The new third round of
financing will enable Calvert Foundation to further extend the impact of the
capital initially provided by Starbucks, using repaid funds from the first and
second rounds to provide financing for coffee-producing cooperatives in Peru
and bringing the total amount of recycled financing so far to $2. By investing with Calvert Foundation, institutions and
individuals achieve a real impact that directly benefits people who otherwise
might have few hopes -- and even fewer opportunities. Over the past 10 years, Calvert Foundation has
recycled more than $250 million in investments that have helped to create over
100,000 jobs for low income individuals, built of rehabilitated approximately
6,000 affordable homes, and financed more than 5,000 nonprofit facilities,
including daycare centers, community health clinics, and schools. In all the four
plausible futures explored by the scientists, they project progress in
eliminating hunger, but at far slower rates than needed to halve
number of people suffering from hunger by 2015 . Harold Mooney of Stanford University.

talamanca cbm

Since the spring of 2004, when Starbucks announced its $1 million
investment in the Calvert Foundation to finance coffee farmer cooperatives,
Calvert Foundation initially distributed the investment to three coffee
cooperatives -- located in Costa Rica, Mexico, and Nicaragua -- and EcoLogic
Finance, Inc. This investment demonstrates the success that we can achieve
when corporations and non-profits work together on sustainable strategies that
address the needs of those outside the economic mainstream. The funds were used for the pre-financing of the purchase of
coffee for export. The nonprofit focuses on providing credit and
technical assistance to member cooperatives.
The Fair Trade system currently includes 670,000 farmers.26 for coffee, or $1. The Seattle's Best Coffee(R) and Torrefazione Italia(R) Coffee
brands enable Starbucks to appeal to a broader consumer base by offering an
alternative variety of coffee flavor profiles .

proarca pilar

, a certified Fair Trade Coffee cooperative in
Costa Rica. The future now lies
in our hands.
The MA's work is overseen by a 45-member board of directors,
co-chaired by Dr.

prehistory pilar

The farmers
we extend loans to play a vital role as stewards of the land. Additionally, EcoLogic joined Calvert
Foundation in founding the Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade (FAST), the
members of which leverage each other's resources to identify producer needs,
raise loan capital, and mitigate the risks involved in lending.
Starbucks is helping EcoLogic Finance work on an even larger scale. In
September 2004, Starbucks approved a $2.

ABOUT STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY
Starbucks Corporation is the leading retailer, roaster and brand of
specialty coffee in the world, with more than 9,000 retail locations in North
America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim.

ecologic servir

In addition to its retail operations, the Company produces and sells bottled
Frappuccino(R) coffee drinks , Starbucks DoubleShot(R) coffee drink, and a line
of superpremium ice creams through its joint venture partnerships.
"Any progress achieved in addressing the goals of poverty and
hunger eradication , improved health, and environmental protection is
unlikely to be sustained if most of the ecosystem services on which
humanity relies continue to be degraded," said the study, "Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment (MA) Synthesis Report," conducted by 1,300
experts from 95 countries. This includes the
emergence of new diseases, sudden changes in water quality, creation
of "dead zones" along the coasts, the collapse of fisheries, and
shifts in regional climate. More than half of all the synthetic
nitrogen fertilizers, first made in 1913, ever used on the planet has
been used since 1985. In
Sub-Saharan Africa, for example, the number of poor people is forecast
to rise from 315 million in 1999 to 404 million by 2015.

conserves biosphere

"
Starbucks Vice President of Business Practices Sue Mecklenburg said:
"Starbucks is proud to work with the Calvert Foundation which is empowering
thousands of smallholder farmers in Latin America by enabling them to get
money when they need it.

