2002年1月7日，星期一
（美國，華盛頓州，西雅圖）相信我，站在西雅圖市區任一處街角然後轉一圈，你會看到不只四家咖啡店，其中兩家大概會是星巴客。或許西雅圖惡名昭彰的壞天氣促成了嗑咖啡的文化，但這現象不獨獨發生在西北部。從大杯的雙份無咖啡因豆奶拿鐵到桑卡即溶包，美國人平均一天喝掉超過四億杯的咖啡，約為全球三分之一消費量。我們對咖啡的狂愛使得咖啡成為世界上行銷最廣的商品，僅次於石油。
但是，即使咖啡文化持續發燒，大多數美國人沒有機會親眼看到一棵咖啡樹，因為咖啡的種植生產都集中在氣候溫暖的開發中國家。我們所熟悉的是深褐色、已經烘焙好的咖啡豆，而不是在中南美、越南、非洲那些未去皮的青色豆，或者攀附在腰般高的灌木上的紅色果實。
美國消費者代表的是一連串生產線的最末端，從農民、進口商、烘焙者、配銷商，全球約有2,000萬人靠咖啡維生。廣告或許會把咖啡形容成「一天醒來最美好的部分」，不過它在半個世界之遠的地方可是有著重大的社會環境意涵。身為西北樹蔭咖啡運動組織的召集人，我的工作是藉著讓大家認識這環環相扣的群鏈關係，來了解這些重要的意涵，其中包含的種種活動不僅將人與咖啡聯繫起來，就連早晨喝咖啡時窗邊輕唱的鳥兒也息息相關。
大部分的西北太平洋新熱帶鳥類（以及60%至80%的美東及加拿大森林鳥類），會在拉丁美洲的中高林（mid-elevation forests）過冬。許多這樣的樹林被砍伐並化為永久農地，而現代化、高科技的咖啡種植正加速了此過程。在傳統的咖啡小農場裡，農人沿著咖啡種植果樹或其他次要作物，咖啡就在這些樹蔭林的遮蔽下生長。樹蔭林的花朵和果實往往吸引許多雜食動物，如麥基斐鶯（Macgillvray's Warbler）、果樹金鶯（Orchard Oriole），提供牠們食物及庇護以躲避天敵。研究者發現，樹蔭咖啡種植場擁有高度的生物多樣性，包括鳥類、蝙蝠、蝴蝶、螞蟻、兩棲類、蘭花等，生意盎然。
在許多國際發展組織，包括美國國際發展機構（USAID），的指導下，這種模式在70年代農人「捨樹蔭林就陽光」之後發生變化。咖啡產量因日光種植而顯著提昇，但是要付出代價的：農藥的需要量提高，尤其是氮肥；土壤更由於單種栽培加速流失，進一步造成水污染。採用日光種植不僅破壞了鳥類的棲息地，同時也減少了那些生活完全維繫在國際咖啡價格上的農人的選擇。小型農場的種植者靠著樹蔭咖啡的次要收成，如水果、木材，來度過日益艱難的市場景況。近來，情勢已變得無可忍受，國際咖啡價由於越南等其他國家低等咖啡量產增加而跌入空前谷底，你花12元美金買到1磅重的咖啡豆，咖啡農當初可能只以美金50分甚至更低的價格售出。（編按：美國國際發展機構是一個獨立運作的聯邦政府機構，它根據美國的經濟與政治利益，進行國際國際發展協主與人道援助。http://www.usaid.gov）
這種價格無法讓小農收支平衡，因此傳統的樹蔭咖啡農被迫捨棄或者出售他們的農場，因此更多的地方變成日光種植場。聯合國世界糧食組織估計，約有15萬人在最近的咖啡危機中淪為難民。諷刺的轉變是，哥倫比亞的一些咖啡農，因而改種一種更有價值但很少被算入國際市場的作物：古柯，也就是古柯鹼的主要成分。
西北樹蔭咖啡運動組織，如同許多其他美國團體，試圖影響咖啡飲用者選用以「可持續」方法所栽培的咖啡。要你們在還不甚了解狀況時，就要求使用公平交易的、有機的、樹蔭栽種的咖啡似乎過於強人所難，這也是我們致力於教育業者及消費者的原因之一。然而，這仍是場艱苦的奮鬥。我們的努力集中在特選咖啡市場「那些高品味訴求的店家，如星巴客，販售的咖啡豆」，但那個市場只不過是總咖啡消費量的15%。
當我喝一杯貨真價實的樹蔭咖啡時，其中包含的數字是驚人的：
- 2千萬人受僱於咖啡業；
- 國際市場上每磅售價46分錢；
- 比1960年代多一半的候鳥南北往來於北美洲大陸；‧在日光咖啡農場發現的鳥類較樹蔭農場少90%。
在咖啡把我「點燃發動」了以後（實在地或者比喻地說），我接了電話，動身工作。
2002年1月8日，星期二
放了兩週的假回來，讓我感到特別忙碌，工作行程表立刻就排滿了。為了推廣樹蔭咖啡種植法，過去幾個月來，西雅圖奧杜邦學會與另外六個由同基金會提供資金的組織一直保持密切聯繫。會見運動成員、掌握咖啡貿易詳情所花的時間，比我料想的還要多。
不過幸好，我還有很多時間跟一般大眾討論鳥類及咖啡的事，包括大學生、其他保育人士、超市的顧客等。我用幻燈片試著解釋，近來自己在拉丁美洲所親見咖啡對環境的影響。
去年七月，我花了一個月的時間，到尼加拉瓜和哥斯大黎加參訪樹蔭咖啡園，和農人談天，拍了一些照片。從飛機上往下看，中美洲翠綠的山巒十分壯觀，而一旦降落尼加拉瓜，我卻發現在這個西半球赤貧國家裡人民的生活，鬱悶壓迫，如同充斥首都馬拿瓜悶熱難耐的濕氣。三年前米契颶風帶來豪雨，使這個窮困的國家雪上加霜，造成數千人喪生。雨水沖走大量表土，致使小農戶生活更加貧窮；加上現今全球咖啡價格跌落，更使全國經濟每下愈況。一位計程車司機說，國內情況太糟，人民都湧入美國，因為種咖啡已經不能維持生計；也就是說，尼加拉瓜人民寧可冒險死在沙漠裡，也不願意留在尼加拉瓜。
