Monday Morning Coffee Talk
It’s Monday, and, for many of us, after a few blissful days off, it’s time to get back to the grind. People who need a little extra pep in their step often turn to coffee: as the world’s second most commonly traded commodity (behind — you guessed it – oil), a lot of us are charging up on the sweet bean. Because coffee is so high up (and nearly on par with oil) on the world stage — and the U.S. is the world’s largest importer — there are several things to consider when it comes to green coffee.
There are a few keys concerns with coffee — a “big three”, of sorts. Organic is, of course, grown without pesticides or herbicides and certified as such, and we’ve talked a lot about it before (though the future of the use of “organic” is a bit up in the air — read more about it here [www.treehugger.com]), so we’ll concentrate on the two more coffee-specific issues: Fair Trade and Shade Grown. Fair trade insures that farmers are paid a living wage for their coffee, and since the going rate for green (as in, not roasted) coffee hovers around $1 per pound. The world’s coffee is grown between the Tropics of Cancers and Capricorn; Indonesia, Africa, and Central America are the “big three” of the coffee production world, so there are a lot of developing areas responsible for producing coffee. As such, looking for the “Fair Trade” label is very important; learn more about it here [www.globalexchange.org] and check out a third-party certifier [www.transfairusa.org] for the real nitty-gritty.
Shade grown is also a fairly self-explanatory label. Coffee, as with most crops, grows most effectively in the sun. Unfortunately, many of the world’s great rainforests and biodiversity grow in the same place coffee does; to grow coffee more efficiently, these lush areas are often slashed and burned to make room for the diminutive coffee plant. Certified shade-grown coffee insures that this doesn’t happen; that coffee plants are mixed in (and under the canopy) with native forests and biodiversity (that’s a picture of shade grown above). It grows slower, but it’s way, way, greener. The Rainforest Alliance [www.rainforest-alliance.org] has lots more info on the ins and outs of shade grown.
All of this is happening on the global level, though: what does it mean for you? Perhaps the best, most green thing you can do is find a local brewmaster: independent coffee shops employ community folks, and can be more flexible when it comes to where they source their beans. If you prefer to brew at home, organizations like Peace Coffee [www.peacecoffee.com] are great places to get responsible beans for your own consumption. TreeHugger’s How to Green Your Coffee & Tea [www.treehugger.com] guide has tons more info on greening your coffee. Happy drinking!
