Millions of people around the world look forward to a cup of coffee whether at home, whilst on the move or at work.

Drinking coffee has been proven to improve an individual's alertness and concentration and as many readers would know the key ingredient responsible for enhanced mental performance is caffeine, which is naturally contained in coffee but also in tea and cocoa.

But not everything is rosy in the world of coffee worshippers.  Cultivating coffee has been linked to deforestation, pesticide pollution, habitat destruction, soil and water degradation are the side effects of these practices.

Another issue concerning coffee is its use of water. According to New Scientist, if using industrial farming practices, it takes about 140 liters of water to grow the coffee beans needed to produce one cup of coffee, and the coffee is often grown in countries where there is a water shortage, such as Ethiopia. By using sustainable agriculture methods, the amount of water usage can be dramatically reduced, while retaining comparable yields.

So what has all of this got to do with you and how can you help preserving the environment?

1. Buy organic coffee. Certified organic is great. Quite a lot of coffee is grown organically but not certified ("passive organic") or nearly organically (even occasional use of spot-applied herbicide or non-organic fertilizer is a disqualifier).  If you love coffee shops, make sure you ask for your latte to be made with fairtrade coffee.

2. Use your own mug! Disposable coffee cups have to be the most wasteful product in the Western world. Here's something you own for less than a half-hour, and throw away. And you get another the next day, or perhaps sooner. Good for the companies that are developing cups made from recycled or biodegradable materials. They still get thrown away, and in the anaerobic conditions of a landfill, even grass takes a very long time to break down. In the U.S. between 15 and 39 billion cups are tossed every year.

3. Quit using paper coffee filters: Don't kill trees and send a filter a day to the landfill. There is a reusable gold filter for virtually every pot. This action also saves money in the long run, and makes your coffee taste better. Most paper filters tend to change the taste of the coffee, either by adding their own paper/chemical taste, and/or by absorbing some of the oils in the coffee that help give each bean its unique flavor.

If you implement the above, you´ll enjoy your coffee experience even more.