Could your cup of coffee play a part in global warming?
January 13, 2009
It can be hard to think about the health of the planet (or much of anything, frankly) before that first jolt of caffeine. But you can play it smart, and green, by purchasing shade-grown coffee. It’s likely to taste better, cost more, and help combat climate change.
Coffee evolved in the subtropics to grow under taller trees. But over the past several decades, in order to produce higher yields faster, many coffee plantations began to cultivate it under sunnier conditions. Roughly half the growers have cleared forest to plant unshaded coffee, and this deforestation is one of the leading causes of carbon dioxide emissions. Shade-grown farms, on the other hand, not only promote healthy forests that extract carbon from the atmosphere, but boost biodiversity by providing habitat for birds and other animals. They also require far less fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides than sun-coffee plantations.
There’s no official definition of “shade grown,” but several organizations are working on certifications. You can read about them. Or come to Global Kitchen: Climate Change and Coffee at the Museum on Tuesday, February 3 to learn more about where coffee comes from and to sample brews grown under different conditions.
