SUSTAINABLE SAC

SUSTAINABLE SAC Say It Ain’t So, Joe . . .

BY REED PARSELL

The good news is that a cup of hot co ee helps hun- “Remarkable biodiversity values are at stake,” Victoria Moore dreds of millions of people wake up every morning. writes in the story. “Latin America’s tropical forests are critical The bad news . . . ecologically for protecting atmospheric dynamics, water quality,

Yes, because this is a column about sustainability, and wildlife species.” where many a desire or tradition comes to die, there is something More co ee beans are produced per acre on such farms, but to be said against co ee. Sorry about that. chemicals used to increase output have a devastating e ect, as

Co ea plants, which are classified as both shrubs and small does the process of removing the beans from the co ee “cherries,” trees, are native to high-altitude, tropical and subtropi- and the roasting, packaging and distribution of the cal regions. They flourish, in a natural way, under addictive product. a canopy of larger trees. When they are part of an ecological system, not in the lead role but More than “Ecological impacts result from the discharge of organic pollutants from the processing as a character actor, they contribute to the health of other plants and help furnish 2.5 million acres plants to rivers and waterways, triggering eutrophication of water systems and the kind of environment in which animals can flourish, as well. of forest have been robbing aquatic plants and wildlife of essential oxygen,” Moore adds. (EutroHowever, the tremendous thirst for co ee—more than 1 billion earthlings razed to make room phication means waterways become so dense with nutrients that dense plant imbibe, if you can wrap your get- life grows and less oxygen is available them-warmed-up hands around for coffea plants. for fish and other animal life.) that—prompts many co ee growers to Is tea any more sustainable? It appears maximize their output, environment be And that’s just in so, as at least one report claims that cofdamned. Forests are cut down and co ea fee’s carbon imprint is five to seven times plants are grown in rows, under full sun. As Salon put it a few years ago in an article Latin America. worse than its small-bagged rival. But for those of us who prefer the taste of co ee to titled “Our Coffee Addiction is Destroying tea, is that enough reason to make the switch? the Environment”: You go first.

“Think of human factory workers, who thrive with rea- How can you feel better about retaining your co ee habit sonable amounts of fresh air and sunlight-derived vitamin D, (assuming you’ve now given it more critical thought, thanks to this but are rather packed into windowless fulfillment centers for downbeat sustainability column)? You can buy shade-grown (in a optimal profit and e ciency. Plants and people aren’t the same, natural setting or one created for the purpose), fair-trade (locals but the logic is.” hired, livable wages paid) and organic. Find such options at most

According to “The Environmental Impact of Co ee Production: local grocery stores and at some co eehouses, where baristas can What’s Your Co ee Costing the Planet?” on the Sustainable explain the company’s bean sourcing and help you make more Business Toolkit website, more than 2.5 million acres of forest environmentally sound choices about what you’re drinking. have been razed to make room for co ea plants. And that’s just Meanwhile, when you buy co ee on the run, use a refillable in Latin America. metallic cup. Every gesture toward “green co ee” helps.