尼加拉瓜山區氣候較為涼爽，這裡農民的情形也讓人感到較為樂觀。我首先抵達賽瓦妮葛拉莊園，這是個收益穩定的觀光樹蔭咖啡園，也有種其他的農作物。「賽瓦妮葛拉」意為「黑森林」，是來此墾殖的德國移民後裔所創立，這些德國移民在一百年前將咖啡培育技術引進尼加拉瓜。我參觀咖啡園時，能聽到吼猴在原始林中尖聲呼嘯，看見巨嘴鳥在欄杆上棲息。
賽瓦妮葛拉莊園將咖啡種植在改良的樹蔭棚下，能使農作物隨時照射到足夠的陽光。這個步驟需花費許多人力，但能生產全國品質最好的咖啡豆。莊園仿照自然生態體系運作形式，盡量減少污染，用咖啡果果肉自行製造肥料，把腐物產生的沼氣當作烹飪燃料，幾乎完全不需使用木柴。
然而道路另一邊的無樹蔭咖啡園，和賽瓦妮葛拉莊園的種植方式相較，產生極大的對比。這裡的農民覺得賽瓦妮葛拉莊園的人是瘋子，他們認為如果完全照射到陽光，每英畝可多長三倍數量的咖啡樹。但當我蹲下仔細觀察時，發現土壤乾燥，不如賽瓦妮葛拉有濕潤的堆肥。這裡幾乎看不到鳥蹤；由於沒有完整的生態體系，常常引發蟲害。這個咖啡園經營困難，如果不用化學肥料及殺蟲劑，農作物就會枯死；而在中美洲，使用殺蟲劑的法令不如美國週全，農民健康也較不受重視。直到1990年，哥斯大黎加還允許農民使用殘留期久的克氯丹，這種殺蟲劑在美國早已禁用。
無樹蔭咖啡園農民不了解，為何要放棄讓咖啡樹接受完全日曬所帶來的收益。但他們不知道這種做法無異自掘墳墓。依靠化肥及殺蟲劑，只會讓自己無法撐過咖啡價格大跌的趨勢。
當我回到美國，用幻燈片向民眾敘述旅途所見，民眾才有了初步的概念，而在幻燈片簡報之後，他們似乎可見杯中的咖啡是由農民親手摘下的一粒粒的咖啡豆泡成的，而他們近一步的是了解，尼加拉瓜等開發中國家的未來，取決於自己選擇何種咖啡。
2002年1月9日 星期三
今天，我正計畫要跟當地的一個咖啡進口商做個拜訪，參觀他們的工作情形，也了解一下他們對咖啡這行業的看法。這項拜訪是早就要做的，可是，不知怎麼地，我就是把它耽擱了。雖然咖啡進口商代表的只是咖啡豆從農作物變成一杯杯熱騰騰的咖啡過程中的一小步，但對於要在精品咖啡的市場（編按）建立樹蔭咖啡多樣性的產品選擇，他們可是關鍵。他們選擇進口什麼給烘培商和零售商，咖啡屋和商店所賣的就會是什麼。有些進口商推銷樹蔭有機咖啡豆，有些則不。
六年前，當「西北樹蔭咖啡運動」在一群志工和當地幾家咖啡公司的支持下開始的時候，我們所用來面對咖啡這議題的方法，幾乎跟其他運動的人員用來面對所有的問題的方法一樣。我們辦活動、募款、等待事情發生變化。而變化的確是發生了。現在，有45家烘培商和零售商參與了這個活動。每一家都承諾，在一整年中，他們會供應至少一種以上的樹蔭咖啡，並且會讓他們的顧客了解到樹蔭咖啡的好處。而他們所得到的回報是：他們可以在他們的商品上打上我們的標誌。
為了完成過去六年來我們所做的一切，我們對咖啡這行業已有了很多的認識。舉例來說：有些基本的東西，如樹蔭咖啡認證（用來證明咖啡的確是在樹蔭下長成的證書），是很昂貴的，而且不容易取得。數量眾多的農夫、不同的栽培方法和廣大的地理區域，都包括在我們資訊收集的範圍內。「史密森候鳥中心」和「雨林聯盟」都有認證樹蔭咖啡，但並沒有一個統一的標準，沒有某個單一標籤能讓消費者知道，他們買的咖啡是樹蔭咖啡。
去年五月，當「消費者選擇協會」公佈了「咖啡生產保育原則」時，我們向前邁進了一大步。「咖啡生產保育原則」是一套可用來建立認證系統的準則；這套原則所提倡的栽培咖啡的方式，能夠保護野生生物和棲息地、節省水和能源，並且創造一定數量的工作機會。這套原則已是一項有利的工具了。星巴克公司（Starbucks）依據這套原則，已改變了其原料取得的作業方式，而以對環境及社會負責的咖啡，作為原料選取過程中的優先選擇。
然而，現在的消費者在要購買對社會負責的咖啡時，仍然得費力地面對三個不同的系統。除了樹蔭咖啡，產銷互惠貿易咖啡和有機咖啡在超級市場的貨架上也贏得了注意。有證書的產銷互惠貿易進口商，如「公平交流公司」，直接和咖啡合作社交易，也確保農夫們能穩定地以每磅1.26美元的價格賣出咖啡。相較於美國進口商鼓勵其國內咖啡合作社，採用有機和樹蔭咖啡的作業方式，則產銷互惠貿易咖啡卻不一定是有機或是樹蔭咖啡；最多只有70％的產銷互惠貿易咖啡是有機生產的。
如果對社會及環境負責的咖啡要跨出精品咖啡的利基範疇，並朝罐裝咖啡發展，我們將需要開發一個能表明三方認證的固定標籤。佛吉斯（Folgers）、雀巢（Nestle）和牛皮紙(卡夫)，這三家公司掌握了咖啡的主流市場。目前，對於決定咖啡豆來源一事，他們幾乎什麼都沒做。這三大公司透過中盤商人來作業，結合了來自不同國家的咖啡，以創造她們的烘培招牌。在這樣的作業方式下，當談到咖啡生產國的工人健康及環境健康時，他們選擇避而不見。
我想這情況是會改變的。但是，如1980年代，「不危害海豚的鮪魚運動」一樣，咖啡將會需要一個能被立即辨識的標誌，以便讓大部分不能分辨卡布奇諾和拿鐵的美國人能認得。現在，我們正在申請基金，用以和其他組織如來自咖啡生產地國家的「國際保育」組織，進行合作。可是，要達到能讓受認證的樹蔭咖啡有穩定供應量的共同合作，得還要幾年的工夫。
