Coffee is a choice we share, every morning, which means we also have the power to choose to do something about its problems. Using that power is also a choice, although I have to admit, it’s not an easy one in today’s climate where, amoung other issues, the consumption of coffee leads directly to deforestation.

Clearing room for growing more coffee, in order to keep up with demand, is also replacing the fractions of forest that remain intact. Let’s face it, coffee is an extractive industry.

Adding to this, the world coffee market, regardless of any good intentions is widely skewed and divided, which plays a big part in the slow pace of much-needed social, environmental and economic change. Because, well, money rules.

The weight of the negative information, without there being clear solutions, can easily lead coffee lovers to feel helpless. Feeling particularly powerless to the situation myself recently, I stumbled across the writing of Anna Mercury, particularly her short essay “How to Stand While the World Falls Down: Advice for transmuting a disaster”, and it immediately inspired me to get back on the horse and share some of its practical wisdom.

Summary: A personal account of my experience spreading awareness about Cafe Solar® regenerative coffee at Chef Michael Stadtländer's annual Wild Leek and Maple Syrup Festival. I wrote this story on my own to promote this coffee program and provide an insider view of an Eigensinn farm event, which I highly recommend to anyone interested in a unique, top-quality, farm-to-table food experience.  

Experiencing an Eigensinn Farm event is like coming home to a family meal; One is left with that warm, fuzzy feeling along with a side of the tough, yet necessary conversation. It’s a safe space for expensive tech. I lost my phone in the vast sea of people at this year’s Wild Leak and Maple Syrup Festival and suffered zero heart rate increase imagining someone pocketing it. No one here cares about phones. Plus, all the chefs and attendees, including the 100 healthcare workers invited this year (a show of pandemic goodwill), are a part of this “food family”. I found my phone within 30 minutes of eating and talking. Someone had handed it over to Chef Michael Stadtländer; The man of the hour.

Summary: My personal 'lifestyle list' for a cooler planet (a.k.a. low footprint living) ...  

Since we’re living in what could be called the ‘Age of Climate Crisis’, this outdated Jurassic notion ‘Earth Day’ as awareness must evolve … past the hashtag and green marketing opportunities, to putting that awareness into practice. And since our daily habits (365 days of the year) are a reflection of how we treat mama earth, I’m taking today to share my personal ‘lifestyle list’ for a cooler planet. This list is tailored towards actions that people can internalize in their daily lives … that are enriching and also don’t take a lot of extra time.

It’s About Checking In With How We Check Out

In our so-called developed world, we’re caught in what seems like an endless cycle of working, buying, using, and throwing stuff away. So one of the most effective means for the average person to have agency and create change in society is through their lifestyle decisions and consuming habits; i.e. what they buy, companies they support, and all the ‘boring’ things they do each and every day. (Not through direct tree-planting and tree-bathing, although this can cultivate the right mindset).