coffee and college campuses

To find java that’s not a product of forest-slashing chemical farmers, look for certifications on the label.

Organic coffee is gaining steam on college campuses.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Students are clamoring for an organic buzz. Organic coffee—now a billion-dollar industry on this continent alone—is becoming a staple for university students, according to a new report by the Organic Coffee Collaboration.

THE DETAILS: College students are one major group that prefers “clean caffeine,” coffee brewed from beans raised without harmful chemicals or rainforest-shredding practices. Last year alone, more than 80 million pounds of pesticide-free grounds and beans were imported into the U.S. and Canada. That one-third increase in organic imports pushed our continent’s annual green coffee market past one billion bucks. Student demand and educated food-service providers have led to organic coffee options at institutions like Columbia University and New York University in the Big Apple, Indianapolis University and Notre Dame in the Midwest, and New England brain trusts like Yale, Brown, and Harvard.

WHAT IT MEANS: Many college students grew up eating organic, and they want those options when they move away to school. If you or your child is college-bound, let administrators know that organic options are important to you. Stuck on a campus that ignores the environmental connection to food? Start a petition and lobby for organic coffee and other items. Of course, you can brew your own, too. Check the label for one or more of these certifications:

• Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center’s Bird Friendly seal—Ensures coffee beans are organic and grown in the shade. Full-sun growing requires deforestation and lots of synthetic, polluting, and harmful pesticides and fertilizers.

• Rainforest Alliance—This certification marries ecofriendly farming with fairness for workers. Although the coffee may not be 100% organic or shade-grown, farmers strive to use sustainable methods.

• USDA Organic—This certification means coffee is at least 95% organic, and is grown without synthetic pesticides. Crop rotation is also required, which reduces erosion and runoff.

• Equal Exchange—Much like the Rainforest Alliance, Equal Exchange coffee makes sure workers are treated and paid fairly, and encourages sustainable farming. (Sometimes coffees boast multiple certifications—in the Rodale cafeterias, we quaff Equal Exchange/USDA organic brews).

To reduce packaging and shipping costs (if you order online), ask family, friends and neighbors to go in on a 5-pound-plus order. For more information, visit our coffee topic page.