有時候，我會對這計畫的抱負開始不受控制、天馬行空地編造任何點子。對於每一件要做的事，我都感到很興奮。但是，我還是必須把精力集中在我們已經完成的事情上，比如說：跟消費者、進口商和零售商接觸的工作。而這提醒了我要和咖啡商會面的事，我得去安排碰面時間了。
2002年1月10日，星期四
氣象預報說，今晨可能會下雨，不過在西華盛頓的一月，這倒不是太令人驚奇的事。儘管如此，我決定在史賓塞島上來點工作前的賞鳥活動。史賓塞島位於西雅圖北方約30哩，通往普捷灣的河流堆積物形成這一小塊陸地。低濕的河口生態系，是再理想也不過的定點賞鳥據點。我喜歡趕在黎明前到達，那正是活動最頻繁的時候，即使這表示早上六點就得起床。
這樣早的清晨，高速公路上的車潮全往南流進西雅圖，幸好我不住北郊。開車時，我可以不時地輪流看看西邊的奧林匹克山，或者東邊那頭一列濃厚紫雲下的卡斯克德山。當我抵達島上時，停車場裡的幾輛車意味著我並非孤單一人。這是件好事，因為（信不信由你）賞鳥是很「社交性」的活動，我們互相分享資訊，東聊西扯地說著哪個人看過了什麼。
有人很興奮地告訴我，島的南端有紅[弱鳥]混在一群松金翅裡-典型的鳥友談話。在發現紅鶸後，我把它從我的「鳥名冊」劃去。我不是那種死忠鳥迷，隨時隨地都攜帶一份打字的鳥類名單，但每回發現一種新鳥，心裡絕對難掩興奮狂喜的。
冬天是西北部最佳的賞鳥時節，即使此時我們的候鳥們已經南飛了。我在島上四處走著，看見一大群凍原天鵝還有一隻美麗的藍蒼鷺。幾隻北方澤鷹在地面上追捕獵物，而我正聆聽著那隻毛茸茸的、用小腦袋敲著樹幹的啄木鳥。經過一棵樹，上頭竟滿是亮眼的頭部紅色、像是戴了紅寶石王冠的金冠鷦鷯，我還嚇跑了沼澤裡一隻孤單的美國鸕鶿。大約一小時後，島上的活動就漸漸平息了。
走回車子時，我突然有個念頭：過不了多久-只要再幾個月-鳴鳥類就開始返回華盛頓了。候鳥實在是種神奇的生物，有的輕至僅僅一盎司，你甚至只需一張郵票就足夠寄送牠們，但是有些候鳥每年歷經的旅途卻有數千英哩之遠。以橄欖脅綠霸鶲舉例來說，它是一種長距離遷徙的候鳥，夏季它們最北自阿拉斯加啟程南飛，最後在安地斯山脈中北部森林過冬。然而，自1960年代以來，由於棲息地縮減，棲息量已下降近四分之一。安地斯山谷區的樹林幾乎砍伐殆盡，已失去了85%或更多的高山林。在美國，橄欖脅綠霸鶲偏好成熟的毬果樹林，尤其是那些經常受天然火災侵擾的區域。成熟樹木的逐年減少，再加上國家的火災壓制政策，使僅存的鳥類棲息地更加地分散破碎。
在北美洲，環保意識的覺醒已超過三十年，但天然棲息地的喪失仍以令人擔憂的速率持續著，市郊悄悄地擴展至山區，光害增強而迫使鳥類離開。殺蟲劑的使用雖然不若1960年代嚴重，仍然從郊區草地及農地蔓延開來，嚴重影響到小型生物的生態，比如鳴鳥類。
儘管如此，以賞鳥開始這一天還是令人無比振奮。駕車回西雅圖，回到辦公室、電腦及電話，我知道自己需要更常出外賞鳥。真迫不及待地想看到那第一隻鶲，或者綠鵑，歷經漫長旅途，自溫暖的冬日返回這咖啡國度。
2002年1月11日 星期五
今天我預定要和運動同仁們進行一次重要的電話會議。儘管還沒拿到共同申請的補助金，我們已經開始籌畫，連同幾家全國最大的特選咖啡商舉辦一次活動來促銷樹蔭咖啡。你或許認得這些公司-其中幾家擁有遍佈全國的連鎖店-但我保證這場活動絕對沒有你想的那樣「引人注目」。千萬別以為會有粗暴喧鬧的抗議者在星巴客外頭反覆嘶喊著：「喝咖啡，不喝鳥血！」而是，試著想像：商業企畫、供應商契約、認證標準，以及宣導手冊。
這種作法或許沒那麼花俏、吸引人，但才是最後會成功的方式。對一家廠商施壓絕對會使得他們全部都不信任我們。我們發現，重要的是建立良好關係、使合作過程盡量簡單，以及由過去的經驗提供具說服力的證據。由於如此低調堅持，我們才能在今春宣布「熱力咖啡」正式開幕，這是一間在地的、完全有機的咖啡烘焙與販售商店。終於，大部分與我們合作的咖啡商，不論全國或地區性的，有了進步的根基與顧客-他們都想做正確的事。
個人咖啡消費者也是如此。我們的主張沒有堅實的研究基礎，但得到的回應總是正面的。問題在於發聲。我們不可能在黃金時段播放廣告，或在每個角落豎立宣傳看板，但總有其他吸引注意力的方法。去年春天有場慈善音樂會，堪稱近來西雅圖最盛大的活動之一，就是由我們的聯盟夥伴「鳴鳥基金會」所發起的，參與者包括丹尼‧歐基夫（Danny O'Keefe）， 邦妮‧瑞特（Bonnie Raitt），傑克森‧布朗（Jackson Browne），以及凱‧伯莫（Keb'Mo'）等。
不過我通常致力於由義工支援的小型活動。現在，我正動員這些同仁們，在西雅圖居家展覽的一部份「環境博覽會」擺一個攤位。我們的構想是，提供咖啡測試並準備資料供民眾索取。樹蔭咖啡的一個最大賣點在於它比快速生長的日光咖啡豆多了分與生俱來的香甜，少了分苦澀。對大部分的人來說，品質、口味、健康、便利性-而非環境考量-是購買咖啡時的決定要點。所以我們強調樹蔭咖啡的口味、有機栽培以及高品質。我不介意為了迎合消費者而調整、修飾我們的訊息，只要中心訴求被接收到了就好。
