Add a Little of the “Green Stuff” to Your Coffee

Written by:
Melissa Moog

Melissa is a WAHM who happily gave up her high tech career to become a mompreneur focused on helping families make the best green choices.

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On a recent visit to Seattle with my good friend Jil, we found ourselves surrounded by coffee shops (not a surprise since Starbuck’s headquarters is here). This inspired me to ponder the green aspects of enjoying coffee, and I found there are several things you can do to add more “green” to your coffee. The good news is that Coffee shops themselves are doing more every day to strengthen their green position.

Check the tips below to rate the “green” in your coffee.

• Employ reusable filters in your drip coffee maker. Gold filters are reusable and long lasting. They are easy to clean and add to the taste of your coffee by making it “brighter’, ‘livelier’, and/or more complex. Most importantly by using the gold filters, you aren’t adding to the landfill. Read more about gold filters on Wise Geek . Another reusable type of filter is made from cloth. If you can’t make the switch to reusable, try recycled, unbleached paper filters. Finally, French Press coffee makers don’t required added filters.
• Find a use for your left over coffee grounds. Did you know they make a great, slow-release, nitrogen fertilizer for your garden? Many coffee shops offer their grounds for these uses. Refer to Sustainable Enterprises for a concise list of garden applications to get you started.
• Try one of the fair trade, organic, or co-op coffee blends. These blends are available at large coffee shops now, including Starbucks and Peets. The fair trade coffees work to ensure that farmers receive a fair price for their coffee and to help strengthen coffee farms for the future. Organic coffee is grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizer to help maintain healthy soil and ground water. The end result is an organic cup free of chemical residue.
• If you are going out for coffee, bring your own thermal mug. It will keep your coffee hotter longer, increase your drinking enjoyment, and decrease the number disposable cups in our landfill. These cups are naturally cool to the touch, so no jacket required! Don’t have one of these mugs yet? Many coffee shops will give you a free drink of your choice if you buy one of their mugs. Coffee shops may also offer discounts for bringing in your own mug.
• Clean your coffee pot with organic materials. Lemon juice and white vinegar help remove calcium carbonate deposits from hard water naturally.
• Support coffee shops with green agendas. These are shops that offer organic and fair trade blends, offer their grounds for garden uses, have recycle bins, encourage recycling, and offer discounts for using your own reusable mugs. Also look into the background of the coffee shops. Some coffee makers are doing more for the rainforests and to prevent climate change than others. For instance, Starbucks is teaming up with Conservation International to address climate change and preserve the future for coffee farmers. Read more at conservation.org .

If you have a favorite organic or fair trade coffee brand you like please share it with us here! Caffeine fix with a little green flavor anyone?