For hundreds of thousands of years, billions of birds have flown between their breeding grounds in Canada and their wintering grounds in Central and South America.  Over the last 40 years habitat destruction in their wintering grounds has caused population declines of 50 percent in many songbird populations and some by 90 percent. Unlike so many environmental problems in our increasingly complex world, this one has a simple, proven and enjoyable solution:  Drink certified Bird Friendly® coffee.

According to Dr. Bridget Stutchbury (Canada Research Chair in Ecology and Conservation Biology at York University and author of “Silence of the Songbirds”, “The Bird Detective”), the single most important thing a Canadian consumer can do to help protect our Migratory Songbird populations is purchase certified Bird Friendly® coffee. Whereas modern coffee growing techniques aimed at higher yields eradicate rainforest and grow coffee in the sun, certified Bird Friendly coffee is grown using traditional organic methods under rustic shade that mimics natural rainforest.

A study released recently by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center (Washington, DC) show that the shade-grown farms demonstrated increased numbers and species of birds as well as improved bird habitat, soil protection/erosion control, carbon sequestration, natural pest control, and improved pollination when compared with sun coffee farms. The report concludes that shade coffee farms are the next best thing to natural forest in terms of habitat and bio-diversity.

Our certified Bird Friendly coffees are “Triple certified” — Bird Friendly, Organic and either Fair Trade or Rainforest Alliance certified - making them good for the earth and the farmers. They are the most environmentally friendly coffees in the world.

by David Pritchard - Birds and Beans Inc.

http://www.birdsandbeans.ca

http://www.facebook.com/BirdsAndBeans.ca

It seems like summer will never come – but let’s hope August will be better! Make your day in the country special AND GREEN. Choose from Green Cricket’s selection of green picnic-friendly items that reflect the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. (We often instinctively go to the recycle option when reuse may in fact be the better choice.)

Start by grabbing one of our tote bags, a blanket, steel water bottle and reusable cutlery and plastic plates that don’t break and are not like paper plates that bend and drop your salad on the ground!

Brew yourself a mug of organic coffee or tea at home to take with you in the insulated “not a paper cup” mug complete with non-spill cover. Napkins made from recycled fibres are always handy too. Select your picnic food but don’t forget the snacks: mints, organic chocolate and gummy bears!

Outside means you will need sunscreen and insect repellent and it wouldn’t hurt to pack a hoodie, just in case the bugs get really bad!

And finally choose a fun book, like “Sleeping Naked is Green”, to take with you that will show you the homourous side of becoming green one step, or one picnic, at a time.

…Enjoy!