daily action 2.2

Most fascinating coffee fact: coffee is the second most heavily traded commodity in the world today, after oil. I.e.: we can really use our money to create social change with this one! (MAU Principle #2)

And for those of you thirsty for more facts:

• Over 25 million farmers and their families depend on coffee for their livelihoods (source: Green America Today)
• The United States consumes one-fifth of all the world’s coffee, making it the largest consumer in the world (no, we don’t sleep, thanks for asking) (source: Global Exchange)
• Imports of Fair Trade Certified coffee into the United States grew more than 30% in 2008 (source: TransFair USA)
• The US House of Representatives selected to serve Fair Trade Certified coffee through a blind taste test (source: TransFair USA)

Read the following—from Grounds for Change—with a Fair Trade, shade-grown, mug of coffee in hand:

Coffee is a shade-loving shrub and naturally occurring varieties can only be cultivated under a canopy of shade trees. What we now refer to as “shade grown coffee” was the only way coffee was cultivated until 25 years ago, when new full-sun hybrids were developed that produced substantially higher yields for coffee farmers and allowed the creation of massive agribusiness-style plantations, which were not economically viable prior to this time.

The increased yields of full-sun coffee come at the expense of the environment, the flavor of the coffee itself and of migratory bird populations, which have been decimated in the last 25 years. Clear-cutting the forest for full-sun plantations increases soil erosion and deadly mudslides. Also the chemicals used to support the growth of full-sun hybrids produce toxic run-off and acidify the soil. The plight of migratory birds is frequently identified with shade grown coffee because shade grown coffee farms are small ecosystems, second only to tropical rainforests in terms of biodiversity. These farms act as an oasis for over 150 species of migratory birds, whose populations have declined 50% in just the last 25 years, primarily due to habitat destruction caused by full-sun coffee plantations, which have 95% fewer bird species than their shaded counterparts.

As Johnny Carson used to say, “I did not know that … ” (Ask your mother who he is … ) Now, go shop for both “Fair Trade” AND “shade grown” coffee and slurp it up!

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