* CECOVASA is federation of coffee-producing cooperatives in the Peruvian
Andes, with 5,000 members (30 percent of whom are women).
Its Web-based information services and philanthropic products include
Community Investment Notes, the Community Investment Profile Database, the
Calvert Giving Fund , and Community Giftshares.
The warning signs are there for all of us to see. This report is being released together
with a statement by the MA board of directors entitled "Living Beyond
Our Means: Natural Assets and Human Well-being. Robert Watson, chief scientist of The World Bank,
and Dr.

extending corridor

pilar talamanca

Only by valuing all our
precious natural and human resources can we hope to build a
sustainable future ," said Kofi Annan, secretary general of the United
Nations in a message launching the MA reports .wri.

mesoamerican vegetation

These are important components in ensuring sustainable development as it helps
farmers gain more control over their lives and build more secure futures for
their families. The investment
had an impact on 1,908 coffee growers, including 438 women farmers. Starbucks' initial investments in Calvert
Foundation benefited The Low Income Housing Fund in San Francisco, the
Corporation for Open Land in Illinois, and ACCION New York, Inc. The
Company's brand portfolio provides a wide variety of consumer products. The report mentions
options that exist to conserve or enhance ecosystem services that
reduce negative trade-offs or that will positively impact other
services.
The MA is recognized by governments as a mechanism to meet part of
the assessment needs of four international environmental treaties --
the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the Ramsar Convention on
Wetlands, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, and the
Convention on Migratory Species.org

ecologic volcanoes

Calvert Foundation Executive Director Shari Berenbach said: "Calvert
Foundation is all about helping individuals and institutions make a real
difference in the world through the power of investment.

The new third round of $650,000 in Fair Trade Coffee investments by
Calvert Foundation involves three cooperatives:

* COCLA is located in the Quillabamba region of Peru, east of the Incan
city of Machu Picchu. Their efforts focused on education, infrastructure,
credit, and environmental restoration for their remote corner of the Peruvian
jungle. Children who would otherwise be forced to work in order
to take advantage of free labor are in school, and more money means more food
on the table , a higher standard of living, and an elevated sense of pride in
the farmers themselves.
Tazo(R ) Tea's line of innovative superpremium teas and Hear Music's(TM)
exceptional compact discs enhance the Starbucks Experience through best-of-
class products. Experts say that this resulted in a substantial
and largely irreversible loss in diversity of life on Earth, with some
10 to 30 percent of the mammal, bird and amphibian species currently
threatened with extinction. Malaria, for example, accounts for 11
percent of the disease burden in Africa and had it been eliminated 35
years ago, the continent 's gross domestic product would have increased
by $100 billion. "The Millennium
Ecosystem Assessment is an unprecedented contribution to our global
mission for development, sustainability and peace ."
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) Synthesis Report is the
first in a series of seven synthesis and summary reports and four
technical volumes that assess the state of global ecosystems and their
impact on human well-being. A.
Dr.

vegetation wildlands

Starbucks and Calvert Foundation have worked together on a range of
projects in recent years. Fair Trade
certification guarantees a price of $1. Experts warn that
changes in ecosystems such as deforestation influence the abundance of
human pathogens such as malaria and cholera, as well as the risk of
emergence of new diseases .

-- The challenge of reversing the degradation of ecosystems while
meeting increasing demands can be met under some scenarios involving
significant policy and institutional changes.

mesoamerican volcanoes

H.MAWeb.

visualizations mesoamerican

, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit. The investments focused on
sales and distribution. The cooperative is composed of 7,500 producers from 22
co-ops and 10 associations, with women comprising 25 percent of the
membership. Experts say that these
problems will substantially diminish the benefits for future
generations.

-- The degradation of ecosystem services could grow significantly
worse during the first half of this century and is a barrier to
achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals.

proarca amistad

One Year After Investment: Pre-Financing Used to Make Possible
the Sale of Over 22.3 Million Pounds of Coffee, Improve
Circumstances for Small Coffee Farmers

BETHESDA, Md.
Today, Calvert Foundation announced that, based on the success of the
first and second round of investments, it is recycling another $650,000 in new
investments in Fair Trade coffee cooperatives.

ABOUT CALVERT FOUNDATION
The Calvert Foundation (http://www.CalvertFoundation.

