Like many North Americans I have a morning vice called coffee. Although I am not as bad as some, my day is thrown out of sorts if I don’t start it with about three big cups of strong joe. Most of the coffee I drink is self-brewed - I try to avoid going to Tim Hortons, Starbucks, or Dunkin. Part of the reason I self-brew is cost - it adds up to buy one or two coffees a day from the name brand stores.

Another reason I self-brew is time. I live in a country that is obsessed with Tim Hortons for reasons that I can’t figure. Canadians are so determined to get their coffee from this company that in the morning it is impossible to get a coffee without having to wait at least 10 minutes in your car or in the store. I honestly think Canada’s carbon footprint would be significantly reduced if just a fraction of Tim’s customers actually gave up their morning ritual and brewed their own coffee at home. I am being a bit facetious here, but not entirely. Not only are the drive-thru lineups wasteful in terms of fuel use,  they can actually be dangerous as well. I have witnessed several near car accidents from the drive-thru line snaking out into the city streets.

But the most important reason why I self-brew is because I like to know where my coffee comes from. One of my favorite companies is Vermont-based Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR). They have an awesome selection of Fair Trade and Organic coffees to choose from. They are not green bandwagon jumpers either - they have been leaders in the sustainability movement for many years now.

Recently GMCR announced a competitive grant program called Changing Climate Change. They are going to award $200,000 to each of four projects ($800,000 US total) that address climate change mitigation. In an era of corporate cost-cutting and mass layoffs, GMCR is actually initiating a funding program to address one of society’s critical issues. Funding of projects targeting climate change is an area that is typically dominated by government agencies - it is very refreshing and encouraging to see a member of the corporate community take some leadership in this area and hopefully others will follow.

GMCR coffees are competitively priced against other premium whole bean and ground brands. Even here in Canada GMCR products are worth a look. Canadian consumers are frequently overcharged for food products compared to their American neighbors. Because of this, GMCR coffee is actually competitive with store-bought organic and Fair Trade brands in Canada even after the exchange rate and shipping charges are added in. A trick that I use to bring down the per-bag cost is to order several bags at one time - this way the shipping charges per bag are much less than with a smaller order.

Do yourself a favor and give them a try - and sip with satisfaction knowing that you are supporting a true sustainability champion. And if you are one of the few brave souls still playing the stock market, click on the graph below to see how GMCR has performed on Nasdaq over the last six months compared to the rest of the index! And GMCR is not compensating me in any way to write this post - I just wanted to spread the word about the great things that they are doing.

Graph courtesy of NASDAQ