Green Adventures: Greening Coffee

Green Adventures: a series in which we invite you into the adventures from our journey.

Greening Coffee

For some of us, coffee is something to be avoided. For others, an occasional indulgence.  For others an absolute necessity.  For yet others, it is practically the “nectar of the gods”.  As for me, although I can do without it, I quite enjoy coffee and find that mornings with coffee are so much better than those without it. 

Not only is it part of my normal daily routine, but it is tied to special memories. I learned to drink coffee while living in Costa Rica years ago.  While living in this coffee producing country, I learned to appreciate this wonderful beverage. Not only would I have my morning cup or two, but every afternoon we would partake in cafecito.  Cafecito was a time when we would gather mid-afternoon for a nice cup of coffee, some pan (bread), and most importantly some good community. 

As I have learned more about the environmental impact of coffee it has been something that I have wrestled with.  There is this tension – a conflict even – between my appreciation for coffee and my desire to better care for God’s creation. 

How do we respond to this? Do we ignore the consequences of coffee?  Do we cut it out of our lives?

Coffee’s Impact

First, let me briefly describe some of the related issues as I understand them:

1. Pesticides & fertilizers – as with so many other crops, many coffee farmers use pesticides to protect their crop and chemical fertilizers to enhance them.  Unfortunately we are learning more and more how these things negatively impact the life around them.
2. Deforestation – many forests have been removed in order to make space for a coffee crop to be grown under the sun. While this apparently increases their yields, it destroys forests which are so important locally and globally.  This also seems to result in soil erosion.
3. Biodiversity loss – when forests are removed for crops to be grown in the sun, one result is a serious loss of biodiversity.  What a tragedy it is when God’s creations disappear from an area or – worse – are forced into extinction.
4. Water pollution – often the processing of coffee results in polluted the waters around the processing plants.  This in turn affects many other plants and animals.
5. Water consumption – apparently it takes approximately 37 gallons (~140 liters) of water to make 1 cup of coffee.  Here I thought it took 6 or 8 ounces. As we just saw on World Water Day, water is an important resource that many in the world do not have access to. Perhaps we should be more careful about our consumption (from the entire process).  [This chart is quite revealing about water consumption]
6. Farmer compensation – many coffee farmers worldwide are unable to earn fair wages for their coffee and have been treated in ways that should not be condoned.  While this is not a green issue, it is a matter of justice related to our coffee that Christians should be concerned about.

Journey Toward a Greener Coffee

Fair Trade

For many years now I have been drinking Fair Trade coffee. Fair Trade coffee is basically coffee that is purchased from the farmers for fair and sustainable wages. I began doing this as a matter of justice and caring for my neighbor. By purchasing fair trade products you are helping to avoid taking advantage of your neighbor (even though you have never met them). While much of our background encourages us to always get the best deal, we must not forget that we are called to love our neighbor.

Unfortunately Fair Trade coffee is not always as easy to find as you would think.  Most of the time when I go to a coffee shop such as Starbucks (which I don’t do often) and ask for Fair Trade coffee my request is met either with a blank stare or I am informed that it is not currently brewing.  While many places are improving, Fair Trade should be the norm not the exception.  Even at Trader Joe’s where I have often bought my coffee beans, there is only a small selection of coffee that is Fair Trade.  That said, for many years I have been able to partake of coffee that, though a little more expensive, is more socially responsible and respectful of my coffee-producing neighbor.

Organic

One of the benefits of buying Fair Trade coffee is that it is often organic as well.  Organic coffee, of course, means no fertilizers or pesticides are used.  This reduces the coffee crop’s impact on its local ecosystem. 

I have been buying organic coffee for years.  However, the truth is that for years I was buying organic without even realizing it because the Fair Trade coffees I was getting were organic.  I have been pleasantly surprised over recent years to discover that I had been doing this unknowingly.  Now that I know the value of going organic, I ensure that all coffee bean purchases only include coffees produced organically.

Shade Grown

More recently I have become aware of the benefits of shade grown coffee.  When grown in the shade, forests are retained, erosion prevented, the need for chemicals eliminated, and biodiversity preserved.

Although I had been aware of this, I had a hard time finding shade grown coffee at my local markets.  Fortunately, I recently came across Café Campesino – a company committed to organic, fair trade, shade grown coffee.  I recently purchased their Mexico Oaxaca Full City Roast and Colombia Medium Roast coffees.  These did come at a bit of a premium but the price was still reasonable.

Just this Monday I brewed my first pot of the Oaxaca roast.  What a great coffee!  In fact, I am sipping a cup of it as I write this.  Although I have not yet opened the Colombia roast, it smells incredible, and I cant wait to try it.

Other Steps

Here are some other steps you can take to reduce the impact of your coffee consumption:

• Be sure to bring a reusable mug when going to a coffee shop for coffee.  Think of all the disposable cups that you could save if you bought coffee once a day or even once a week in a reusable mug.
• Only brew as much as you need.  If you are like me and don’t like day-old coffee, be sure not to brew extra coffee that will go to waste.
• Convince your church or office not to use Styrofoam cups.  Worse than even disposable cups, are Styrofoam cups with are notoriously detrimental to creation.
• Add your used coffee grounds to your garden or compost.  Many praise the effect of adding coffee grounds to their garden.  Others find that coffee grounds are great for their compost.  Both are good options and are better disposal methods than sending it to a landfill.
• Consider purchasing a local coffee.  If you are able to find an organic, shade grown coffee that it grown locally that would be incredible.  A local coffee would reduce the impact by eliminating the impact of shipping it thousands of miles.

Where to buy

Here are a few reputable online retailers for Fair Trade coffee (note that while they all sell Fair Trade, organic coffee it seems that only Café Campesino offers shade grown):

Café Campesino

Green Mountain Coffee

Equal Exchange

Final Thoughts

Our coffee – like everything else we consume – comes at a cost.  In order to care for God’s creation it is important that we work to reduce our impact.  I have found this particular adventure to be quite simple and rewarding while still enjoying high quality coffee.  Yes, it does cost a little more.  But the reward is knowing that you are caring for God’s creation and for your neighbor. 

I encourage you to consider how your habit impacts creation and how you might take a step forward in order to partake in a more sustainable manner.

Also consider:

Green Adventures: Transforming Trash

Beauty of Creation: Tree in the Woods of Seattle

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