sustainable cafés with customers who care |
These in-their-own-words pieces are told to Patricia Lane and co-edited with input from the interviewee for the purpose of brevity.
Kiethan Theva is shifting Toronto’s coffee-drinking culture. The 23-year-old from Scarborough, Ont., is building a network to help sustainability-minded cafés and values-aligned customers find each other.
Tell us about your project.
Responsible Cafés TO provides practical tools and guidance to help cafés implement reusable cup incentives, reduce single-use waste and communicate their sustainability efforts clearly.
How did you get started?
We spent the summer of 2025 interviewing more than 40 café owners and baristas to learn about their receptivity to this idea and identify barriers to implementation. It was instructive. For example, we learned that offering a meaningful discount for bringing a reusable cup can cost less than purchasing disposable cups. Some cafés already offer discounts but do not actively promote them because they are unsure whether the economics make sense. The best way to make up that difference is to sell more coffee. It is one of the reasons we put such an emphasis on marketing as a reason to work with us.
We learned of a Responsible Café movement in Australia. We reached out to them, and they were very helpful.
We started by working with cafés that were already moving in this direction, so we could learn faster and build a model that other cafés can realistically adopt. Our first confirmed partner is ChocoSol Traders. We are currently in conversations with several more cafés and our goal is to grow a small, credible network before scaling further.
What impact are you having?
An estimated 6.4 million trees are cut down every year to produce the 16 billion disposable coffee cups used. Our first partner, ChocoSol Traders, tracked disposable cup usage and found more than 4,000 cups were avoided in 2025 through their reusable cup discount. Our work is focused on helping amplify efforts like this and making them easier for more cafés to replicate. It is a small step, but in the right direction. As customers get more used to reusable cups, we want them to become as normal as reusable shopping bags. We also see reusable cups as a daily reminder that small habits connect to larger environmental systems and our responsibility.
How did you get into this?
My first job out of high school was at the Toronto Zoo working as a Zoomobile commentator, speaking to visitors about conservation and, later, as a VIP Tour Guide. Being in that environment every day made me pay closer attention to the gap between what we say we care about and what we do out of habit, like grabbing a coffee in a disposable cup without thinking twice.
I did a study-abroad program in Colombia and learned about how coffee was made. While I was there, I took an online course and chose an assignment to write about how to reduce coffee cup waste. I was so into it that I missed my birthday party the night it was due to get it done! When I took part in the Toronto Youth Climate Ambassadors program, it was a natural next step for me to develop the Responsible Café concept as my project.
It can feel like an uphill battle when we meet decision-makers who do not take us seriously. But when local leaders take youth climate work seriously and offer encouragement, it reinforces that the effort matters.
What keeps you awake at night?
It was an eye-opener to visit Colombia and learn how eco-conscious coffee is grown and processed, because I did not grow up on the land. But my family comes from farming and, of course, originally everyone did. How many kids ever get to learn first-hand how coffee is made or where bananas grow? I worry if we lose our connection to the land, we will be lost as a species.
I am sometimes annoyingly hopeful. I believe we will figure out that we are all working on different pieces of the same puzzle, asking how do we protect what we love.
How do you think the way you were raised has impacted you?
I grew up with the Rouge Valley Conservation Area as my backyard. It is the largest wild area in an urban setting on the continent, and it is in my blood. I cannot imagine not trying to protect the plants and animals that live there.
What would you like to say to other young people?
Start small and celebrate it. Bring your reusable cup. Spend time outside. If you have an idea, find others and begin.
What about older readers?
Some of you are truly amazing and the backbone of good in your communities. Peer-to-peer conversations matter. People are often more open to change when they can identify with you.