the scoop on your cup of joe

Several years ago, I got the chance to interview Larry Larson of Larry's Beans, a local organic/fair trade coffee collective. I was impressed with his passion not just for coffee, but of the whole coffee-growing process. Larry travels to the countries his coffee is from and is on a first-name basis with many of the farmers. He opened my eyes to the world of ethical coffee, and I've never been able to buy just any old coffee since.

When it comes to buying coffee, it's impossible for most people to buy locally grown. But it's important to know where our coffee comes from, as its production affects people's lives all around the globe. With a little discernment on the buying end, you can be fairly confident that you are making a responsible coffee choice.

When we talk about eco-friendly coffee, we use the terms "organic," "free trade," and "shade grown." Organic coffee is certified the same way that other foods are by the US Department of Agriculture. Their certification distinguishes between three levels of organics: "100% Organic" means all product ingredients are organic; "Organic" means that 95% of product ingredients are organic; lastly, "Made with Organic Ingredients" means that at least 70% of the ingredients are organically grown. Buying organic coffee is important for the same reasons that buying organic foods is: it is best to support agricultural practices that are less environmentally harmful and do not pit short-term gain over long term sustainability.
Right: labels associated with Larry's Beans

Next comes a term, "fair trade," that applies to a lot more than just coffee these days. (See the Ten Thousand Villages website to find a fair trade shop near you! http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/php/stores.festivals/find.a.store.php) The Fairtrade Labeling Organization International and The International Fair Trade Association are the two main certifying fair trade bodies. The Fair Trade Federation is another big organization that advocates for free trade and links American and Canadian importers with free trade producer groups.

The Fair Trade Federation website gives a good summary of the importance of supporting it:

"Many farmers around the world receive market payments that are lower than the costs of production, forcing them into a cycle of poverty and debt. Intensive farming can also lead to pollution and deforestation. Fair Trade works to correct these imbalances by guaranteeing a minimum wage for small producers' harvests and by encouraging sustainable cultivation methods. Fair trade farmers also receive badly needed credit and are assured a minimum price."

This minimum price is especially important during downturns of the global coffee market. While the value of the crops may fluctuate, you're still paying the same for your latte at the coffee shop. As an example, the article continues, "the fair trade price per pound of coffee is US$1.26. In comparison, the world price usually hovers around US$1 per pound, but most farmers earn less than 50 cents per pound since they are forced to sell to exploitative middlemen."

When we buy fair trade, we are voting with our dollars for the people who produce our goods to have a better way of life. A little higher price on our end translates into a huge difference for them.

Now for the last of the terms. The shade grown coffee movement came about because of peoples' concerns about bird habitat. Central and South America (the only continents for which the certification now applies) have had a lot of their native land replaced by agriculture, which causes problems for endemic species and especially birds. According to the website Coffee & Conservation: "Over the last few decades, scientists noticed apparent long-term declines in many species of Neotropical migrants -- about 200 species of birds that breed in North America but winter south of the Tropic of Cancer." The birds were disappearing with the trees.

It goes on to say that trees that are left standing on shade grown coffee plantations provide a decent substitute for many of the birds. "The multi-layered vegetation of traditional or rustic shade-grown coffee plantations provides food and cover for birds which is in some cases very similar to native forest. In areas where farming has replaced natural habitat with stark pastureland and row crops, coffee farms are sometimes the only quality habitat available." According to the Coffee Research Institute, shade coffee plantaions can support as many as 150 species of birds whereas non-shade ones support only 20-50.

In addition to helping preserve local habitats, shade grown coffee (which is the way coffee has traditionally been grown) is said to have a better taste to it. Again, the Coffee Research Institute: "The shade has a similar effect on coffee as growing coffee at high altitudes. Both of these factors slow down the growth of a coffee which results in the production of more sugars and chemicals responsible for the [improved taste] in coffee."

The main certifier of shade grown coffee is the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, label is "Bird Friendly Coffee." Check out their website for more information and to see an informative slide show. (http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Coffee/)

I also wanted to talk a little bit about the Rainforest Alliance. They do not easily fit into one of the above categories, but they are doing a lot of good things that deserve recognition. The Rainforest Alliance "works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior." They work with many different organizations to bring about positive change for land, wildlife, workers, and the surrounding communities. I recently discovered Rainforest Alliance when shopping for some budget eco-coffee at the grocery store. Yuban coffee is the only one of the "regular type" of coffee that has an eco-friendly label attached to it. In other words, it's possible to be an eco-coffee consumer without spending a ton of cash!

FYI: this world map shows biodiversity hotspots (high biodiversity wilderness areas) in orange, coffee growing regions in yellow, and cocoa regions in blue.

interpreting what you see on labels

As green consumers, we need to be particularly aware of what we are buying, which includes several things. Trying to buy local products, or the products that have to travel the fewest number of miles to reach you, whenever possible. (Amazon.com or local bookstore?) We also want to be aware of the whole life of the product, from the resources used in the production, to the potentially hazardous by-products, to what remains when the product or packaging is disposed of.

