Greening Coffee and Tea - Part II
6. Loosen Up
Tea bags and coffee filters can be useful but are mostly unnecessary. Great coffee can be made at home with a reusable filter or a stovetop espresso maker. A quality tea infuser can last a lifetime and replace an untold number of (questionably compostable) tea bags. If you do use filters and bags, look for biodegradable and unbleached ones.
7. Milk and Sugar
Most people put one thing or another in their hot beverage of choice. Don’t foul up your organic, fair trade, bird friendly, solar roasted brew with chemical and hormone-laden milk and sugar from a little paper packet. If you don’t do the cow thing, look for organic rice, soy, or almond milk. Maple syrup in coffee or honey in tea is another well-kept secret.
8. Press the Issue
If the local coffee shop you love doesn’t carry coffee and tea that meet your standards, start asking politely.
9. Compost the Roast
Tea leaves and especially coffee grounds make outstanding compost. Coffee’s high nitrogen content has made it a fertilizer of choice. Composting leaves and grounds helps keep organic waste out of landfills, makes great soil, and keeps waste baskets dry. If you don’t have a heap to toss it on, just spread coffee grounds on the top of your plants’ soil.
10. Gift the Good Stuff
Organic coffee and tea make superb gifts for friends and coworkers. It’s also a great way to get people appreciating the many benefits of a “greener” coffee or tea habit.
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