一個宣導樹蔭咖啡最新穎的點子是尋求教會的支持（我怎麼沒想到！）。想想：一般人做完禮拜會做些什麼呢？他們一塊兒喝咖啡聊天。樹蔭種植、公平交易的咖啡與許多牧師支持的社會、環境訴求一致；此外，教堂提供了強有力的媒介來教育其組成多元且忠誠的聽眾。如果我們與夠多的集會合作，消息就能在宗教社群間傳播開來，同時爭取到了另一個盟友，並且將訊息帶給平常不容易接觸到我們的人。
我們的義工們也參加賞鳥節，一邊用溫熱的咖啡暖和一雙雙冰冷的手，一邊談論鳴鳥冬天的棲息地。未來，我們組織將會與西北部的大專院校簽約合作，在校園的速食部及餐廳銷售樹蔭咖啡。至於下一步要做什麼，既然西北樹蔭咖啡運動組織只有唯一的職員-我，我願意嘗試一切的可能。
我大學曾在加州鳥類救護與復健中心實習，那時開始對鳥類生態產生興趣。當我跟獸醫和復健師一同工作時，我面對著那些北美鳥類，親眼看見了問題所在，而其中很多是人類造成的。我知道，大部分的人不像我，他們不會親眼目睹這些問題，不會造訪拉丁美洲的咖啡農場，就如同大部分的我們也不會親自去北極國家野生動植物保護區。我們懷抱著希望選擇保護這些地方，是基於個人的信念，是因為親慕大自然、認同永續生存的重要。就投入環保而言，飲用樹蔭咖啡是非常簡單的，然而它可以改變世界──一杯一杯地。
Ashley Parkinson is coordinator of Seattle Audubon Society's Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign, which works to educate retailers and consumers about the benefits of shade-grown coffee.Monday, 7 Jan 2002
SEATTLE, Wash.
Trust me, if you stand on any street corner in downtown Seattle and turn in a circle, you'll see no less than four coffee shops — and two of them will probably be Starbucks. Although the notoriously bad Seattle weather could contribute to a culture of caffeine addicts, the phenomenon is hardly unique to the Northwest. From tall double decaf soy lattes to instant Sanka, Americans drink more than 400 million cups of joe per day, or one-third of global consumption. Our predilection makes coffee the second most widely traded commodity on the world market after oil.
Yet despite our booming coffee culture, most Americans will never see a coffee tree, because production is concentrated in the warm climates of the developing world. We are familiar with the dark brown, already-roasted beans, not the unhusked green beans or the red berries clinging to waist-high bushes in Central and South America, Vietnam, and Africa.
American consumers mark the end of a long chain of farmers, importers, roasters, and distributors — 20 million worldwide — that make a living from coffee. Advertising departments might bill it as "the best part of waking up," but the coffee you drink has serious social and environmental implications half a world away. My job as coordinator of the Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign is to get people to understand those implications by familiarizing them with the lengthy chain of events connecting people to coffee, and connecting coffee to the birds that sing outside your window while you drink your morning cup.
