Ethical Coffee
This is a shameless plug for a website created by a friend of mine for all you coffee lovers out there: Ethical Coffee.
If you're not sure what coffee has to do with ethics, consider this: conventional coffee production is one of the most labor exploitative and environmentally unsustainable agricultural industries in the world. Along with sugar cane, bananas, and chocolate, coffee tops the list of unethical food products. And many of us drink it constantly.
Photo: Oliver Ray, "Coffee Drinker"
If, like me, you have a 3-cup-a-day habit/addiction, it's worth it to inform yourself of your options and to choose to buy fair and sustainable coffee. That's where Ethical Coffee comes in. Its purpose is to clarify what those options are, and to demystify all of those labels: "organic," "fair trade," "bird-friendly," "shade grown."
One last note: if you live in the 'Nati, consider buying your fair trade, organic coffee from a local roaster. Brutopia sells only high-quality, fair trade coffee roasted locally. Rohs is another excellent choice. And Sitwell's has some organic and fair trade options too (plus lots of books by Edith Sitwell herself lying around for you to peruse while you sip).
Sure, ethical coffee is more expensive than Maxwell House. But it's also much tastier. And consumer choices are a form of activism! Find out more at Ethical Coffee.