When it comes to coffee, "shade-grown," "Fair Trade" and "organic" aren't just buzzwords. They're certifications that resulted from a desire to ensure that our caffeine addictions support sustainable agriculture and fair labor standards. You can determine legitimacy by doing a little easy sleuthing: Check for labels or ask your barista.

What's the best way to transport your morning transfusion? The primary goal is to reduce disposable cup use by relying on longer-lived mugs. Portable joe requires plastic or steel, and working backward from the reducing-disposables goal, plastics appear to be shorter-lived than stainless. Stainless steel will hold its sleek look over time and is a fairly decent, durable material.

NEXT: More ideas and resources for greening your day >>

Excerpted from:

Wake Up and Smell the Planet by Grist.org, edited by Brangien Davis with Katharine Wroth, © 2007 Skipstone.