Please forgive the cringey word play! We couldn’t resist. April 22 is Earth Day and this year is the 52nd anniversary of the first Earth Day. April has become a month for us to reflect on what we can do to protect our precious planet by bringing a sustainable, restorative, even regenerative mindset to how we live, how we play, how we work…and how we tea.
We understand that sustainability is not a destination – it’s a practice, a mindset. We think about sustainability as a three-part equation encompassing Social, Environmental, and Economic Development (SEED). Each of these parts is inextricably intertwined with the other two. This is the foundation of practice of sustainability.
This philosophy is why China Mist is a member of the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP), whose principles line up with SEED. Through this organization we are helping to change lives in tea growing locales by providing better income to growers, empowering women in the tea industry and addressing environmental issues and climate change. The collective action of ETP partners is focused on:
- The economics of tea
- Producers earn a good living
- Equality for women and young people in tea
- Equal opportunity
- Empowered communities
- The environmental sustainability of tea
- Preventing deforestation
- Ensuring climate-resilient farming
- Net zero emissions
Commemorating Earth Day with Organic Tea
While all China Mist tea is sourced in accordance with the ETP, our hot tea sachets are also USDA Certified Organic. Organic farming benefits our environment in so many ways:
- Protects precious natural resources like our air and waterways
- Supports a healthy, biodiverse ecosystem
- Combats climate change by sequestering carbon
- Fewer greenhouse gas emissions
- Above all, builds healthy soils which gives us clean air and water, bountiful crops and forests, productive grazing lands, diverse wildlife, and beautiful landscapes.
To learn more about organic food and farming, visit the Organic Center.
Beyond production of the tea, the sachets are biodegradable and the boxes are made from recycled materials, printed with vegetable-based inks. So much progress has been made and yet there is still so far to go. And this is why we understand sustainability as a practice not a destination.
Can you think of a more sus-tea-nable way to raise a cup to Earth Day?
Celeste says:
Hi, I love this blog. And I’m a repeat customer. Any news on ethics tea growing and picking standards regarding protecting elephants? They seem to fall in the tea fields and suffer injuries from tea farm practices. Thanks !
Desiree Whitten says:
Celeste, hi. I’m not really sure how these remote regions are protecting their elephant populations. In most countries elephants are a protected species, but the Ethical Tea Partnership has not become involved in that topic. Primarily, the group works to ensure a safe, healthy, and profitable work environment for the community members (mostly female) who work in the fields. We try to purchase only hand-picked tea leaves (versus tea estate who use machinery) as the hand-picked method is better for the plants and poses a lower risk to local animal species.