By green I mean environmentally friendly.
Going to school at The University of Vermont (UVM) and eating at my college’s dining halls, I know that Green Mountain Coffee bribed a VP or Provost. But that didn’t stop me from sauntering hungover to the dining hall and and picking up a steaming cup of graphite-java. MMM MMM GOOD.
After 2 1/2 years of drinking liquid crap, it got old. I don’t do well with change. That entire time I thought GMC had kept with good Vermont values of being environmentally friendly and socially conscious. But it turns out that Green Mountain is a devilish corporate company bent on making a quick buck before the world expires. So says The New York Times:
But its recent growth has been fueled by a product that runs counter to its reputation. More than 80 percent of Green Mountain’s $803 million in sales last year came from nonrecyclable, nonbiodegradable, single-use coffee pods and their brewing systems. This year, the company expects to sell nearly three billion K-Cups, the plastic and tinfoil pods that are made to be thrown away — filter, grounds and all — after one use.
Michael Dupee, Green Mountain’s vice president for corporate social responsibility, said some customers did not like to see the waste. “Consumers see the waste stream,” Mr. Dupee said, “and they compare it to what they had done before, and they have a perception that there is a problem.”
You’d think that they’d just admit what they’re doing. But instead they cop out and blame the stupid consumers (the only people who like them) for pointing out a large discrepancy.
They can’t be making much money off of Vermonters. We’re a bunch of Bourgeoisie liberal snobs. There are half a dozen local Burlington coffee shops that serve amazing, artisan/fair trade coffees. They brew locally (Speeder and Earl’s), pay a liveable wage, and blah blah blah lots of superior coffee knowledge/liberal words. So they’re not going to lose much by admitting complacency with their scheme to destroy nature.
Green Mountain knows people are lazy and dumb. They know people would rather pay what equals $25 a pound for sub-par graphite coffee because it’s convenient and easy. They should pay me back for the damage and abuse I did to my stomach/colon. And then buy me a new French Press.