-- Ecosystem changes that have contributed substantial net gains
in human well-being and economic development have been achieved at
growing costs in the form of degradation of other services. The regions
facing significant problems of ecosystem degradation -- sub-Saharan
Africa, Central Asia, some regions in Latin America, and parts of
South and Southeast Asia -- are also facing the greatest challenges in
achieving the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals.

proarca slopes

, said: "We're thrilled
to count both Calvert Foundation and Starbucks as our partners.L.

The investment affected a total of 4,500 farmers in nine
different cooperatives. The investment was used to capitalize a fund
generating 135 loans totaling $21 million for Fair Trade agriculture , eco-
tourism and sustainable fisheries. and its products should not be
confused with any Calvert Group-sponsored investment product. EcoLogic Finance loans benefit villagers involved in
agroforestry (shade-grown and sustainable agriculture), wild-harvested
products, sustainable fisheries, and ecotourism , with a particular focus on
small-scale producers of sustainably-grown coffee.

Business Editors /Environment Writers

WASHINGTON----A landmark study
released today reveals that approximately 60 percent of the ecosystem
services that support life on Earth -- such as fresh water, capture
fisheries , air and water regulation, and the regulation of regional
climate, natural hazards and pests -- are being degraded or used
unsustainably. This was done largely to
meet rapidly growing demands for food, fresh water, timber, fiber and
fuel."
The MA Synthesis Report also reveals that it is the world's
poorest people who suffer most from ecosystem changes.

siam conserving

* $250,000, $250,000 and $387,500 to Prodecoop Central de Co-operativas, a
nonprofit owned by 40 cooperatives in Nicaragua . The financing benefited a total
of 2,300 coffee growers, including 504 women farmers. The investment has an impact
on 2,016 farmers, including 329 women.
From 2001 through 2003, Starbucks provided $650,000 in credit to EcoLogic
Finance and Conservation International to support short-term harvest loans for
small holder coffee farmers operating in Chiapas, Mexico. However, these changes
will be large and are not currently under way. Protection of natural forests, for example, not only
conserves wildlife but also supplies fresh water and reduces carbon
emissions. The MA Secretariat is coordinated by
the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). and
the Third World Academy of Sciences. Walter Reid is the director of the Millennium Ecosystem
Assessment.

siam unep

7 million. In an area with very few economic options, Fair Trade offers an
alternative to growing coca, the main ingredient in cocaine. Only four
ecosystem services have been enhanced in the last 50 years: increases
in crop, livestock and aquaculture production, and increased carbon
sequestration for global climate regulation.

See www.

proarca corridor

Fair -Trade Coffee Boost: Calvert Foundation Distributes Starbucks Investment Aiding Nearly 25 000 Latin American Coffee Growers

41 for organic
coffee."
The four-year assessment was designed by a partnership of UN
agencies, international scientific organizations, and development
agencies, with guidance from the private sector and civil society
groups. Major funding is provided by the Global Environment Facility,
the United Nations Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard
Foundation, and The World Bank.

prehistory volcanoes

* $200,000 and $300,000 to Union Regional de Huatusco (Huatusco), a
certified Fair Trade coffee cooperative located in Mexico and with 14 percent
of the land involved dedicated to organic coffee production.

* $250,000 to EcoLogic Finance, which has operations in Belize , Bolivia,
Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua,
Peru , Rwanda and Uganda. Calvert
Foundation makes available a wide range of innovative financial instruments . Calvert Foundation is a
separate entity from Calvert Group Ltd. Scientists warn that the harmful consequences of this
degradation could grow significantly worse in the next 50 years.

proarca pilar

When that financing was
repaid by coffee cooperatives, it then was loaned out again by Calvert
Foundation to other coffee growers. This safe and convenient investment instrument
makes it possible for investors to channel capital to low-income communities
in the US and abroad.org) is an
independent 501(c )3 nonprofit organization that uses the power of investment
to revitalize poor communities, reverse inequality and create hope and
opportunity where it's most needed. Their
borrowers: small- and medium-sized farmers' co-ops which are too large for
microcredit agencies and too small or untested to be "bankable" with a
commercial bank.

