Consumers can do several things.  First, read and learn about Sustainability.  Donate to organizations that you like.  But also, when you shop, let your dollars vote - if you buy only coffees that are certified as being farmed sustainably, it will have a strong effect on the market.

You can find out more about Earth Day here, and more generally you can visit ManMadeClimateChange.com.

If we all work together, we can make this world a better place - for ourselves, and for future generations.
  

NOTE: Coffee grounds are high in nitrogen so do not use them around flowering plants or tomatoes; you will get more plant and fewer blooms.  If you add coffee grounds to the mulch around a plant's base, coffee should be at most  25% of the mulch; you don't wan t to over do it!   And if you are overrun with Azalea's, and low on coffee you can also add acid to the soil with tea, vinegar, and saw dust.  Some people mix coffee grounds when growing carrots and radishes, claiming it reduces bug and maggots.   They also help Hydrangeas.  And adding them to seed mixtures can help young plants grow, because of the added nitrogen.
 

  
Do you have ants indoors? Snails and slugs outdoors?  Coffee grounds can repel them!  And its natural; no pesticides needed. Coffee grounds can also help 'steer' cats away from areas of the garden.

Some people try to use coffee grounds to reduce the visibility of scratches in furniture.  You steep the used grounds again, in a pot with a little bit of water.    Then use that water to stain the scratch, making it disappear.  Test this on a hidden part of the furniture item to gauge how well it works for that particular wood and finish.  You can also use the liquid to dye fabric, Easter Eggs, and paper.

When you clean your fireplace ashes, sprinkle some coffee grounds first on the ashes - it helps hold them together, and reduces the amount of dust created.

Coffee grounds are gritty so they can be used to augment cleaning and scrubbing like with dishes and pots and pans; wrap some grounds in a thin towel to create your scrubber.   You can also use coffee grounds on your hands (instead of wasting a lemon) to remove odors like cooking odors; and the can exfoliate the skin on the hand.

Some women use coffee grounds as a conditioner; which is another way to save money.  After shampooing, you rub the coffee grounds on the ends of the hair and they should benefit, soft and shiny.  Rinse well.  You can also add coffee grounds to your body-wash liquid, to gently exfoliate your more calloused areas.  Don't be too vigorous - take it slowly at first and monitor the results.  There are also ways to add coffee grounds when doing a home-made facial.

Instead of buying Baking Soda or other products, a bowl of used coffee grounds in the fridge can absorb odors.  Or in any closet or closed room or space that is musky smelling, a bowl or satchel of coffee grounds will absorb odors.  You will have a slight coffee odor but that is more pleasant than a mold type of smell.

You can get a lot of coffee grounds, if you have a big garden, from coffee shops. They often just throw away their old grounds.  You could also them to compost their old grounds.  It helps the world, and everyone benefits!

Finally, after you shampoo your pet, if you rub coffee grounds throughout their fur, some people have found it can repel fleas!  And its all natural; so that is good for your pets health.

If you know of other uses, please Contact Us!

Here is an interesting film, about living with coffee.  There are millions of coffee farmers in the world, and many of them make very little money.  Coffee is their whole life, and it affects everything they do.

Click Here to see the video.

You can help these farmers by buying ethically sourced coffees.  Fair Trade Coffee is the most common form.  There are other groups working in this area including Direct Trade coffee.  It is possible that Direct Trade results in a higher wage than Fair Trade.  There are also issues of sustainability, for how we treat the environment.  

Farmers that are willing to use better practices should be rewarded for their efforts.  Large coffee companies that abuse labels like "Fair Trade" or "Ethically Sourced" should not benefit - so pay attention to how the labels are used.  If a company sources only a small percentage of its beans ethically, then do not support that company.

Each dollar in your pocket has names attached to it; the names of the farmer that grew those beans.  How you spend those dollars an make a big difference in the lives of others.

You can learn more about the coffee industry in general, and the Asian Pacific area in particular, by attending the Asia Coffee Congress 2014. It will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia on May 6th -8th 2014.  This is hte only such international meeting in Indonesia, about coffee; it will bring together coffee roasters, manufacturers, traders and certification groups, from around the world.

Coffees.com has a tremendous opportunity also, for doing business in Indonesia.  We seek to sell our URL,

IndonesianCoffees.com

It's a complete set of 4 URL'S: IndonesianCoffees.com, IndonesianCoffee.com, IndonesiaCoffees.com, IndonesiaCoffee.com

You can learn about coffee analytics for  both production and consumption, pricing trends, advice on the supply chain, and new sustainability programs  There will also be many speakers, including Mr. Irfan Anwar, Chairman of Association of Indonesian Coffee Exporters and also the CEO of COFFINDO.  Mr anwar will aos be the speaker for Asian Coffee Outlook.

Do you want to do business in or with Indonesian coffee companies?  Then you need to attend this conference.  You can download the event brochure to get more information by clicking here.