The majority of neotropical birds in the Pacific Northwest (and 60 to 80 percent of the birds in eastern U.S. forests and Canada) winter in the mid-elevation forests of Latin America. Many of these forests have been cleared and converted to permanent cropland, and modern, high-tech coffee production is hastening that process. Traditionally, coffee is planted on small farms under the forest canopy, where farmers often grow fruit trees or other supplementary crops alongside the coffee bushes. The flowers and fruits of the shade trees attract omnivorous species like MacGillvray's Warbler and Orchard Orioles by providing food and protection from predators. Researchers have found a surprising biodiversity of birds, bats, butterflies, ants, amphibians, and orchids in shade coffee plantations.
Under the guidance of international development agencies, including USAID, this pattern began to change in the 1970s, as farmers converted their shade coffee crops to full sun. Coffee yields increase substantially on sun plantations, but the increase comes at a price: The plants need far more chemical inputs — particularly nitrogen fertilizers — and the monocultures increase soil erosion and water pollution. Converting to full sun coffee farming not only destroys habitat for birds, but also reduces options for farmers who are completely dependent on the international price of coffee. Small farmers rely on secondary crops from shade coffee plantations like fruit and wood to help them survive increasingly harsh market conditions. Lately, those conditions have become all but unbearable, as world coffee prices have fallen to all-time lows because of increased production of low-grade beans in Vietnam and other countries. You may be paying $12 for a pound of beans, but the farmers are getting around 50 cents or less for selling the same quantity.
