Buck the Starbucks Trend

My name is Enviro-Girl and I am a coffee addict. There. Whew. I feel so much better coming clean about that.

I love my coffee, but my real indulgence is a cafe latte, no flavor, no whipped dairy, no sprinkles, no fuss. Just espresso and steamed milk. Yum. Since I have no espresso maker at home I rely on the kindness of strangers at coffee shops to supply me with my poison once a week.

Obviously my coffee shop of choice is a locally owned and operated place a few miles in the wrong direction, but I know Mike (I like to know the names of people waiting on me and preparing my food and drinks) and his staff and many of the locals enjoying his warm, cozy shop in Kaukauna. But sometimes? I’m forced to buy my coffee from a franchise and sometimes that franchise is Starbucks.

What’s wrong with Starbucks? Didn’t they stop serving rBGH-free milk?

Yes.

Don’t they try to use renewable resources for electricity and energy?

Yes.

Don’t they encourage people to bring their own mugs and reduce waste?

Yes. But they also don’t have recycling bins in their stores and push bottled water to their customers.

So what’s your gripe? Not the logo with the topless woman!

No, I’m all for the use of mammary glands in advertising. My gripe is Starbucks’ unwillingness to buy fair trade coffee–only 3.7% of the beans they buy are fair trade.

So what?

So fair trade mans that producers and workers get a better deal. When coffee farmers receive less than the cost of production for their crop, they live in a cycle of poverty and debt that hurts people and the environment. Fair trade means reducing the profit to the middleman and putting more money in the pockets of workers. Fair trade means safe conditions for workers, a fair price for products, environmentally sustainable products, and public accountability.

So you’re saying that fair trade is a good thing. By buying fair trade I’m essentially putting an end to modern-day slavery.

Yes, you are. And you can buy putting your bucks in somewhere other than Starbucks.

Learn more about Fair Trade here.