A standard cup of tea requires one-eighth as much water as a cup of coffee, but tea is no eco-beverage. In fact, the carbon footprints of tea and coffee production are almost identical. But producing tea contributes less to its footprint than how you drink it. Brewing a truly sustainable cuppa might be impossible, but a little education about your […]
Alex Garden, chairman and CEO of Camarillo, Calif.-based Zume, explains how companies can use waste pulp materials to replace plastic packaging for to-go foods and packaged goods. Molded fiber can be used instead of expanded polystyrene meat trays, to replace the plastic scoops included with baby formula, as coffee cup lids, and in six-pack holders, among many other forms of […]
The environmental impact of the teaspoon of sugar in your morning coffee pales next to the impact of the coffee itself and even the electricity required to brew it. But it’s not just a teaspoon of sugar. Americans eat more sugar than any other country in the world. At over 126 grams of sugar per day, that’s more than twice […]
Coffee can be complicated, and I’m not even talking about the heated debates over cold-brew versus percolator. Coffee is made from the beans of a tropical tree that may be grown on small family farms or vast monoculture plantations. Your coffee beans pass from farmers to processors to traders to importers to roasters to retailers before finding their way into […]
Wild Planet Foods founder and CEO Bill Carvalho explains why his company sources pole and line caught tuna to eliminate “bycatch,” the species caught in nets and tossed overboard because they aren’t what the fishing vessel wants to sell. Bycatch accounts for up to 22% of the fish caught by net fishermen, according to Oceana, a nonprofit working to protect […]
When you think about climate change, food waste might not be the first issue that comes to mind. But over two-thirds of household food is lost or wasted — a staggering amount — and approximately 8% of global human-caused greenhouse gas emissions result from food loss and waste. Those emissions enter the atmosphere, causing global temperatures to rise and drive […]
If you’d like to reduce your exposure to microplastics, choose your tea brand wisely. While most brands use paper tea bags, some have switched to bags made of fine plastic mesh. Unlike paper tea bags, the plastic version can’t be composted. And when boiling water is poured over them to make tea, these bags can release billions of microplastics and […]
Can you drink your daily cup of joe more sustainably? If you’re like me, you like the brand of coffee you buy, or have a favorite coffee shop you frequent, and don’t want to make big changes to your coffee habits. You’re probably a busy person and don’t need extra hassle in your life. So, how can you easily reduce […]
If you’re on kitchen duty, feel free to establish a warm, inviting ambiance — without heating up your food and your home. Plenty of tantalizing plant-based dishes don’t require you to turn on your oven. Or stand over a steamy stovetop. If that sounds enticing, enjoy these examples of planet-friendly, healthy, and even fun epicurean delights. Heat-free. Dairy-free. Meat-free. No-Bake Brownies […]
Pradeep Elankumaran, cofounder and CEO of Farmstead, explains how the company set out to build a sustainable grocery delivery company focused on eliminating food waste. Where retail grocery stores report wastage of between 30% and 40% of the food they stock, Farmstead uses local batching of deliveries to cut its waste to less than 5%. The Farmstead site provides a […]