It is that time of year where students are stressing about the amount of school work they have with finals just around the corner.

Planet Perk, a coffee shop and cafe, is the perfect study spot, and it has two locations at 100 City Court and 240 Algoma Blvd., Suite 101B, in Oshkosh.

Planet Perk was founded in 1996, previously located in what is now known as the French Quarter Bar on Wisconsin Avenue in Oshkosh.

In 2000, the cafe moved to its current location within the City Center, and in 2017, expanded to its second location on Algoma Boulevard.

Ken Osmond purchased the cafe in 2008, with one idea in mind: to prove that a business can be environmentally conscious, a particularly important concept as the campus, city, state and nation celebrate Earth Day on April 22.

The tagline for Planet Perk pretty much says it: “One Planet, Many Perks.”

The first part of the tagline, “One Planet,” refers to the fact that we only have one planet, so we have a responsibility to take good care of it.

The last part, “Many Perks,” refers to how many amazing things the planet has to offer us and our community that makes life so wonderful, Osmond said.

In simple terms, “Leave a place better than you found it.”

Planet Perk partners with Carbon Footprint Reductions to create energy saving programs that save enough energy to run 10 Oshkosh homes every year.

All of the paper products at Planet Perk are recycled, which saves an estimated 85,000 pounds of paper per year, Osmond said. The cafe’s paper cups, coffee cup sleeves and other paper products are made from post consumer material.

The coffee shop uses cornstarch and other products that are 100% compostable and prevents 28,000 pounds of plastic entering our landfills every year, he said. Planet Perk also uses “to-go” forks, knives and spoons made from cornstarch.

Planet Perk filters most of its water to make sure you have a healthy experience and reduces water consumption to save about 420,000 gallons of water per year.

Osmond said the coffee shop also recycles everything and lives by the philosophy of simplicity and doing the right thing all the time to the best of their ability.

Planet Perk began to purchase local produce, fair and direct coffee and teas, eco-friendly packaging as well as establish many environmentally practices and procedures.

The coffee shop also has a wide variety to choose from on its menu that includes breakfast items, pastries/bakery foods, sandwiches, salads, wraps and many speciality drinks, both hot and cold.

Osmond said Planet Perk has been certified as a Smart Plate restaurant by the Winnebago County Health Department. This means that the cafe serves natural, organic, healthy non-processed food that makes people feel good.

Another value Planet Perk lives by is being socially responsible, Osmond said. This means treating people and communities fairly by treating others the way we want to be treated.

It is also about giving back to the community and supporting other people and businesses. Planet Perk buys coffees and teas that are either Direct-Trade or Fair-Trade.

Osmond said these programs ensure that local growers in third-world countries receive the highest fair market value for their products, which helps lift many families and communities out of poverty.

Planet Perk is more than a cute place to study. The business does a lot for the environment, so go check it out sometime with some friends and grab a cup of coffee or something to eat.