Oct 02 2008

Gimme Shelter

If you are as reliant on your morning cup o' joe as I am, you will be just as happy to hear that coffee has a new ally in the fight against climate changes that can put the precious crop at risk.

According to the October issue of BioScience, and as seen on the Medical News and Health News blog, shade trees can actually help improve crops' resistance to the higher temperatures and changes in precipitation that have resulted from intensified production over the years. Starbucks: take note.

The Daily Green takes the power of java one step further in its recent post, which cites Ivette Perfecto of the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment, who makes the claim, "Shaded coffee is ideal because it will buffer the system from climate change while protecting biodiversity."

So, not only is shade-grown coffee more resistant to the elements, it also fights climate change by contributing to a richer ecosystem.

Make mine a double!

Posted by: Katie Romans | Comments (0) digg delicioussend to a friendprint entry

 

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  • This is being rather generous to Lutz. 1. The "Volt", in no small part, will be targeted as a product to people who care about energy and environmental issues. These people don't embrace Lutz' antideluvian concepts of rejecting science. How responsible is it for a GM executive to be rejecting the science? 2. As well, Lutz didn't exactly sound too enthusiastic about the Volt itself. 3. And, GM public communications has 'defended' Lutz in rather absurd ways. -A Siegel
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  • This article is right on - small businesses have a huge role to play in sustainability. Not only do they add up in aggregate, but many small businesses operate in industries that can have a significant environmental impact depending on the exact practices, like dry cleaners, auto repair shops, etc. Green is also starting to affect the bottom line more and more, customers are increasingly voting with their feet for more sustainable businesses as can be seen from the growth of sites like http://www.ecovian.com. This is also a huge opportunity for small businesses to leapfrog their bigger brothers by being more agile in adopting these measures. -Emily
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  • Great entry, Katie. Love the level of detail you managed to get in there! Probably won't be able to compete with coal and oil any time the next decade, but definitely a great technology to look into! Keep it up :) -Rune (Norway)
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