All
Grounds for Change coffee is Certified Organic by the Washington
State Department of Agriculture.
Certified organic coffee is grown by farmers
who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation
of soil and water to enhance environmental quality. Grounds
for Change Certified Organic Coffee is grown without the
use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, thereby assuring
the health of the soil, the forest and the farmers.
Most experts agree that the chemicals used
in non-organic coffee growing burn off during the roasting
process and that few traces of these chemicals - if any -
are left behind. If that is the case, then what does buying
organic coffee mean to the consumer? At Grounds for Change,
we believe that supporting organic coffee farming on a global
level goes hand-in-hand with our
mission to provide you with the highest quality coffee
possible.
The same chemicals (DDT for example) that
have "killed" lakes and streams in coffee producing
areas of Latin America and elsewhere, are still used by workers
today, frequently without a basic understanding of the harm
that they are doing to the environment, to themselves and
to their families. The misuse of pesticides typically stems
from the workers' inability to interpret directions and warnings
relating to these harmful chemicals. Insufficient access to
education has left them illiterate and at the mercy of compounds
that cause respiratory arrest, cancer, birth defects and many
other disabling and life threatening illnesses. In addition,
workers are rarely outfitted with protective gear that might
provide them with even a small measure of protection against
these pollutants.
The use of toxic chemicals is not only hazardous
to the workers and their families, but also to the environment
that they rely on to sustain themselves. The use of harmful
chemicals on locally-grown crops has a direct impact on their
quality of life. Their land should provide them with food
for their families, water for drinking and a playground for
their children. Deforestation, soil erosion and habitat loss
combined with agricultural chemical pollution leave behind
an environment that is lifeless, polluted and barren.
In contrast, organic coffee farming encourages
sustainability, multilayered crop production and a rich array
of wildlife. Farmers who practice organic coffee farming methods
depend on organic matter to fertilize plants and by using
these materials, mimic the natural processes of growth and
decay. Organic coffee farming encourages beneficial insects
and a healthier, more resistant crop. Mulching with organic
materials and growing coffee under a canopy of trees decreases
the need for irrigation and conserves water. By growing citrus
and fruit-bearing trees in the upper story (a process known
as diversification), the canopy serves the dual purpose of
providing organic mulch for the understory and food for the
community.
We all have the ability to make change through
our spending habits and supporting organically grown coffee
is one way to promote social justice and a healthy global
environment. By choosing organic coffee, you support change
that starts at the level of the coffee growing communities
and that will benefit people and the planet for generations
to come.
|
