Go Green: Eco-friendly Coffees, Coffee Makers and Coffee Accessories

I am not always a trend follower, as trends can quickly fade. Following a bad trend can result in a closet full of high-wasted mom jeans and leg warmers. I do believe that the green movement should not be treated as a trend. In fact, living a green way should be attempted by every American family. By going green, a family can practice social responsibility and make small but meaningful changes in their daily lives.

It is important to stress that living green can be done in small steps. Start by turning an ordinary kitchen into an eco-friendly kitchen, or turn an ordinary day into a "greener day" by brewing eco-friendly coffee in the morning.

Brewing your own coffee can save money, as you are not paying $5 a cup every morning. This does not mean sacrificing taste or Starbucks. In November of 2000, Starbucks unveiled their Fair Trade and eco-friendly coffee brand, which is also available for purchase in bags at local grocery stores.

Fans of home brewed cups of Joe can also browse coffee aisles at their local grocery stores for other good finds. Organic is a term you will now see on coffee bags, and it means coffee beans are grown without genetic engineering or synthetic fertilizers.

Two other labels to look for are shade-grown and bird-friendly. According to GreenDaily.com, bird-friendly means that "coffee is grown under a tree canopy with at least 40 percent shade that supports bird habitat and is also grown organically". Shade grown coffee helps support natural habitats for exotic bird in rainforests.

A sure way to make a coffee maker eco-friendlier is to not use disposable paper filters. An alternative to paper filters are unbleached cotton or stainless steel filters. These alternative, greener filters can be found to fit most traditional coffee makers.

Now to enjoy a home brewed, eco-friendly caffeine heaven you will obviously need a coffee maker. Choose an eco-friendly coffee maker such as a BrewStation by Hamilton Beach, as it does not require paper filters at all. A BrewStation also reduces waste by not requiring a pot for coffee to drip into, this reduces water usage required to wash a coffee pot.

Single serve coffee makers are sometimes referred to as pods or packs. They can be environmentally friendly if used to brew individual coffee servings. Single serve coffee makers are not ideal for Green parties or large gatherings as additional waste can be created from discarded pods and cups.

Eco-friendly kitchens can feature small appliances that reduce environmental footprint over the product's lifecycle. Even though small kitchen appliances generally do not run up the electricity bill, exercising social responsibility in daily routines can transfer into larger decision making such as replacing energy-consuming devices.

Starting every morning with a greener, eco-friendly coffee is socially responsible. Small changes in everyday routines can add up to big differences in how we reduce waste without sacrificing our coffee addictions.

Sources:
http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/09/05/green-your-appliances-coffee-makers/

http://www.greendaily.com/2008/03/26/reduce-your-coffees-environmental-load/

http://www.eartheasy.com/eat_shadegrown_coffee.htm

http://www.starbucks.com/coffee/#num=01&id=coffee_home