kitchen waste    =    landfill      

Coffee Joe intones the mantra of reduce, reuse, and recycle. As a responsible coffee company, we promote the use of our compostable bags, reuse the hemp bags the green beans come in, and because the other odds and ends of packaging are only a viable option for recycling if they are bundled together in large lots, we have it picked up monthly. We are doing our part as much as possible.

The global steps to sustaining and managing waste products should be as follows:

1. Prevention – Packaging only for loss or damage, not for aesthetic reasons.
2. Minimization – Reduce packaging: lower costs, less space, less in a landfill.
3. Reuse – Always should be a priority for everyone to consider.
4. Recycling – Old into new, esp. packages of steel, aluminium, paper or plastic.
5. Energy recovery—Waste-to-energy makes use of heat from packaging pieces.
6. Disposal—burning and allowing marked zones for special waste in a landfill.

CJ loves numbered lists, they organize and make everything logical. Take these points to heart. If packaging is here to stay, let’s make sure it stays in the right place. You can read our guest blog at www.myzerowaste.com. An international site, it is a check valve for what is going on in the world of waste.

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Coffee Joe Says: “We are all dietetic sinners; only a small percent of what we eat nourishes us; the balance goes to waste and loss of energy.” ~William Osler~

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Organic coffee – starting from the shade-grown forest protecting the early plants, to the warm sunshine promoting growth, to the high altitudes fostering slow maturity – is a product of ying and yang. Each condition helps the other. At the end of each relationship, you have an organic product worthy of both your wallet and your conscience. Now, because balance has been maintained, the organic cycle can begin all over again.

CJ discovered that the earth on an organic coffee farm is made up of decomposed, natural materials, which along with the rotation of other crops, composting, and the elimination of harmful chemicals results in a healthier soil. Ying and Yang. This in turn prevents water pollution, offers a secure home for migratory birds, and a beverage you can drink without dire consequences.

Balance is what it’s all about. Back to basics – if the coffee farmer looks after the soil, it will repay him indefinitely. If he doesn’t, it won’t repay him at all.

Coffee Joe says look at this organic coffee bean – at the split in the middle. Ying and Yang. Balance.

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Coffee Joe Says:  With enough coffee, anything is possible.

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1)      Refuse to buy goods with surplus packaging.

2)       Re-use as long as possible; i.e. clothing, household goods.

3)       Barter or trade with neighbours, friends, or family to reduce clutter.

4)       Recycle garden matter; leaves, grass cuttings and prunings.

5)       Compost leftovers; vegetable ends, fruit peels, crushed egg shells.

6)       Compost tea leaves/bags (no tags, staples or strings), coffee grounds.

7)       Walk – don’t drive unless you have to.

8)       Turn the heat down in winter, wear an extra sweater.

9)       Use a fan instead of air conditioning.

10)   Buy local, fairly traded or organic.

11)   Check out solar energy.

12)   Grow your own garden.

13)   Eat at home.

14)   Less pollution if you avoid take-out or fast food.

CJ has a quote for the environment, climate change and carbon footprints:

“Why don’t we pay more attention to who the farmers are? We would never be as careless choosing an auto mechanic or babysitter as we are about who grows our food. All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today.”

So, Coffee Joe wants to know – What is a carbon footprint?

According to the website,  it is the degree to which our everyday activities, even those as minor as drinking tea or coffee, can cause greenhouse gases to be produced, leading to climate change. Other activities would include our utilities, transportation, recreation, clothing, food, vacations – just your normal day to day living.

There are actually two parts to your carbon footprint.

1.   Primary: direct emissions of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels.

2.  Secondary: indirect carbon dioxide emissions starting with the      manufactured products we buy and use, right through to those products which end up in the landfill.

Here is another handy website for calculating your family’s carbon footprint. Give it a try and find out what you can do as a family. If each family does their part, the environment will improve more and more each year.

1)      Fairly Traded

2)      Fresh from the Roaster

3)      Gourmet Blends

4)      Well-Priced

5)      Online ordering, forms and brochures

6)      Shipping arranged to your convenience

7)      Re-orders keep funds coming in

In addition, give your donors important information about reusing coffee grounds, recycling paper filters and compostable coffee bags, letting them know they are helping the organic farmers to lift their families and communities out of poverty, and making for a greener planet overall.

CJ thinks this type of fundraiser will appeal to high schools, bands, and church groups. It’s easy to run, attracts volunteers, offers a popular product, is sustainable and helps others. What could be better?

CJ has a list for you:

These are five Do’s for used coffee grounds:

1)      Do put into your compost.

2)      Do layer into your garden.

3)      Do spread around the top surface of inside plant containers.

4)      Do mix with eggshells for outdoor plant pest-resistance.

5)      Do check out cafes and coffee houses for used grounds.

Now, here are five Don’ts for used coffee grounds:

1)      Don’t throw down the drain.

2)      Don’t throw into the garbage disposal.

3)      Don’t throw into your local landfill.

4)      Don’t accumulate with the intention of using later.

5)      Don’t blame anyone or anything else for not recycling.

And…Coffee Joe says no, food waste and coffee grounds will not break down usefully in the landfill even though they are biodegradable. There are just too many other toxins in there resulting in contamination. Take these little baby steps towards a sustainable, healthy earth.

It all starts with you.

CJ asks what is virtual water?  This concept came about in the early 1990s and was first defined by Professor J.A. Allan.

“It’s the water embedded in commodities. Producing goods and services requires water; the water used to produce agricultural or industrial products is called the virtual water of the product.”

To the everyday person like Coffee Joe, this refers to all the hidden water involved to produce either a manufactured item or an agricultural one. It starts first from the seeding to marketing, to transportation, to export – more water usage than we know or think about.

To make an average cup of coffee, it takes approximately 140 litres of water from first growth to in the cup. It stands to reason we need to look at water differently. There are lots of ways to recycle that old coffee left in the bottom of the pot, or even the inch or so in getting cold your cup.

CJ will investigate and let you know the various organic means to reduce the coffee water waste, recycle the chaff, reuse coffee grounds and even unroasted beans…

What do you do with your coffee water?