• Fair trade. The fair trade certification label ensures that the workers or farmers who produce a product receive a fair price for their goods and have improved labor conditions. The fair trade label also often includes a measure of environmental sustainability and responsibly managed farms. Fair trade standards are decided upon and enforced by third party certifiers under the umbrella organization Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International.

• Organic. Organic coffee is grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides, which means less environmental pollution and improved worker health.

• Shade grown. If your coffee says shade grown, chances are it is responsibly farmed. Shade grown coffee does not require as much land clearing, leaving original tree cover or other taller crops available for songbird (and other wildlife) habitats. This method of growing also helps to prevent soil erosion, increases the ability for natural pest control and reduces the need for weeding.

For a glimpse into the global coffee industry, check out the documentary Black Gold. The film literally follows the coffee bean from the farm to your cup, including everyone who comes into contact with it: the workers on the coffee plantations, those who set the prices and buy the coffee, and the consumers who have turned coffee into an artform.

Can’t find coffee with these labels? GO’s Brady Swenson has a few things you can do to plant the seed for fair trade in your community, such as simply asking for it at your local coffee shop or grocery store.

When you’re making your own: GO’s Patrick Donnelly has suggested a couple of tips for greening up your home brew, including using unbleached paper filters, or reusable gold or steel filters. You could also skip the filters and electricity by switching over to a french press (but, yes, it does require boiling water.) And instead of tossing out all those coffee grounds, compost them.

For coffee on the go bring your own mug. You’ll waste less paper, and if it’s a stainless steel mug it will stay warmer longer. Forgot your mug? Avoid the double cup by using a sleeve, and please, please, say no to the bag. If you’re carrying more than one cup, use a drink tray (and recycle it when you’re finished.)

More on coffee and fair trade from Green Options:

Black Gold: The Story Behind Your Morning Brew

Daily Tip: Bring Your Own Coffee Mug

Dean’s Beans and the Fairer Trade

Eco-Effective Decisions: Fair Trade, When Voting with your Dollars Counts

Fair Trade: Certification

Fair Trade: Fair Wages

Fair Trade: Environment

Fair Trade: Transparency

The Greenest Coffee on the Planet

How to Plant the Fair Trade Seed in Your Community

Kicking the Habit: Greening that Cup o’ Joe

Labor Day: Rights and Respect for the Worker

Organic Coffee Company Sponsors Guatemalan Radio Show to Promote Fair-Trade

Starbucks Backs Down, Allows Ethiopia Trademark Rights To Its Own Names

10 Simple Ways to "Fair Up" Your Friends and Family

The Fair Trade coffee documentary Black Gold has been screening for over a year now but becasue it wasn't released widely I had not had a chance to see it until it was shown at the Chicago Green Festival a couple weeks ago - and I was impressed. The Village Voice called it "a model of patient storytelling," which is just what you should want from a good documentary. The movie opens with starkly contrasting images of rural Ethipoian coffee farmers and urban swarms of coffee drinkers, the effect of which lingers for the duration of the movie. Black Gold then goes into patient storytelling mode and methodically describes the international coffee industry and how it effects producers of coffee.

The economic scope of in the international coffee industry is jarring. It is dominated by four multinational corporations: Nestle, Proctor & Gamble, Kraft and Starbucks. Coffee is the second most actively traded commodity in the world and two billions cups of coffee are consumed every day on planet Earth. In Europe and the US a cup of brewed coffee sells for an average of $2.90. Using the standard 7 grams of ground coffee per cup companies like Starbucks are making about $188.50 per pound of cofee. Depending on the volatile price of coffee on the international market farmers rerceive between $0.60 and $1.40 per pound.

The movie's main storyline follows the inspiring Tedesse Meskela, General Manager of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Co-operative Union in Ethiopia. The union represents 101 Co-operatives and over 74,000 coffee farmers. I was fortunate enough to meet Tedesse in Chicago and I asked him about the union's progress since the movie was filmed. Oromia now sells about 2%, or 2,500 pounds, per year of its organic shade grown coffee to the Fair Trade market. Making use the $0.10 per pound social premium of Fair Trade coffee (to be used for community development) Oromia has built 4 schools and 26 water sanitation stations and 10 more schools are planned for construction. He noted that the guranteed price and long-term trading relationships he has developed with importers like Peace Coffee and Higher Grounds has helped to stabilize life for farmers.

Asked about African development in general Tedesse echoed the sentiments of the Malawian trade minister in the movie, "Trade is more important to Africa than aid." While aid to Africa has increased recently Africa's share of global trade continues to decline. The continent's share in global exports in 2005 was only 2.8%, roughly equivalent to its 1991 share and less than half its peak value in 1980 (6.0%). A mere one percent increase in trade would generate 70 billion dollars annually or five tmies the aid Africa receives now. Black Gold argues that trading fairly with disadvantaged African producers could be one step toward increasing Africa's inclusion in the global marketplace and spurring meaningful and sustainable development.

Black Gold is still gaining steam. It's being screened more and more aorund the world and has been picked up for cinema distribution in Ireland and the UK. Look for upcoming screenings in your area.