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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Coffee Conservation—It’s Not Easy Being Green

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Green coffee & Kermit the Frog’s humble beginnings

In honor of Earth Day 2012, PN is celebrating coffee conservation and Kermit the Frog’s humble beginnings.  Jim Henson got his start with Kermit? in 1957 doing commercials for Wilkins Coffee.  Ironically, Kermit was first seen in black and white, before becoming iconic-ally green.  It is debated by Muppet buffs if this is actually Kermit, but it definitely is the inspiration.

Green Coffee Facts

  • Rainforests in Brazil were first cleared to grow coffee on giant plantations in the 19th Century.  This is generally the mass produced robusta coffee.  It grows at low elevations.
  • Buy arabica coffee.  This is the type of most premium coffees.  Arabica coffee trees  grow in mountainous regions and cultivation is done by hand.  Most fair trade coffee is arabica.  Farms are operated by small families, coops, and the farmers treat the land with respect.  They usually live there too.
  • Coffee grows in tropical climates.  Minimizing its shipping to the United States is difficult.  But, we can be conscience of coffee that is shipped from Central America to Europe for processing and then imported back to the New World.  Purchase coffee that is shipped directly to the U.S. for roasting—it’s fresher!
  • Coffee grounds make excellent compost for your garden.
  • Green Coffee is the technical term for unroasted coffee beans.  Green coffee beans are really high in caffeine. Roasting beans diminishes the amount of caffeine.  Chewing on unroasted beans will certainly make one jittery.  (This writer knows from experience.)
  • Coffee is good for you.  It has good antioxidant properties and helps to prevent heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and type 2 diabetes.
  • If you like your coffee with a little kick, remember to try the Irish coffee at Quigley’s Irish Pub (fair trade) in downtown Naperville.
  • And if you’re headed to Cuisine for a Cause this Saturday, April 21 at Tellabs Global Headquarters, find Quigley’s serving its signature Irish coffee.  From 7-10:30PM, Cuisine for a Cause will feature sumptuous samples from 25 restaurants to benefit Naperville CARES. INFO: (630) 369-0200 or cuisine@napervillecares.org / www.napervillecares.org.

 

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PN Ombudsman
PN Ombudsman
An ombudsman is Scandinavian in origin dating back to Viking times; and refers to a community representative; usually acting independently on behalf of an organization, body of elected officials, or civic group. Thanks Scandinavia for inventing ombudsman.

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