Even as a discerning shopper, there are words that appear on labels that can be deceiving. For example, what do words like "green" and "natural" really mean? We can group these terms into five categories: Patent Pending, Physical Attribute, Undefined and Unregulated, Defined and Unregulated, and Defined and Regulated. The words apply to food, cleaning products, paper products, home electronics, plastics, personal care products, and vehicles. So, here goes!

Patent Pending:

-free range, free roaming, or pasture raised beef and pork
-grass fed
-no hormone administered (beef)

--> Someday, these words may mean something; for now, there's no way to know for sure.

Attributes: (straight product descriptions)

-reclaimed, recovered, salvaged
-electric, hybrid, biodiesel, or fuel cell
-solar powered
-LCD

now for the fun stuff!

Undefined and Unregulated: Don't know what it is, don't know what you get!

-green
-pesticide free/no pesticide residue
-rBGH free/ rBST free (for dairy products)
-renewable
-low or no VOCs (volatile organice chemicals)
-nontoxic
-phosphate free
-energy efficient
-refurbished
-tree free
-recyclable, recycled (plastics)
-chemical free
-fluoride free
-fuel efficient

Defined and Unregulated: You know what it is, you don't know what you get!

-diodegradable
-recyclable, recycled (in general product use)
-cage free (eggs, poultry)
-free range chicken
-GMO or GE free (genetically modified organism or genetically engineered)
-No antibiotics used/Raised without antibiotics
-natural
-ozone safe/ozone friendly
-CFC free (chloroflorocarbons)
-low emissions vehicle

--> I felt slighted after seeing this list. How many times have i paid extra bucks for cage-free eggs, free-range, antibiotic-free chicken?? (Or so i thought...) This is not to say that i have no trust in manufacturers; it is to say that there are a lot of greedy people who want to get on board with the "organic" etc. food movement, and i don't put it past them to perpetrate a fraud until there are regulations in place.

I want to stress that when you buy "free range chicken," (defined/unregulated) you may very well be getting what you think. The lesson here is to do a little more investigating into the companies you regularly buy from rather than just trusting the labels. Another good solution is to find a local farm you can purchase you eggs from. Then you are more likely to know what you are getting, you are supporting the local economy. Additionally, building relationships with those who supply your food is a great way to get your consumer needs heard.

Back to the list, I try to buy products made with recycled or recyclable packaging. I know what can be recycled where i live, but i like for companies to let me know when they are using (preferably post-consumer) recycled packaging. The word "natural" of course is a throw-away. Lastly, "CFC-free" being unregulated on packaging surprises me. This is a chemical that has been regulated since 1989! (see http://ozone.unep.org/Treaties_and_Ratification/2B_montreal_protocol.shtml) weird...

And now for the safe list.

Defined and Regualted: You know what it is, you know what you get!

-Green Seal http://www.greenseal.org/
-animal care certified
-free farmed (dairy, egge, poultry, meat)
-organic--certified
-sustainable fishery--certified
-Green-e http://www.green-e.org/
-chlorine free/totally chlorine free--certified
-energy star rated
-sustainable forestry--certified

*The above information came from a great little book i'm reading called It's Easy Being Green by Crissy Trask.

I once heard Elizabeth Kolbert (author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe) reply at a reading that although it is important to "vote" for companies with our consumer dollars, this is not a substitute for not taking action on other fronts. Even if GM switched to a much more savvy mpg fleet, this is only one step toward addressing the global warming problem. So don't make smart buying choices and think you're doing your part for a better world. The best thing we can do is stop buying so much unnecessary crap and reduce our use of energy in other ways. The next best thing is to buy responsibly in addition to a diet of green living.

an introduction of sorts

Who I am: I am a 28-year old (female) writer and environmentalist. I have great friends and family. I am madly in love with my boyfreind of two years. Together we have two golden retrievers, three cats and a rabbit -- i love animals! I enjoy reading, keeping up to date on environmental and political issues, playing in the dirt, and i'm learning to be a better (and more local) cook. I pride myself on trying to reduce the carbon footprint of myself and of my household.

What I believe: I believe the key to success of the environmental movement will be a combination of grassroots activity and legislative action both in the capital and in worldwide accords. I believe that every person should try to reduce their carbon footprint because it is the right thing to do, not necessarily because it is going to solve our global warming problem. I believe that government subsidies on gas should be removed to discourage the driving of monstrosity vehicles, and those on crops should be reduced to encourage the local economies of food growing. I believe our political system is deeply flawed, but not beyond repair. And finally, I beleive that the consequences of the world warming and of our wasteful, selfish way of life, will have to show themselves much more vividly than they do now in order to motivate a true revolution.

How I got here: A few years ago, I went searching online for a community of people with Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic disease mainly affecting the lung and digestive systems of 30,000 Americans. After some looking, I found this at www.cysticfibrosis.com. After a year or so, they began offering blogs for their members, which I took up and have been writing in since. Although a lot of what I wrote about was at least in part centered on how cystic fibrosis affects my life, I also wrote about a number of other personal issues including environmentalism. Although some people were positively affected by what I wrote, I can't help feeling like my message was largely lost among a population of people only semi-interested. Granted, I think this is an important front to work, so I will continue posting there. But I thought it would be more productive, both to spread my words and to get myself writing more consistently about green topics, to create a blog elsewhere.