Adamah Challenge - Coffee the Right Way! “ For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield; but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor of your people may eat.” --Exodus 23:10 Coffee the Right Way - Fairly Traded, Organic & Shade-grown In the cold winter months, a warm cup of coffee can be a great way to keep warm and make it through this time of darkness and hibernation. It is also an opportunity for us to think about how we can be wise consumers of God’s plenty and make mindful choices that benefit creation and promote justice – starting with our morning coffee. Coffee is one of the most heavily traded products in the world- produced as a cash crop by farmers in Asia, Africa and Latin America, while mostly consumed by developed nations such as the United States and European countries. Farmers and harvesters receive low wages in return for their hard work and struggle to put food on the table for their families. Congregational Challenge: Ask your church to hold a fair trade coffee hour 2-4 Sundays a month! Accept the Challenge! Tell us your success stories! Traditionally, coffee growers use a genetically engineered crop that requires lots of sun and chemical pesticides and fertilizers to produce large yields. Farmers have to clear diverse, tropical forests to plant the crop. Deforestation releases trapped carbon in trees which contributes to global warming, destroys habitats for birds and other species, and eliminates valuable protection from soil erosion. The heavy doses of chemical fertilizers and pesticides also pollute the land and the water. Many small farmers or harvesters on a coffee plantation are also exposed to these pesticides, which can cause skin rashes and other ailments. There is an answer to these destructive practices that honors the goodness of creation and ensures justice for farmers and harvesters-- fairly traded, organic, shade-grown coffee! Fair trade: cuts out the middle man and ensures that small farmers get better pay so they can feed their families and compete with large corporate growers benefiting from free trade agreements Organic: ensures that farmers and the earth are not exposed to harmful pesticides so that coffee can be a life sustaining crop Shade-grown: helps preserve the forest cover and habitat so that migratory birds and other species have a home to rest their heads and our planet remains cool. It also provides other crops for the family to sell or consume. We can support the Jubilee directives in Exodus, not by limiting our coffee consumption, but by supporting a just harvest for the poor who are gleaning the fields for their daily bread. Accept the Challenge Give a gift to your congregation, small farmers, and creation. Get your church on board to host a Coffee the Right Way coffee hour two to four Sundays a month. Ask your church to purchase fair trade, organic, shade-grown coffee instead of their regular blend. This is a great way to honor God’s creation heading into a new year. Is your church already serving fair trade coffee? Tell us the story of how your church made this decision and why. In return for your commitment, Equal Exchange- a fair trade coffee company- will send you a special gift to share with your congregation. Sign up now! First Name * Last Name * Email * Phone Street * City * State/Region Select One... Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware D.C. Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Alberta British Columbia Manitoba Newfoundland New Brunswick Nova Scotia Northwest Territories Nunavut Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon Territory Other * Zip/Postal Code    * Optional Member Code Denomination * Optional Member Code   Resources Many faith communities are part of the Equal Exchange Interfaith Coffee Program. Equal Exchange works in partnership with faith-based relief, development and human rights organizations to help communities of faith learn about and promote Fair Trade and to support small farming cooperatives abroad. Order your fair trade coffee through your denominational link or through the general equal exchange interfaith program. Then, sign up with us and let us know you are committing to this action. In return for committing to an Adamah Action with us, Equal Exchange will send you a special gift! Check out the resources below if you want to buy fair trade coffee or learn more. Equal Exchange Interfaith Coffee Program United Church of Christ Lutheran World Relief Coffee Program Presbyterian Coffee Project Church of the Brethren Environmental Benefits of Fair trade Coffee and Cocoa Tell Us Your Stories How is your Adamah challenge going? Tell us what you have been able to accomplish this month below. First Name: Last Name: Comment: