Presto Electro

I know I spend too much time raving about infographics. I promise that is not what this update is about… but I am going to lead off with this one. It's an interactive graph that plots companies based on their reputation and performance with regards to their environmental impact. There are a lot of surprises—particularly Whole Foods being worse for the environment than Ebay (what!?)—but I was most amazed by the mention (and performance) of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. (Hint: You can filter the infographic to "food & beverages" to make them a little easier to find.)

If you've ever visited Discovery Park, you might remember these guys: they're the coffee shop right outside of the cafeteria. They also have a bigger shop on the main campus in the University Union. It's actually a little bit strange for them to be seen this far south. I can't prove this conclusively, but according to Google's Map and the Company Website, UNT's coffee shop might be the only time Green Mountain ever dips its toe below the Mason-Dixon!

What makes them so green, anyway?

I've always known they were purveyors of organic coffee, because the nameplates on every pot of coffee say so, but I didn't know that the coffee is also 100% Fair Trade as well. On top of that, Green Mountain's award-winning ecotainer™ coffee cups are completely biodegradable because the inside is lined with a biopolymer instead of the "traditional" polyethylene.

In spite of all of this, the coffee still somehow costs about the same as any other cup of coffee I've ever bought. I have no idea how this is possible. They also find the time (and funds) to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to coffee-growing communities all over the world. That's probably why CRO ranked them #1 in the 100 Best Corporate Citizens for 2006
and 2007.

Suddenly I don't feel quite so guilty about buying a raspberry scone and a cup of their delicious Wild Mountain Blueberry Coffee every morning!