At these prices, small family farms can't break even. As a result, traditional shade coffee farmers are forced to abandon or sell their farms and more land is being converted to sun plantations. The U.N. World Food Program estimates that 150,000 people have become refugees because of the recent coffee crisis. In an ironic twist, some coffee farmers in Columbia are switching their crops to a different, more valuable commodity (although one that is rarely counted on world markets): coca, the key ingredient in cocaine.
The Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign is one of several organizations in the U.S. trying to influence coffee drinkers to choose sustainably grown coffee. Fair trade, shade-grown, organic coffee is quite a mouthful to ask for when you're barely awake, which is one of the reasons our campaign focuses on educating retailers as well as consumers. Still, it's an uphill fight. We concentrate our efforts on the specialty coffee market (those beans sold at high-end stores like Starbucks), but that market represents only about 15 per cent of total coffee consumption.
As I drink my own cup of certified shade-grown coffee, the numbers seem overwhelming:
- 20 million people employed in the coffee trade
- 46 cents per pound on the world market
- Half as many birds migrating to and from North America than in the 1960s
- 90 percent fewer bird species found on sun coffee farms than on shade farms
Fired up both literally and figuratively by coffee, I pick up the phone and get to work.
Tuesday, 8 Jan 2002
SEATTLE, Wash.
It seems like two weeks of holiday vacation is prompting a backlash; my schedule book has filled up quickly. Seattle Audubon is one of seven organizations funded by the same foundation to promote shade-grown coffee, and in the last few months, the various groups have been keeping in close contact. Meeting with campaign partners and keeping up on the minutia of the coffee trade takes more time than I often care to admit.
Fortunately, I also spend a lot of time talking to the public — college students, other activists, supermarket shoppers — about songbirds and coffee. In my slide presentations, I try to explain the impact coffee has on the environment in Latin America, a process I recently got to witness firsthand.
Last July, I spent a month in Nicaragua and Costa Rica visiting shade coffee farms, talking to farmers, and taking pictures. Flying in, the airplane-eye view of the deep green mountains of Central America was incredible. Once on the ground in Nicaragua, however, the reality of life in one of the poorest nations in the Western hemisphere was as oppressive as the blanket of humidity that hangs over the capitol city of Managua. Three years ago, Hurricane Mitch dumped a couple of feet of rain on the already-struggling country, killing thousands, washing away tons of topsoil, and further impoverishing small farmers. Now the recent drop in world coffee prices has made the economic situation even worse. Things have gotten so bad, a taxi driver told me, that people were fleeing to the U.S. because they could no longer make a living farming. In other words, people would rather risk dying in the desert than stay in Nicaragua.
Up in the mountains of Nicaragua, the temperature cooled off and it was easier to imagine a more promising future for the nation's farmers. One of my first stops was Selva Negra, a sustainable coffee plantation that produces shade-grown coffee and other agricultural products and welcomes tourists. Meaning "black forest," Selva Negra was established by descendents of the original German settlers who introduced coffee farming to Nicaragua a century ago. Touring the plantation, I could hear the screeching of howler monkeys in the near-pristine forest and see toucans perched on the railings of outbuildings.
At Selva Negra, coffee is grown under a modified shade canopy, meaning that the forest is actively managed to allow enough sunlight for the plants. It's a labor-intensive process, but it produces some of the highest-quality beans in Nicaragua. The entire plantation is designed to mimic natural systems and reduce pollution. Selva Negra produces its own fertilizer from the pulp of the coffee cherry and uses captured methane gas from the decomposition of other wastes to power cooking stoves, nearly eliminating the need for wood as a fuel source.
Down the road, however, a sun plantation demonstrated the stark contrast between the two styles of coffee farming. The farmers there told me the people at Selva Negra were crazy. The number of plants per acre increases nearly three-fold under full sun, they said. But when I reached down, the soil was dry, not at all like the moist compost at Selva Negra. There were virtually no birds. Without the overstory and the fauna that live there, insects are a constant problem. This plantation was hardly sustainable; without fertilizers and pesticides, the plants would die. And in Central America, pesticides are applied with less regulation and less regard for worker safety than in the U.S. As late as 1990, Costa Rica permitted the use of chlordane, a highly persistent insecticide banned in the United States.
The workers on the sun plantation couldn't understand why anyone would give up the yields made possible by full-sun farming. But they also didn't understand that they'd painted themselves into a corner. Dependent on expensive chemicals, they would have difficulty weathering the steep drop in coffee prices.
Back in the U.S., when I tell people about my trip and show them the slides, they start to get it. After the presentation, they can visualize the worker who picked the 100 beans that went into their cup of coffee. And they can see how their choice of which kind of coffee to drink affects the future of developing countries like Nicaragua.
