Henry’s

Costa Mesa, CA

 

Mother’s Market

225 E. 17th Street

Costa Mesa, CA

 

Native Foods

2937 Bristol St, Costa Mesa, CA

714-751-2151

• Buy organic coffee. Certified organic is great. Quite a lot of coffee is grown organically but not certified ("passive organic") or nearly organically (even occasional use of spot-applied herbicide or non-organic fertilizer is a disqualifier). If you are willing to do a little research to learn which ones, these are great, too. You can read more in the organic coffee category; of special interest is this post summarizing organic certification.

 

• Use your own mug. Disposable coffee cups have to be the most wasteful product in the Western world. In the U.S. between 15 and 39 billion cups are tossed every year.

 

• Buy from a local roaster. If you don't have a local roaster, look for Allegro coffee at your nearest Whole Foods Market. There's an added bonus for supporting your local roaster. You develop a relationship with them and can let them know what's important to you. You increase their business, providing them with resources which enable them to develop direct relationships with farmers, which nearly always means improving sustainability efforts.

 

• Quit using paper coffee filters. Don't kill trees and send a filter a day to the landfill. There is a reusable gold filter for virtually every pot. This action also saves money in the long run, and makes your coffee taste better.

 

• If you eat seafood, choose it wisely. Did you know more than 75 percent of the world's fisheries are fully fished or overfished?

 

• Pack a Waste-free Lunch. Reuse containers and reduce waste. Did you know that one kid's average school lunch generates 67 pounds over a year?

Keep it in Orange County: