Posts Tagged ‘environment’Vroom Vroom Vroom
March 8th, 2010
With a lot of recent scientific data pointing to the adverse impact our reliance on fossil fuels is having on the environment, inventors, universities and entrepreneurs the world over have been tackling the issue of alternative energy in different manners. As we wrote about in 2008, the University of Reno had successfully developed a method [...]  A Different Kind of Buzz
March 6th, 2010
Addiction can be a lonely place. Whether we hide our vices or not — stealing a secret cigarette while the wife isn’t looking, sipping a sly cocktail at the end of the bar by ourselves or knocking back a few shots of espresso despite our doctor’s orders — it can sometimes feel isolating. But we [...] Field Trip: Hario USA – Coffee Roasts & Agriculture
March 2nd, 2010
One of our favorite discussions with Edwin Martinez of Hario USA was in regard to coffee and agriculture. He is a third generation coffee farmer in Guatemala, and also participates on an international level in several aspects of the coffee industry and community — from tasting competitions to product development. Because of this, he has [...] Cappuccino Sighting!
February 28th, 2010
In the fall of 2008, we adopted a whale named Cappuccino, a member of the Southern Resident Killer Whale Community’s K Pod. These whales hang out in the Puget Sound during the warmer months of the year, and spend a lot of their time during the rest of the year traveling either to or fro [...] Microloans & Coffee
January 22nd, 2010
In the coffee world, there is a lot of conversation around sustainability — environmental, cultural, social and economic. Some specific brands of commerce and marketing (such as the Fair Trade certification or the development of direct trade relationships between larger coffee roasters and coffee plantations) have begun to flourish and really mean something to us, [...] Coffee & Climate Change
October 5th, 2009
Last November, we wrote about how the excessive rains in India were adjusting the forecast coffee exports from that country, and they have now reported a 21% decrease in exportable coffee during the 2008 – 2009 growing season. But it’s mostly about when the rains hit — they reported in June of this year that [...] Another Feather in the Cap of Shade Grown Coffee
August 3rd, 2009
A recent report released by the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) indicates that climate change may cause an increase in the pest known as the coffee berry borer. ICIPE studied plantations in Colombia, Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia, discovering that the projected increase in global temperature would make sub-tropical regions more susceptible to [...] Java Jersey
July 7th, 2009
Bringing new meaning to the phrase ‘wearing your food,’ Tawainese fabric manufacturer Singtex has developed a new cloth that utilizes waste coffee grounds as its basic fibers. Quite fascinating! Identifying a rich waste source that is often headed straight to the land fill, the firm spent three years working on a way to use coffee [...] Peruvian Coffee Co-Op Receives Environmental Stewardship Award
June 30th, 2009
We’ve been talking a lot recently about the sustainable and environmentally-minded coffee cultivation in different parts of the world and here’s another dimension to add to that discussion: The Peruvian co-op CECOVASA recently received a national award for the positive impact their work has had on preserving and promoting biodiversity in the region. CECOVASA is [...] Stir It Up: Marley Coffee
June 29th, 2009
Maybe your days of rocking knatty dreads are over, but you can give a little shout-out to your quasi-Rastafari roots by imbibing in Rohan Marley’s new papa-inspired coffee beans. According to this interview in the Jamaica Observer, “My father came from farmland of Nine Miles,” Rohan recalls, “There, he learned a deep respect for nature [...] |