Wednesday, 9 Jan 2002
SEATTLE, Wash.
Today I'm trying to schedule a meeting with a local coffee importer to tour their operation and learn more about their perspective on the coffee business. It's a visit that's probably long overdue, but somehow I've managed to put it off. Importers represent just one step in the process of converting coffee from crop to steaming cup, but they're crucial to establishing shade-grown varieties in the specialty market. What they choose to market to roasters and retailers is what ends up in the cafes and stores. Some promote shade-grown organic beans; others don't.
When the Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign began six years ago with a group of volunteers and the support of several local coffee companies, we approached the coffee issue much the same way activists tackle any problem: We held events and raised money and waited for change to come. And it did. Today, 45 roasters and retailers are part of the campaign. Each has pledged to offer at least one line of shade-grown coffee year-round and educate their customers about the benefits of shade-grown coffee. In exchange, they get to use our logo on their products.
To achieve what we have in the last six years, we've had to learn a lot about the business of coffee. For instance, something as basic as shade certification (independent confirmation that coffee is actually grown under shade conditions) is expensive and difficult to obtain. The sheer number of farmers, the different farming methods, and the vast geographic area all inhibit our information-gathering. Both the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and the Rainforest Alliance certify shade-grown coffee, but there is no universal standard, no single label that lets consumers know they are buying coffee that is shade-grown.
We took a big step forward last May, when the Consumer's Choice Council issued "Conservation Principles for Coffee Production," a set of guidelines that can be used to create certification systems. The principles advocate coffee farming that protects wildlife and habitat, conserves water and energy, and creates sustainable jobs. These principles have been a powerful tool; Starbucks has used them to change their sourcing practices, prioritizing environmentally and socially responsible coffee in their acquisition process.
For now, though, consumers wade through three different systems when buying socially responsible coffee. In addition to shade-grown coffee, fair trade and organic coffee command attention on the supermarket shelves. Certified fair-trade importers like Equal Exchange work directly with coffee cooperatives, ensuring that farmers receive a stable price of $1.26 per pound. While U.S. importers encourage their cooperatives to adopt organic and shade practices, fair trade coffee is not necessarily organic or shade-grown. The best estimates are that 70 percent of fair trade coffee is organically produced.
If socially and environmentally responsible coffee is ever to move beyond the niche market of specialty coffee and "into the can," we'll need to develop one consistent label that indicates triple-certification. Three companies — Folgers, Nestle, and Kraft — control much of the mainstream coffee market. To date, they have done almost nothing to determine the source of their beans. Working through brokers and combining coffee from different countries to create their signature roasts, the big three conveniently opt to look the other way when it comes to the health of the workers and of the environment in coffee-producing countries.
I think that can change. But like the "dolphin-safe tuna" campaign of the 1980s, coffee will need an instantly identifiable logo to communicate to the majority of Americans who can't tell the difference between a cappuccino and a latte. Right now we're applying for funding to work with other organizations, like Conservation International, on the ground in coffee country, but a coordinated effort to ensure a steady supply of certified shade-grown coffee is still a couple years off.
Sometimes my ambitions for this project start spinning out of control. I'm so excited for everything to work, but I need to concentrate on building on what we've already accomplished — like working on all fronts with consumers, importers, and retailers. Which reminds me, I've got a meeting to schedule.
Thursday, 10 Jan 2002
SEATTLE, Wash.
There's a chance of rain this morning, but in western Washington in January, that doesn't come as much of a surprise. Despite the forecast, I've decided to do a little pre-work birding on Spencer Island, a small landmass about 30 miles north of Seattle formed by the rivers leading to Puget Sound. A low, wet estuary ecosystem, it's ideal for spotting birds. I like to get there just before sunrise, when there is the most activity, even though it means getting up around 6 a.m.
This early in the morning, all the traffic on the freeway is heading south into Seattle and I count myself lucky that I don't live out in the northern suburbs. As I drive, I can alternately see the Olympics to the west and the Cascades to the east just below a line of thick, purple clouds. When I arrive at the island, a couple of cars in the parking lot signal that I'm not alone, which is great because (believe it or not) birding is a very social activity. We share information, gossiping about who has seen what.
Someone tells me excitedly that there are redpolls mixed in with a flock of pine siskins on the south side of the island — typical birder talk. I find the redpolls and check them off my "life list." I am not a hardcore birder with a typed life list in hand at all times, but there's a certain thrill in mentally noting a new species.
Winter is an ideal time for birding in the Northwest, even if our migrants have flown south. Walking around the island, I see a big flock of tundra swans and a great blue heron. A couple of northern harriers hunt for prey on the ground while I listen to a downy woodpecker banging its head against a tree. I pass by a tree full of bright red-headed ruby-crowned kinglets and scare a lone American bittern out of a marsh. After an hour or so on the island, activity slows down.
