Fair Trade, Green Mountain Coffee, + A Giveaway!

 
I would call our household moderately socially and environmentally conscious.  We’re probably a little more so than most Americans, but there are definitely areas that we could improve.  We recycle, we compost though we aren’t fanatical about it, and we shop at our local farmer’s market whenever possible.  We also try to support companies that make good choices with our purchasing dollars wherever we can.  I think there are lots of ways to do simple, easy things to make a difference.  Even if it doesn’t feel like a monumental contribution to remember to take the reusable bags to the store with you, just think what would happen if everyone made those small changes. 

One of those little things is purchasing Fair Trade Certified™ coffee.

We are daily coffee drinkers at our house.  Throughout the year, that makes for a lot of coffee beans.  I like knowing when I buy coffee and consciously choose Fair Trade Certified that we’re using our purchasing power to make sure that people in farming communities are getting a fair wage for their hard work.  Fair Trade, in essence, eliminates the middleman who often would pay a fraction of its value, and puts coffee farmers in direct contact with the roasters that are buying their product.  These roasters, in turn, are also building sustainable relationships with farmers to ensure that they are using the land in an environmentally sound way, enabling them to develop the best product possible.

In 2000, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc., owner of Keurig and Green Mountain Coffee®, was one of the first roasters in the United States to offer Fair Trade Certified coffee to consumers.  They sent us the Platinum Brewing System and a whole lot of Fair Trade Certified Green Mountain Coffee to try.  I was a little hesitant to make the leap to a Keurig after being a traditional brew girl all these years.  I have been pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to use and how much I like being able to freshly brew a single cup throughout the day.  Since the K-Cup packs are only partially recyclable, I am also going to take the suggestion of a friend and buy their re-usable K-Cup!  

Green Mountain Coffee is celebrating Fair Trade Month in October and confirming their commitment to Fair Trade with their new, Extra Bold blend, Fair Trade Certified™ Three Continent Blend.  They teamed up with Kelly Clarkson who was sent on an adventure to visit a coffee farm in Peru.  You can share in her experiences and learn more at Choose Fair Trade.
Are you a coffee drinker, and if so, would you consider buying fair trade coffee?

Tell me and one So Wonderful, So Marvelous reader will receive a Keurig® Brewing System and a Green Mountain Coffee® gift basket!

Sweepstakes Rules: No duplicate comments. You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods: Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winner will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. The Official Rules are available here. This sweepstakes runs from 09/18/13-10/31/13.