Tri-State Green Report - Coffee

Its the worlds most commonly traded commodity after crude oil. Fifty seven percent of American adults drink it everyday. A cup of joe, a jolt of java or a frosty frappacino, whatever you want to call it, its coffee. Without question our morning fix has an impact on the environment. Some like it hot.Some like it cold. No matter how you take your coffee, statistics show as Americans, you want it. "When I wake up in the morning Im very very quiet… and Im not talking or smiling… and once i get my coffee then Im talking and smiling." And shes not the only one. On average, each coffee drinker has a little over 3 cups a day. In protecting the environment, coffee fact, coffee is the United States biggest import. So when it comes to drinkers have big cups to fill. Investing in reusable coffee filters or using coffee grounds as plant fertilizers are good ideas. But when it comes to buying the actual beans, what do consumers need to know? You might want to be on the lookout for this seal. The fair trade coffee seal is given by a group known as Transfair USA. Fair trade certification means the product meets strict social, economic, and environmental standards. Starbucks is North Americas largest purchaser of fair trade certified coffee. But smaller coffee shops face some difficult decisions, because sometimes green isnt cheap. "When they come in here we encourage them to use the mugs… for one thing they dont cost us as much… and any little bit we can save we pass on to them." So ultimately, its up to the coffee drinkers to make those small changes.