However, coffee is consumed in mass amounts off campus as well. Throughout the world, coffee is the most popular beverage next to water. Over 500 billion cups of coffee are consumed each year. Over 10 billion dollars in revenue is made annually in the coffee industry. However, the small farmer receives less than one percent of the profit, as coffee may change hands as many as 15 times.

In addition, coffee crops are sprayed with pesticides, and the soil is infused with fertilizers. This leads to water contamination, depletion of nutrients in the soil, acidification of the soil and rainforest destruction. For every cup of coffee consumed, three square centimeters of rainforest are destroyed. Ten thousand square kilometers of rainforest are lost annually to the cultivation of coffee. If rainforest destruction is unimportant you as a consumer, you should know that 95 percent of coffee beans are sold stale or molding.

We should all cut down on our coffee consumption and make purchases backed with knowledge in order to achieve the protection of our rainforests, promote fair trade and maintain biodiversity. Think of the consequences next time you reach for your morning cup of coffee.   

 — Jessica Moore
Freshman, Roosevelt College