Tropical Loss

Our songbirds need forests. But which forest?  In eastern North America, the amount of forest cover has increased over the past decades as farms have been abandoned and allowed to regenerate into forest.  If our forest birds have more, not less, breeding habitat then why have their populations been going down? In the tropics, it’s a different story altogether – logging of tropical forests is currently taking place at the highest rate since the Europeans first colonized the “New World” in the 1600s.

Our migrants are especially vulnerable to tropical deforestation because most species have a tiny wintering range, compared to their breeding range. The entire breeding population of a species has to cram into a much smaller area to find food & survive the over-wintering season – heavy deforestation in one tropical country or region can affect the entire species. As the dramatic loss of tropical forest continues, the importance of traditionally grown coffee becomes critical. Scientific evidence proves that these farms are nearly as good at providing critical habitat as forests. Yet, sadly, this centuries old form of sustainable agriculture is under threat too – by big agriculture’s sun coffee plantations. By buying certified ‘Bird Friendly® coffee we can help arrest this sorry trend.

Birds & Beans® is the only coffee brand in the entire country which solely roasts ‘Bird Friendly®’ certified beans. We roast and sell Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center certified coffee. Three of our roasts are Fair-Trade, the fourth is Rainforest Alliance and all four are USDA Organic certified. Great for birds, people, the Earth. Great tasting coffee too.

The hillside in this image is quite steep. The forest cover provided by the shade coffee system upslope from the road greatly aids in soil protection. The sun coffee farm downslope from the road exposes the fragile mountain soil to wind and rain erosion. (Cited SMBC)

Birds & Beans, supporting sustainable agriculture, conserving winter bird habitat and great coffee

As you look around at the environmental crisis enveloping our planet, do you ever stop and think, “What can I do?” In Organic Manifesto, Maria Rodale, CEO of Rodale and granddaughter of the man who started the modern-day organic food movement, answers that question firmly: Buy organic food

“If you do just one thing to change the world, go organic.

Going organic is the single most critical (and most DOABLE) action we can take right now to stop our climate crisis. Every acre of ground that’s farmed organically has the potential to pull thousands of pounds of warming greenhouse gases out of our air.

Organic farming is a real, attainable solution to our current global climate crisis! Organic farming can actually remove greenhouse gases from the air – helping to reverse the climate crisis!

Organic living can stop the climate crisis. When you combine the impact of protecting the beneficial mycorrhizal fungi in the soil (which absorb and neutralize carbon) and eliminating all the toxic chemicals (and their packaging and the energy spent producing them), the carbon problem in our atmosphere is practically solved. We still need more renewable energy, but restoring the earth’s ability to sequester carbon is a good place to start. And you’ll do it while eating.”

– Maria Rodale, Organic Manifesto: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe

All our coffee comes from family owned farms that are independently certified as Smithsonian ‘Bird Friendly®, USDA Organic and Fair-Trade.

Birds & Beans® is the only coffee brand in the entire country which solely roasts ‘Bird Friendly®’ certified beans. We roast and sell Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center certified coffee. Our roasts are Fair-Trade and USDA Organic certified. Great for birds, people, the Earth. Great tasting coffee too.