This week’s green challenge is to take a look at environmental companies and make at least one purchasing change based on that research.  I have looked into purchasing green shaving gear and also changing the poultry we buy, but both of those options just were not in the cards for this week.  We have decided to change the kind of coffee we buy.  Our normal brand, Folgers, is out the window as soon as we finish this bucket (lol) and we are on to bigger and better things.  After looking into the subject, I think we are either going to purchase Arbor Day Coffee or coffee from Caribou Coffee.

When choosing an environmentally friendly coffee, there really is quite a bit to think about.  First, and most obviously, one should consider whether a coffee is organic/certified organic.  This helps better determine the amount of chemicals that are involved in making the coffee beans.  Another factor that one should consider when purchasing coffee is the Fair Trade movement.   Purchasing Fair Trade Coffee helps to promote fair working conditions and fair pay in developing company.  My understanding is that this helps reduce the amount of slave labor or poor working conditions for the companies that are Fair Trade.   Finally, Shade Grown Coffee is also a factor to consider when purchasing coffee.  Shade Grown Coffee promotes biodiversity and the reduction of clear cutting practices.

Ideally, I was looking to find an organic, Fair Trade, Shade Grown coffee that is tasty and reasonably priced.   After some looking, I found exactly this at www.arborday.org.  I figure that any coffee I am going to buy will be more expensive than Folgers, and I know that the Arbor Day organization has good intentions.  It really seems like the perfect situation and I can buy this coffee in bulk. 

One thing that weighs on my mind, however, is that Arbor Day would need to ship that individual package to me.   I would think that if I can find a store that already sells organic, Fair Trade, Shade Grown coffee at a similar price, I should go that route. Even though Arbor Day is an awesome non-profit organization, shipping this coffee directly to me is sort of a waste. If I can find a store that carries a similar product and receives it in bulk, that may be a good alternative.  That is why I chose Caribou Coffee.  They have locations here in Fargo, they are headquartered near us (in Minneapolis) and whenever I go to a coffee shop (not often), and Caribou Coffee is where I go.  According to this site, the coffee is sustainable, organic and shade grown, but I could not find evidence on the site.  I am going to go there and ask.

Ultimately, the decision I make will be based on the information Caribou Coffee has for me.  If Caribou does sell the coffee described above at a reasonable price that will be my new coffee.  If not, I will be happy to purchase my coffee from Arbor Day.  Thank you for following my journey to find an environmental product and please let me know if you have any stories or additional information about green coffee.  Also, stay tuned for the next weekly task.