Let’s Talk Coffee

On a scale of 1 to 10 for how much I love coffee with ten being ‘love’, I’m sitting comfortably at 11. I crave my morning cup, and I think some of my coworkers would say I’m pretty militant about having it.

But this blog is about simple green tips, so shouldn’t I be talking about using a reusable mug?

While it is incredibly important to reduce our reliance on disposables, there are a few more things you can do before treating yourself to a ‘green’ cup of coffee.

1. Only buy organic, fair trade coffee beans (and look for shade-grown)

coffee_beans_of_the_world

Taste test the difference; organic, fair trade coffee just tastes better. But aside from that, commercial growing practices use tonnes of pesticides on crops and pay hardworking labourers in developing countries peanuts. Most workers don’t earn enough money in a day to buy a coffee at a North American chain! Shade-grown means that the coffee bushes have been grown under a tree canopy, in a more balanced ecosystem such as a tropical rainforest, which fosters natural pest control. Our massive worldwide demand for coffee has led to deforestation in favour of large sun-soaked plantations.

2. Make it at home and put it in a thermos

Not all of us are lucky enough to have a coffeemaker at work and a contract with a coffee company that delivers fair trade organic beans to the office (thank you Earth Day Canada!). So why not make your own coffee in the morning and put it in a thermos to take with you? It’ll stay hot for an incredibly long time.

3. Buy a reusable filter for your home coffeemaker

Scrap the bleached paper filters and purchase one at your local hardware or kitchen store. They retail for approximately $6-12 and are the bonafide grown-up choice.

4. Keep more than one reusable mug

No more excuses for forgetting your mug! Keep one at home, at school or work. Different sizes give you options for a small or large depending on your mood that day.

5. Support your independent coffee shop

Most indie shops serve organic fair trade coffee, provide organic cane sugar and milk and let people sit, visit, and work in their cafes. They also tend to encourage community events, local art and music. And for on the go, most offer paper cups made from recycled content that are biodegradable. Invite someone who frequents the chain shops for a cup at your favorite café and turn them on to the good stuff.

Final tip: Don’t waste your fine beans on making weak coffee, a bold strong cup is incomparable