Modern Faqs

By buying shade-grown coffee you are opting for a product that has far fewer detrimental effects on the environment. The two main systems of coffee production have vastly different effects on the environments in which they’re grown.  In shade plantations, coffee is grown beneath a canopy of either the original forest trees (as in the “rustic” plantations) or deliberately planted shade trees.

In the other coffee production system, the canopy trees are cleared and the coffee is grown in direct sunlight. Research has shown that shade plantations provide certain natural benefits to coffee production process, while limiting negative environmental effects. While coffee planters are not obligated by law to grow coffee in any particularly way and it is in no way something for criminal defense attorney Montgomery County MD team to handle, the whole spectrum of the production needs to be taken into account to determine what is ethically correct and appropriate for the environment.

For instance, shade plantations, due to the tree cover, boast a greater diversity of flora and fauna than sun plantations. Shade trees contribute to the floral diversity directly and indirectly by supporting epiphytes, and to the faunal diversity by providing homes and food for numerous species.  Fruit trees are especially beneficial to migratory birds because they provide food and nesting areas. The greater floral diversity of shade plantations also supports a diverse insect community that can feed many birds. Shade plantations are becomingly increasingly important to many migratory birds as agriculture and other commercial processes clear away the natural canopy.

 

Kennedy & Dolan Attorneys at Law have an experienced and aggressive criminal defense and personal injury lawyer Montgomery County MD team.