Who Are We?

Earth-Watchers are a diverse group of individuals who share a common interest in protecting our planet. We meet once a month to discuss how we can shed environmental impact pounds and live "lighter," on the earth. We focus on individual actions as well as community systems to help us meet our goals.
Click Here to Learn More about us and our Current Goals

Earth-Watchers meet in downtown Manhattan on the first Tuesday of each month. To learn more, to join, or to start a group in your community please email us at earthwatchers@yahoo.com.


Thursday, September 13, 2007

A User's Guide to Purchasing Coffee

When purchasing coffee, it is always best to purchase, shade grown, fair trade, organic coffee.

By the Pound:
Purchase the National Wildlife Federation's certified coffee here.
Purchase
Rainforest Alliance certified coffee here.
Purchase the
Smithsonian Institute's certified "bird friendly" coffee here.

For a list of coffee shops and restaurants in NYC, serving shade grown organic and fair trade coffee visit
The Core.

What do the terms mean?



Shade Grown: Unlike organic and fair trade, the term shade grown, unfortunately, does not have a set standard. It means whatever the seller says it means. Coffee shrubs naturally grounder a canopy of trees and traditional coffee farms would leave the canopy intact, providing necessary habitat for many ani migratory birds. Recently many traditional farmers have switched to the higher yielding sun-tolerant coffee.






According to the Fish and Wildlife service, when this switch occurs, a dramatic drop in wildlife diversity follows. Learn more. The Rainforest Alliance and National Wildlife Federation and the Smithsonian Institute, are providing certification under their own guidelines. Click on the links to read what their individual criteria are.

Fair Trade: the international fair trade organization certifies products that conform to international standards in working conditions, wages, child labor and the environment. To learn more visit: www.fairtrade.net

Organic:
Anything sold in the United States and labeled Certified Organic is certified by the US food and drug administration as having been grown without the use of synthetic chemicals.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Why not leave the habit of drinking coffee altogether instead of finding ways to be earth friendly and still doing the damage. Too much of coffee is neither good for human health nor the environment.

I hope you will post something on how to overcome caffeine addiction and may be suggest some alternative drinks.