Screaming Monkey

We should be teaching students that if a product is not raised in a fair, ethical and sustainable manner it should not be purchased and served in their hotel or foodservice operation.  Although it may be advised that they purchase the "cheapest" products available we must make sure that they know the true cost is being eaten by those who are producing it. 

Case in point, I just bought Screaming Monkey coffee distributed by Buywell, a Fair Trade Coffee.  Here is the mission of the company, Our mission is to ensure fair and livable wage for coffee producers and to protect the environment with extraordinary Fair Trade Organic coffees.  We source and roast only USDA Organic Coffee with the Fair Trade Certification though TransFair USA.  We use 100% renewable energy in production certified by Green-e.org.  This is our commitment to the growers, the planet and you. 

Yes, I paid more for Screaming Monkey than I would have if I had bought the national brands but I believe in the mission of the company and happy to do so because it is the right thing to do (http://www.buywellcoffee.com/).

What I also bought as part of my coffee purchase was the knowledge of Green-e.  One of their programs is Green-e Climate, which is a certification program that sets consumer-protection and environmental-integrity standards for carbon offsets sold in the voluntary market. Green‑e Energy is the nation’s leading independent certification and verification program for renewable energy. Green‑e Marketplace recognizes companies that make meaningful commitments to use renewable energy by allowing them to display the Green‑e logo when they have purchased a qualifying amount of renewable energy and passed the program’s verification standards.

The company mission is to:

• Bolster customer confidence in the reliability of retail electricity products reflecting renewable energy generation.

• Expand the retail market for electricity products incorporating renewable energy, including expanding the demand for new renewable energy generation.

• Provide customers clear information about retail clean energy products to enable them to make informed purchasing decisions.

• Encourage the deployment of electricity products that minimize air pollution and reduce greenhouse ga s emissions.

To learn more about Green-e visit: http://www.green-e.org/.  As I clicked through their website I was truly  impressed by the work they are doing to build a sustainable energy future and the forward thinking organizations and associations that endorse their mission.

The bottom line is that students must be taught that it is possible to make a profit and do so in socially responsible manner now more than ever.  Each day brings one more person and one more business into the realization that "business as usual" does so at the expense of others and that must come to an end so that everyone's work is meaningful, safe, and profitable.  I hope you will agree and educate your students likewise.