Starbucks, Earthwatch team up to improve eco-friendly coffee
mongabay.com
February 1, 2007
Earthwatch Institute, a leading environmental volunteering organization, and Starbucks Coffee Company announced they will team up to support environmentally-friendly coffee plantations in Costa Rica.
Starbucks will give eight partners and 20 customers an opportunity to join special Earthwatch research expeditions at CoopeTarrazú, a cooperative of 2,600 coffee farms in central Costa Rica. The expedition will involve the use of GIS (Geographic Information System) technology “to provide a broad scale analysis of factors important to a farmer — including soil erosion and water quality,” explained Earthwatch in a statement. The program is the part of Starbucks’ new $1.1 million, three-year commitment to Earthwatch. Starbucks and Earthwatch have worked together on 15 different conservation projects in countries including Kenya, Belize, and Vietnam.
The promotion starts this April in Starbucks stores where customers can enter a sweepstakes to win a trip to CoopeTarrazú. 20 winners will be selected at random on May 13, 2007.
This article is based on a news release from Earthwatch Institute