If you’re like 400 million Americans, you enjoy java. On average, U.S. coffee drinkers consume three and a half cups a day apiece. Choosing coffee that’s organically grown can help reduce your exposure to harmful pesticides and fertilizers. But when it comes to beans, there’s another health aspect to consider—the health of our planet.
If your choosing shade grown coffee – which is always organic – you’re helping to preserve hundreds of species of birds as well as other wildlife. In fact, in the farms of shade grown coffee, you can find almost 200 species of birds; a non-shaded coffee plantation hosts less than one third of that.
Between 1980 and 1994 the songbird populations have steadily declined. In fact, there are 70% fewer Tennessee Warbles, 30% fewer Baltimore Orioles, and 50% less Cape May Warbles than just two decades ago.
Traditionally, shade grown coffee was the norm on the large coffee plantations throughout Mexico and Central and South America. But in attempts to produce higher yields, many coffee-growing plantations have been stripped of their trees and cleared of environmentally-sensitive rainforest resulting in devastating damage to the environment and wildlife.
So let your next cup of coffee, cappuccino, or espresso soothe more than your spirits; let it contribute to the health of the earth and the habitats of our feathery friends. Try these conscious-coffees in your cup:
- Larrys’ Beans: http://www.larrysbeans.com
- Café Altura: http://www.cafealtura.com
- Mother Earth Coffee Company: http://www.motherearthcoffeeco.com
- Café Ibis: http://www.caffeibis.com/cause/shade.htm
- Higher Grounds Trading Company: http://www.javaforjustice.com/shade-grown-coffee.html
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