GREENING SYNAGOGUES RESOURCES

Coffee

If there’s a clear “eco-kashrut” emerging for food and drink, it starts with coffee. This ubiquitous substance -- by some calculations the world’s second-most commonly traded commodity -- is produced by millions of people throughout the equatorial and tropical world, and consumed by millions more across the globe, but especially in affluent societies like North America. The wages, working conditions, and quality of life of these millions of workers is on the line; so is the ecological health of large swaths of land in some of the planet’s richest ecosystems. “Fair Trade” is where social and environmental concerns meet head-on, and intertwine thoroughly.

Quite simply, bearing the fair trade label means that the pickers received a fair wage for their efforts; most fair trade coffee is also “shade grown,” meaning that the coffee beans grew on indigenous plants beneath the intact canopy of the native rainforest (rather than coming from the new engineered strains of open-sun coffee plants which grow on huge clearcuts of former forest), as well as “organic.” Look for all three labels in choosing your brew, or it might be ‘treif’ (unkosher, at least ethically speaking).

Because it’s better for workers and the environment, fair trade coffee will cost more than the standard drip-grind stuff you buy in huge tins, which tastes ‘fair’ at best. The good news, however, is that organic shade-grown fair-trade joe -- which is almost always quality coffee -- costs about the same as any other good gourmet coffee. Vendors like Trader Joe’s or Starbucks offer various blends, some fair trade and some not, all at the exact same price. And in bulk, when purchased directly from national distributors who specialize in supplying churches and synagogues, the price can go down to $5/pound or less. It tastes much better than the ‘standard’ stuff for not much more, but avoiding the bitter ethical aftertaste of the ‘unfair trade’ brews is priceless.

Coffee is a good place to start, but not to end up. TransfairUSA, the leading certifier of fair trade coffee, already covers tea and cocoa as well. And environmental and social concerns conjoin on all kinds of consumable goods; following the fair trade logic to its end might suggest purchasing locally-grown organic produce and the like. However far you can or choose to go with it, think about what’s fair for Creation and what’s fair for God’s children when deciding what to brew.

See www.transfairusa.org for more, including the following overview:

Fair Trade Overview
Fair Trade is an innovative, market-based approach to sustainable development. Fair Trade helps family farmers in developing countries to gain direct access to international markets, as well as to develop the business capacity necessary to compete in the global marketplace. By learning how to market their own harvests, Fair Trade farmers are able to bootstrap their own businesses and receive a fair price for their products. This leads to higher family living standards, thriving communities and more sustainable farming practices. Fair Trade empowers farming families to take care of themselves - without developing dependency on foreign aid.

The Fair Trade Certified label guarantees:
A fair price
The Fair Trade Certified label guarantees that farmers and workers received a fair price for their product. The Fair Trade price means that farmers can feed their families and that their children can go to school instead of working in the fields.

Quality products
By receiving a fair price, Fair Trade producers can avoid cost-cutting practices that sacrifice quality. The Fair Trade producers' traditional artisanal farming methods result in exceptional products.

Care for the environment
Most Fair Trade Certified coffee, tea and chocolate in the US is certified organic and shade grown. This means that the products you buy maintain biodiversity, provide shelter for migratory birds and help reduce global warming.