How Do You Become an Environmentally Friendly Coffee Drinker?

As you sip a great cup of coffee, the environment might be the furthest thing from your mind. But, of course, coffee does have a definite effect on the environment.

Luckily, though, there are steps you can take in order to become a more environmentally friendly coffee drinker. This article goes over the basics of cultivation, transportation, and consumption, and the ways in which these processes all affect the environmental impact of coffee drinking.

Cultivation

The whole process of growing the coffee springs to mind first when considering this question. All that agriculture must surely have some effect on the environment, right? Actually, coffee is one of the more environmentally responsible commodity crops.

The plant itself can only be grown within a band around the equator. This is known as the coffee belt. Above or below this latitudinal line, the coffee plant doesn’t grow well.

Because of its position around the equator, the entire coffee belt sees plenty of rainfall. This is a huge boon, and this means that coffee plantations need almost no artificial irrigation or watering. Often, water use is a primary source of environmental damage. For example, in the state of California, growing one single orange requires a whopping 13.8 gallons of water. This water often needs to be transported to the fields, and all of this really begins to add up.

Though for other crops it may make sense to clear–cut a field, coffee actually needs plenty of shade. This means that many coffee plantations mingle with old-growth forests, and trees in the coffee belt are protected and replanted in order to support the crop. There’s no need to be worried about deforestation! Visit Dripped Coffee to learn more about the origins of coffee.

Transportation

After being harvested, the beans must be separated from the plant, dried, roasted, and transported. Of course, all these steps do require energy, and they do have some effect on the environment, but advances in technology have made most of these steps much more efficient. However, the effect of transportation still hits hard.

Because almost all coffee is grown in that range around the equator, it’s not always a short trip from field to roaster. These beans must be shipped, often by boat, and this has a huge effect on the environment.

Once roasted, the beans need to get to the coffee shop, and this often happens through the postal service. Many speciality coffee shops rely on one or two shipments of product per week, and this carbon footprint can add up.

When you sip your morning latté, think about how much energy went into getting all the ingredients to your city. This is one of the largest ways in which coffee affects our environment, but unfortunately, it’s one of the stages you have the least control over.

Luckily, this brings us to our next category, and this is an aspect of coffee you do have control over.

Consumption

All our fussy individual preferences do make a difference when it comes to the environmental impact of coffee. Taking small steps, such as using a reusable mug and brewing with a more sustainable method, can have a massive effect on this problem. Additionally, buy your favorite coffee from a supplier like Iron and Fire, and start brewing it at home, for extra comfort and sustainability.

After all, you should think carefully about what cup you drink your coffee from. Are you using a disposable paper cup? Do you get one or two of those per day? Are you using way too many disposable cups per week? If the answers to those questions are all “yes,” then you have an easy fix to make.

Think carefully about what cup you drink your coffee from. Are you using a disposable paper cup? Do you get one or two of those per day? Are you using way too many disposable cups per week? If the answers to those questions are all “yes,” then you have an easy fix to make.

Using a travel mug – or even just a normal mug – can save the planet from having to deal with extra waste. As an added bonus, travel mugs will keep your drink hot all day, and a cool mug will let you quietly show off to everyone in the coffee shop.

When making coffee at home, there are many important choices too. While it may seem luxuriously easy to brew coffee using K-cups or similar pods, these are actually horrible for the environment. All of that waste piles up, especially in offices or other places where people go through multiple pots a day.

Using a simple drip machine or even a pour-over can alleviate that issue. If you’re feeling especially environmentally conscious, consider investing in a thermal carafe. While many machines use a heated plate to keep the brewed coffee hot, thermal carafes simply use insulation to trap the heat from brewing. This cuts down on the electricity required to make coffee.

Last Thoughts

When considering the environmental effects of your coffee, there’s some good news: in general, coffee isn’t terrible for the environment, and some of the important factors are beyond your control.

However, the even better news is that there are some changes you can make! Consider switching your coffee routine to focus more on sustainability, and the planet will be thanking you and in the process, you will become an environmentally friendly coffee drinker!