How to Go Green: Organic Coffee

The morning cup of coffee, for most adults, is as natural an act as breathing. Breathe in. Breathe out. Take a long sip of hot coffee. Enjoy a moment of morning solitude, then rush out to finish the day. What most coffee drinkers don't know is the price of that cup of coffee in terms of human and environmental damage. Coffee that is grown using large amounts of fertilizer and pesticides charges a heavy price on the land and the health of the farmers who work the land. Toxic by-products end up in streams and rivers that people drink from. The same water that is used for cooking, cleaning and bathing.

Coffee grows naturally in the shade, but that doesn't lead to the biggest bang for a multinational coffee growers buck. In order to get the largest return on investment, large areas of land are cleared of natural vegetation, then fertilizers and pesticides are introduced. DDT and Paraquat are only two of the pesticides banned in the U.S. that are still used in countries outside of it.

Organic growing
Green growing practices take away the chemicals used in pest control and use methods such as crop rotation and beneficial insects as pest control. Synthetic chemicals are not allowed in certified organ operations. The concept of crop layering is used for mulch and nitrogen replacement in the soil, instead of relying on chemical nutrients.

How does coffee get organic certified?
Coffee is grown all over the globe. More than $1 billion of that coffee is organic grown and shipped to the United States. If a bag of coffee beans is to carry the organic label, they must be grown according to U. S. Standards. The coffee must be certified by a USDA accredited lab. Banned chemicals cannot have been previously used in the soil three years prior to organic certification. A crop rotation plan must be in force to prevent soil erosion and the depletion of soil nutrients. A plan is also required for pest control. Documentation must be provided to the certification agency detailing the farming activities in the last three years.

Can decaffeinated coffee be organic?
Coffee is conventionally decaffeinated using the solvents: methylene chloride or ethyl acetate. An organic method must still be used to ensure the chemical-free organic process. The organically certified, Swiss Water Process, fulfills the organic requirements.

USDA organic label
The USDA organic label can only be stamped on a bag of coffee that doesn't use excluded methods during the growing process. That stamp assures that the consumer is purchasing a product that has been grown with the best green grow practices currently known.

If you have never tried any organic products, take a small step and visit your local coffee shop. Sample some of the organic offerings and get a feel for the products you like. As you find out that the products have a superior taste and texture, you might find yourself filling the kitchen pantry with products displaying the organic label.