The weather has finally turned cold on the east coast and my daily-cup-of-joe habit is rapidly evolving into a routine of two cups or more a day. If nothing else, the warmth from the coffee mug keeps my mitts toasty for a while.
Coffee isn’t the greenest of habits (though coffee and tea seem to come out about even), but if you’re a coffee fan there are eco-friendlier options. There’s simple stuff like sticking with a reusable coffee filter, and then there are more advanced tactics like determining how the coffee you’re drinking is grown and processed. Fortunately, there’s one coffee that meets the requirements across the board for a designation of environmentally preferable. And you don’t have to do the work of verifying its claims.
The Merchants of Green Coffee developed something called the Sustainable Coffee Program (SCP) back in 1999, and the program ensures that they meet certain criteria - like using natural water filtration ponds and composting systems - in producing their coffee. In addition, Merchants of Green Coffee received EcoLogo certification, for which the requirements are remarkably stringent. Some requirement examples:
- General production methodologies must not use genetically modified organisms or products thereof
- The area in which the coffee is grown must be at least 40% shaded at any time
- No more than 70% of shade trees should belong to a dominant tree species, with these species being native to the local area
- Fertilizing methods must not use any synthetic products including inter alia growth regulators, dyes and synthetic fertilizers
- Drying of the coffee can only be done by solar means All coffee pulp must be composted
How’s that for green?
If you want to taste the Merchants of Green Coffee, there are retail stores in Canada, or you can check out the online store. Better yet, point your office manager to the Green Merchants URL. Get your whole office on a green coffee kick.
Posted by Mari in Green products