Thanksgiving Coffee Company - Environmental Sustainability

What is Sustainability?

"Sustainability" is a word you will often come across within this section of the website. It is frequently defined as "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Though that's a beautiful notion, I prefer to define it as the more comprehensive "interconnectedness of all things."

When one understands that each action taken has a ripple effect that in turn influences other people and their surroundings, one tends to stop and think about what the ultimate repercussions of that deed will be before they act. Let's use the example of buying produce: one can go to the chain supermarket that transports produce from a farm across the country, or one can purchase that produce from the local farmer's market.

Buying fruits and veggies from the supermarket means that the transportation cost is figured into the price at which they are purchased. This indicates that the farm has to grow more in order to be profitable, which leads to mono-cropping (growing one crop in a large area). This depletes the soil of valuable nutrients, and increases the risk of pests and disease. Now the farmer needs to apply chemicals in order to prevent these fabricated afflictions from occuring. Chemicals run off into rivers and streams, affecting wildlife and eventually ending up in public water supplies. Fossil fuel consumed in the transportation of produce from farm to store contributes to global warming. Many pesticides used today are known to cause cancer. Chemical manufacturers and petroleum interests lobby our government to make policy decisions in their favor, further eroding our democracy. Many pesticides used today are known to cause cancer. Most conventional produce is genetically modified. Ultimately, if this model continues, we face a future of a diseased people and planet.

One can purchase produce from the farmer's market. Small-scale farming usually consists of growing crops organically -- meaning no chemical inputs are used. Intercropping and companion planting methods are implemented instead, in which beneficial crops are grown next to each other. The qualities of one plant either provides nutrients, deters harmful insects, or attracts beneficial insects to the other. Cover crops are grown to build topsoil and replenish nutrients. Rather than destroying farmland as mono-cropping techniques do, organic farming actually improves the overall quality of the land. Consuming a locally-grown crop means the nutritional value is enhanced due to it's recent harvest; therefore, it's benefit to your health is increased. Your support of local farmers means that money paid for their goods is then recirculated within the economy of the community in which you live, making life better for everyone.

So next time you're faced with what on the outside looks like a simple decision, think about how that choice will reverberate through the web that was created to bring it to you. It is time to reclaim "sustainability" as meaning an awareness of how one's decisions effects the lives of others. At Thanksgiving Coffee, we integrate this consciousness into our daily operations, which you will learn more about as you read on.

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