Brewed fresh daily, coffee taking toll on the environment

By Sarah Merchlewitz | Community columnist

On a cold wintry day, there is nothing so nice as a mug full of something hot to drink. Watching curls of steam rise upwards from your cup while snow (and the temperature) fall outside your window is one of the more picturesque scenes of winter. In fact, there are a lot of beverages that are associated with this season: eggnog, spiced cider, hot cocoa (particularly after a snowball fight), and Starbucks’ Gingerbread Latte or Peppermint Mocha. Mmmmm... Nothing says “Season’s Greetings” like a four-dollar grande in a styrofoam cup, which is exactly what Starbucks wants you to think, but that’s a topic for another article.

Do you think you know coffee? I don’t mean cappuccino, macchiato, americano, au lait, or black — I mean coffea arabica, the global commodity that is traded second only to oil. Do you know what it takes for the few ounces of beans you brewed to make it from the hills of a plantation to your coffeemaker? Do you know its cost beyond the price sticker at the supermarket?

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