As I head back to my car, it strikes me that it won't be long — just a few more months — before songbirds start returning to Washington. Migratory birds are amazing creatures. Weighing as little as one ounce, you could mail many of them with a single postage stamp, yet some travel thousands of miles each year. Take the olive-sided flycatcher, for example. A long-distance migratory bird, it travels from as far north as Alaska in the summer to the forests of the northern and central Andes in the winter. But populations have declined by about 25 percent since the 1960s, primarily due to habitat loss. Andean valleys are almost completely deforested, and 85 percent or more of montane forests have been cut. In the U.S., the olive-sided flycatcher prefers mature, coniferous forests, particularly those undergoing natural fire disturbance regimes. The decline in old growth forests and national fire suppression policies have seriously fragmented remaining habitat.
In North America, we've had 30 years or more of environmental awareness and still habitat loss occurs at an alarming rate — suburbs creep into the mountains and pollution from lights increases, throwing birds off course. Pesticides, though not nearly the problem they were in the 1960s, still run off suburban lawns and agricultural fields, profoundly affecting small creatures like songbirds.
Despite all this, birding is an exhilarating way to begin the day. Driving back to Seattle, back to my office and the computer and phone, I know that I need to go out bird-watching more often. And I can't wait to see that first flycatcher or vireo, back from a long flight and a warm winter in coffee country.
Friday, 11 Jan 2002
SEATTLE, Wash.
Today I've got a big conference call scheduled with our campaign partners. Even though we haven't yet received a grant we applied for jointly, we're beginning to plan a campaign involving some of the country's largest specialty coffee retailers to increase sales of shade coffee. You would probably recognize the companies — some have stores across the country — but I guarantee you that the campaign is less glamorous that you're thinking. Stop picturing rowdy protesters chanting "No more bird blood for lattes!" outside the local Starbucks. Think business plans and supplier agreements, certification criteria and educational brochures.
It may be less sexy, but it's what will work in the end. Putting pressure on one company is a sure way to make all of them mistrust us. We've found that building relationships, making the process as easy as possible, and providing convincing evidence based on past results is what matters. It's this low-key persistence that allowed us to announce this spring the opening of an all-organic Caffe Appassionato store, a local coffee roaster and retailer. In the end, most of the coffee companies we're working with — whether they are national or regional — have progressive roots and progressive customers; they want to do the right thing.
And it's the same with individual coffee drinkers. My evidence is anecdotal, but the response at our events is always positive. The problem is getting the word out. We can't run a TV commercial during prime time or put a billboard on every corner, but there are other ways to get attention. One of Seattle's recent high-profile events was a concert last spring sponsored by our coalition partner, the Songbird Foundation, that featured Danny O'Keefe, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, and Keb'Mo'.
Usually, though, I concentrate on small events staffed by our volunteers. Right now, I'm mobilizing the troops to run a booth at the Environmental Expo, part of the Seattle Home Show. We plan to have a coffee tasting, and, of course, literature available at the table. One of the big selling points with shade coffee is that the flavor is typically sweeter and less bitter than coffee made from quick-growing sun beans. For most people, the choice of coffee is determined more by quality, taste, health, and convenience than the environment. So we talk up the flavor, the organic growing conditions, and the high quality. I don't mind modifying our message to meet the consumer, so long as the point is taken.
One the most innovative ideas for spreading the word about shade-grown coffee (and I wish I'd thought of it), is enlisting churches. Think about it: What do people do after church? They drink coffee and talk. Shade-grown, fair-trade coffee is consistent with the social and environmental goals many ministries already support, and churches offer a powerful vehicle for educating a diverse and committed audience. If we sign on enough congregations, the word will begin to spread within the religious community, we'll gain another campaign ally, and we'll reach people who would not usually hear our message.
Our volunteers also attend birding festivals, warming cold hands with warm cups of coffee and talking about the winter habitat of songbirds. And in the future, the campaign will work with Northwest colleges and universities to sign agreements to sell shade-grown coffee in campus snack-bars and dining halls. As for what's next, since the Northwest Shade Coffee Campaign has a staff of one (me), I'm willing to try anything that will work.
I got interested in avian ecology during a college internship with the International Bird Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in California. As I worked with the vets and rehabbers, I saw first hand the problems — many of them caused by humans — facing birds in North America. I know that, unlike me, most people will never see these problems first hand; most will never travel to the coffee farms of Latin America, just as most of us will never see the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Hopefully, we choose to protect these areas anyway, because of our values and personal commitment, our appreciation for the natural world, and our recognition of the importance of living sustainably on the Earth. On the scale of environmental commitment, drinking shade-grown coffee is pretty easy, but it changes the world — one cup at a time.
※ 全文及圖片詳見：Grist Magazine
