Fixing Your Coffee

Consider the humble cup of coffee - a morning staple for many, a quick pick-me-up, a symbol of a civilized and hard-working society, a bookstore must.  It's also the world's second most valuable legal commodity after oil, with environmental and social impacts to match.

Did you know coffee trees grow naturally in the shade?  Yet in 1970's the industrialization of coffee farming moved many operations into the sun - requiring that fields in South America be clear-cut to accommodate the larger farms.  While this new way of farming allowed for greater yields, it has since severely damaged the already fragile eco-system of the rain forests.  Not only deforestation, but pesticide pollution, habitat destruction, and soil and water degradation plague the areas where coffee farming has been moved from the natural shade of the forest to the man-made open fields.

In addition, the large sun-grown operations are edging out the smaller family farms that maintain their centuries-old traditions in the shade.  The rustic farms are run out of business by the large operations that charge a fraction of what the coffee is worth - driving down the price on the market until the small farms can't afford to operate.  The "sweatshops in the fields" take over with only profits in mind - the welfare of their own workers is not even important.

There are two ways that you can contribute to not only a better coffee industry, but even get a better cup of coffee.  Certified Organic brands are shade-grown, not sun-grown, and won't contain pesticide or herbicide residues.  But also looking for the Fair Trade label ensures that the coffee was purchased at a fair price from small family farms that take care of their employees.  Most of the time you will find these labels together.

And don't forget to use your own mug instead of paper or styrofoam!

Sources:  Wikipedia, Global Exchange,  Organic Trade Association

Carbon, Climate Change, what??

Some of you may have seen the news stories regarding the Climategate scandal - for those who haven't, here is a link to a good, unbiased article covering the basics:

Climate sceptics claim leaked emails are evidence of collusion among scientists

In reality, it doesn't matter whether you believe in climate change or not - if it is caused by humans or just a natural cycle of the planet, if it will end in catastrophe or if it will have no serious effects, if it was a government conspiracy or if the media blew it out of proportion.  In the end, every 'solution' to climate change, whether it be wind power, hybrid vehicles, bio-fuels, reducing the use of plastics, energy-efficient buildings... these are all good things, good practices, and good solutions for other problems besides climate change.  Reducing our impact on the planet is important, no matter what catchphrase you give it or what reason you assign.

At my company, our purchase of carbon offsets is focused on the investment in and support of renewable energy projects in the United States.  The company we purchase through, NativeEnergy, builds wind farms and bio-gas energy plants in the U.S. - one of their current projects is the wind farm in the town of Greensburg, Kansas, featured on Discovery Channel's Planet Green.  Their metrics for determining the amount we contribute to them is based on carbon (metric tons of CO2 produced via car and air travel), but in the end we are simply proud to support their efforts in renewable energy.

Gardening with Native Plants

The U.S. EPA states that using native plants in your garden significantly reduces the need for fertilizers, pesticides, water, and lawn maintenance.  Native plants have evolved to survive in the specific conditions of a geographic area, and essentially are able to take care of themselves.

Here are some noteworthy plants and flowers native to our area:

Switch Grass

Indian Grass

Coreopsis

Aster

Coneflower

Goldenrod

Western Sunflower

Butterfly Weed

Foxglove

Black-Eyed Susan

Virginia Wild Rye Grass

Wild Columbine

Trillium

Wild Geranium

Little Bluestem Grass

Big Bluestem Grass



For more landscaping tips, including a complete list of native plants and grasses, visit

www.epa.gov/greenacres.

Who Says A Gutter Can't Be Beautiful?

Rain gardens are an easy, natural answer to the question of stormwater management.  Mimicking natural systems, rain gardens are designed to collect the rainwater that runs off buildings, parking areas, and lawns, filter that water, and control its flow into the surrounding waterways.  They reduce the risk of flash floods, stabilize the volume and temperature of the water flow, and neutralize many of the pollutants that may have washed off the surrounding flat areas.

Rain gardens are easy to create too.  First, they need to be created in a depression to force rainwater to flow into the garden.  Plants such as rushes, ferns, and wildflowers can be planted in the depression, or a natural wetland habitat with tall grasses and cattails can be created if the water flow is heavy.  Ideally, the garden should be filled native plants, and can be located near your gutter drain or alongside your driveway or patio.

For tips on creating your own rain garden, go to www.native-raingarden.com. or click here.  cwc_raingardenbrochure

April Showers Bring... Pollution

A common source of pollution is stormwater runoff.   When the spring rains come pouring down, impervious surfaces such as parking lots, streets, and driveways prevent the water from soaking directly into the ground, and storm drains re-direct the water into not only sewer systems, but also lakes, streams, and underground aquifers instead of into the soil, which absorbs and filters the water before it leaches into the natural water systems.  And it’s not just rainwater being sent to our local watershed.   Pollutants including pesticides, oil, fertilizers, and other chemicals, not to mention trash and debris, get washed into the environment as well.

But what does this mean, and why should we care?

• Chemical fertilizers can increase the growth of algae in rivers, streams, and wetlands, which sucks the oxygen right out of the water.  Fish and other plants can’t survive in these situations.
• Excess soil and sediments cloud the water, preventing the growth of aquatic plants and destroying habitat.
• Trash of all kinds can choke, injure, and poison wildlife such as ducks, fish, beaver and turtles.
• Hazardous waste such as pesticides, solvents, soaps, automotive fluids, and other chemicals poison all manner of aquatic life.

It’s not just wildlife that’s affected either.  All of these pollutants can also affect residential water supplies, both municipal and private wells.  Fish that have been contaminated with pathogens, heavy metals, or chemicals can transfer those same pollutants to the people who eat them.  Our own pets can be affected in the same ways as the wildlife as well.

So what can we do to prevent runoff pollution?  The U.S. EPA recommends the following actions:

• Recycle or properly dispose of household products that contain chemicals, such as insecticides, pesticides, paint, solvents, and used motor oil and other auto fluids. Don't pour them onto the ground or into storm drains.
• Use pesticides and fertilizers sparingly. When use is necessary, use these chemicals in the recommended amounts. Use organic mulch or safer pest control methods whenever possible.
• If you have a septic system, inspect your system every 3 years and pump your tank as necessary to prevent biological pathogen pollution.  Also, don't dispose of household hazardous waste in sinks or toilets.
• Use a commercial car wash that treats or recycles its wastewater, or wash your car on your yard so the water infiltrates into the ground.  Repair leaks and dispose of used auto fluids and batteries at designated drop-off or recycling locations.
• When walking your pet, remember to pick up the waste and dispose of it properly. Leaving pet waste on the ground increases public health risks by allowing harmful bacteria and nutrients to wash into the storm drain and eventually into local water bodies.
• Sweep up litter and debris from sidewalks, driveways and parking lots, especially around storm drains.

You can also design your landscaping to assist with stormwater management:

• Permeable pavement systems, or even just gravel driveways, allow rain and snowmelt to soak through, decreasing stormwater runoff.
• You can collect rainwater from rooftops in mosquito-proof rain barrels. The water can be used later on lawn or garden areas.
• Specially designed areas planted with native plants, called rain gardens, can provide natural places for rainwater to collect and soak into the ground. Rain from rooftop areas or paved areas can be diverted into these areas rather than into storm drains.

For more information, visit EPA or Great Lakes.org