Happy International Tea Day! May 21st is designated as International Tea Day by the United Nations to bring attention to tea producing countries and support the growth of tea in importing countries. The day works to make tea more ethical, sustainable, and popular. It also raises awareness of tea's importance in fighting hunger and poverty.
Of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, tea tackles four points:
- reduce extreme poverty
- fight against hunger
- empower women, and
- leads to sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems
Tea production helps fight against food sustainability and poverty in some rural production areas. You can do your part by making sure you know where your tea is coming from, and who your dollars are supporting. If your money isn't going into sustainable, ethical production, evaluate your teas and commit to making more conscience decisions in the future. Both your producers and your lips will thank you once you take a sip of delicious, sustainable, and ethical tea.
For more on this topic, I recommend Tea for Me Please's Blog Post.