DO YOU WANT ME TO BURN THIS HOUSE DOWN!?!?! Most of us live off of our morning cup of joe (and some much more than just the morning) but, did you know what lurks in that hot, warm, safe place you call coffee? Let’s move past the obvious crap we all put in our coffee; the sugar, artificial flavors/sweeteners, the cream loaded with pesticides, additive, hormones, and horrible fat (not all fat is bad people…duh!) Lets just talk the fine, dark, black, rich liquid we call coffee.
Did you know coffee trees do not naturally grow in direct sunlight, but under the shade of dense rainforest. To increase productivity, the coffee industry has developed sun-resistant coffee tree hybrids that have come to comprise approximately 70% of the world’s coffee production. As a result rainforest is being cleared at alarming rates to make room for new, sun resistant coffee trees. This is astounding to me.
This is what really got me. Did you know that coffee is the heaviest chemically treated food commodity in the world. The most common chemical used in coffee production is synthetic petroleum based fertilizers which slowly destroy the soil’s fertility and seep into local water supplies. Coffee is the biggest carrier of chemicals and pesticides people… ITS POISON!
Why is conventionally-grown coffee is incredibly unhealthy and very bad for the environment?
* Coffee is one of the most heavily treated chemically crop
* To keep up with supply and demand, traditional harvesters clear wide plots of land- most of this land is located in the rainforest… You do the math.
* Because the plants need direct sunlight all day, the sun exposure weakens and compromises the integrity and immune system of the crop; thus this makes them more susceptible to pests and bugs. With that said this is the main reason why coffee needs mass amounts of pesticides and insecticides. Hence, it is one of the reasons that coffee requires such large amounts of pesticides and insecticides. This also explains why shade is very important.
* Many of these pesticides and insecticides sprayed directly on the crops end up in the coffee that people drink on a daily basis and therefore harm our bodies. These chemicals also cause damage to the soil and pollute the local water supply.
Furthermore, workers who have tremendous exposure to these chemicals suffer greatly. Flower growers in Ecuador are a prime example of this.
* When the beans are harvested, they are washed with water. This water, which now contains many different toxic chemicals, is released back into streams, rivers or whatever source it came from, possibly the soil.
* The clearing of fragile rain forests, where coffee is grown, represents an incredibly serious threat to global warming. Read what Tom Friedman of the New York Times has to say about this.
Over the last forty years or so, approximately 2/3rds of the rainforest in Central America and Mexico has disappeared.
But rest assure not all coffee is bad…. so you can just breathe now! I personally drink Bullet Proof Coffee. But any organic coffee is great. Make sure you do your research though.
Why is Organic Coffee so much different… and frankly much better for you:
* Organic farmers do not use harmful or super-toxic chemicals on their coffee crops. The coffee that you drink is as “clean” as possible. This means you are not putting dangerous pesticides or insecticides into your body each morning.
* The lack of pesticides do not destroy the soil, a critical factor in the nutritional value of all organic food.
* Most organic coffee is shade-grown and this directly impacts taste. According to Silvia Covelli, CEO of True Origin Organics and a member of the Organic Coffee Collaboration, “the best tasting coffees are the ones that are shade-grown. This is because coffee is a very aromatic plant and absorbs all the flavors and aromas from surrounding trees, such as plantains, cacao and fruits. The exotic aromas come out when not exposed to chemicals.”
* Organic farmers nurture the environment and minimize soil erosion through re-forestation, the use of ecological methods to control pests, the recirculation of water whenever possible and the propagation of different species of native trees, which also provides important refuge for migratory birds.
* When you buy organic coffee, you are supporting farmers in many third world countries who are committed to the environment and are helping to promote biodiversity.
Just as recycling glass bottles is important, so is the choice you make each morning at the coffee counter. For you and the planet.
((information above was cited from http://livingmaxwell.com/organic-coffee))
So stop poisoning your body and love what you have!
XOXOXOX
-B
Holistic Housewife
