Eco-Friendly Coffee and Tea for Your Holiday Party

Let’s face it: America is addicted to caffeine. Coca-Cola and Starbucks have noticed this, and most of the rest of us have as well.  So, while the country is experiencing snowfall, planning for family get-togethers and other wintery festivities, it is with the assistance of magical caffeine that many are able to run full steam ahead. Looking forward to the parties quickly approaching (and year-end work deadlines doing the same), a glance at some cold weather caffeinated drinks can help anyone become a well-informed buyer just in time to shop smart for liquid pick-me-ups before the major parties.

Coffee

It is well known that the wonderful coffee bean can bring much holiday cheer and an appreciated boost of energy. But, with many consumers becoming increasingly aware of the negative environmental implications this far-reaching trade can result in, it is with careful insight that we can now keep wired and warm with shade-grown, organic, fair trade java. These three phrases are often mentioned but rarely explained, thusly adding them to the long list of green buzzwords. However, a quick explanation follows on how drinks that exhibit such characteristics will help make your conscience, the natural environment and the coffee farmers in other nations feel holiday cheer.

Shade-grown coffee is, as the name implies, indicative of coffee beans grown in fields that have the benefit of natural lighting… but not too much. This indicates that the beans didn’t have an overabundance of direct sunlight, which yields a higher crop turnout, but in turn damages the environment. According to Natural Organic Lifestyle shade-grown coffee promotes much-needed biodiversity (many variations of plant and animal life), limits deforestation and generally avoids the unfortunate circumstances “when coffee is grown under full sun conditions [and] the entire ecosystem is thrown off balance.”

Organic coffee indicates that the coffee beans were grown without the use of toxic pesticides and insecticides. This ties in with the shade-grown aspect, since a higher level of biodiversity promotes a greater cycle of predators that eat or keep away many of the harmful creatures that pesticides and insecticides kill.

The “fair trade” label doesn’t necessarily promote any particular eco-friendly variation of coffee, but it does ensure the farmers who grew the shade-grown, organic coffee we love were paid a competitive — or fair — wage for their labors. And, when in the season of good tidings, why not pay a little extra to make the purveyors of our goods merry as well?

To find a list of various organic coffees, one can visit the plain but informative Organic Coffee Directory. Though this source doesn’t list all of the coffee roasters around the nation that offer organic coffee, it is a start. The best way to find an organic producer in your region is with good old-fashioned investigation via the Internet and asking local grocers.

Tea

Tea, the less popular caffeinated cousin of coffee in America, follows many of the rules and guidelines of its darker, bean counterpart. Organic and fair trade issues hold true with this drink as well. Organic tea producers can be found all over the world, and fortunately — for those of us sticking closer to home for the holidays — many cities have tea shops and grocers that feature these healthier, sustainable versions. The Internet offers a plethora of such green-thinking tea sellers, like Choice Organic Teas, so doing a quick Bing or Google search for one in your area might help ensure your party has every eco-friendly, caffeinated option for the most “earthy” friends.

Packaging

Other than the manufacturing of the coffee bean or tea leaves themselves, the greenest issue behind these winter-fighting treats is, of course, the packaging. Buying locally and in bulk is the best way to ensure extraneous packaging and shipping is avoided. Finding your favorite organic bean and leaf online is great, but shipping it across the country isn’t helping matters. Various companies have noticed the green trend and have attempted to respond accordingly. In 2005, Starbucks introduced its first try at creating less waste. The CEO at the time, Jim Donald, stated, “Beginning to use post-consumer recycled content hot beverage cups is an important milestone for Starbucks in addressing the environmental impact associated with our paper-buying practices,” and that Starbucks “will continue to explore ways to include recycled content in all Starbucks-branded paper goods in our stores.” Not a bad start.

In short, however you get your favorite hot drink from the store to your lips this holiday season, pay special attention to the amounts of recycled or recyclable material it comes in and how many miles it had to travel to get there. The goal is to limit waste, and coffee and tea providers are (hopefully) just as concerned with this as the rest of us.

When planning a holiday party, choices are endless; in the world of hot, caffeinated drinks the rule of thumb follows the rest of green food products: organic, local and fair trade should top your list of items. But, even with the greenest of drinks, no get-together can be truly eco-friendly without the encouragement of recycling, limiting materials (such as excess packaging or needless party favors) and utilizing reusable dishes, tablecloths and tableware. With warm “green” caffeine and sustainable practices, any party can be an earth-friendly, jittery holiday festivity.

Read more: 1-800-RECYCLING has your coffee and tea composting questions covered.