"The over-riding conclusion of this assessment is that it lies
within the power of human societies to ease the strains we are putting
on the nature services of the planet, while continuing to use them to
bring better living standards to all," said the MA board of directors
in a statement, "Living Beyond Our Means: Natural Assets and Human
Well -being." "Achieving this, however, will require radical changes in
the way nature is treated at every level of decision-making and new
ways of cooperation between government, business and civil society . The Assessment Panel, which oversees
the technical work of the MA, includes 13 of the world's leading
social and natural scientists.

mesoamerican volcanoes

When farmers have access to credit, we believe they
are able to negotiate better prices for their crops, build credit histories
and improve their lives and that of their families and the local communities. Without
financing, many of these coffee-farming communities cannot invest in scaling
up their operations; they are therefore unable to invest in quality for the
specialty markets. Launched in 2000, the
organization manages a portfolio of $25,000 to $500 ,000 loans. Two services - capture
fisheries and fresh water - are now well beyond levels that can
sustain current, much less future, demands.

tortugas amistad

7 million worth of loans to coffee
cooperatives, benefiting 24,400 of the world's smallest coffee farmers and
supporting them in their efforts to export more than 22.

* La Florida started out as a group of 100 small-scale family coffee
farmers from Peru's Chanchamayo region who joined together in 1965 to form
their own cooperative. In 2001 , Starbucks invested $150,000 to help grow
affordable housing programs and small-business facilities in disadvantaged
communities across United States. The Calvert Foundation receives
investment capital from individuals and institutions, and uses industry-
leading due diligence to select and manage a diversified portfolio of high
social impact investments. The
Company is committed to offering the highest quality coffee and the Starbucks
Experience while conducting its business in ways that produce social,
environmental and economic benefits for communities in which it does business .

ABOUT ECOLOGIC FINANCE
EcoLogic Finance provides low-interest loans and financial training to
help struggling farming communities in the developing world maintain their
livelihoods in environmentally sustainable ways.

Experts Warn Ecosystem Changes Will Continue to Worsen Putting Global Development Goals At Risk

Although evidence remains incomplete, there is enough for the
experts to warn that the ongoing degradation of 15 of the 24 ecosystem
services examined is increasing the likelihood of potentially abrupt
changes that will seriously affect human well-being. More land was converted to agriculture since 1945 than in the
18th and 19th centuries combined.K. It is co -chaired by Angela Cropper of
the Cropper Foundation, and Dr.

siam volcanoes

3 million pounds of
Fair Trade and shade-grown coffee. Fair Trade also impacts the farming community outside the scope of
the farming business.

It specifically states that the ongoing
degradation of ecosystem services is a road block to the Millennium
Development Goals agreed to by the world leaders at the United Nations
in 2000.

The MA Synthesis Report highlights four main findings:

-- Humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively in
the last 50 years than in any other period. Zakri, director of the United Nations University's
Institute of Advanced Studies.

proarca yucatan

, and SEATTLE, One year after the
Starbucks Coffee Company (Nasdaq: SBUX) invested $1 million to support Latin
American coffee farmers , the Calvert Foundation reported today that it so far
has "recycled" those funds into $2. Calvert
Foundation makes available to the public a financial instrument, called a
Community Investment Note."
Calvert Foundation provided the following details about the Starbucks-
supported coffee investments:

* $200,000 to COOCAFE -- Consorcio de Cooperativas de Caficultores de
Guanacaste y Montes de Oro R.

* $300,000 to CEOCOAFEN -- La Central de Cooperativeas Cafetaleras del
Norte, a Fair Trade registered federation of small coffee farmer cooperatives
in Nicaragua.
Fair Trade certification is a program that guarantees coffee farmers a
fair price while also encouraging social and environmental sustainability.
Drying beds and cupping laboratories aide important aspects of the coffee
farming process, and the farmers in turn make larger profits for their coffee
harvest .
"Only by understanding the environment and how it works, can we
make the necessary decisions to protect it.

amistad servir

That emphasis on
results is clearly on display in the $1 million invested in Calvert Foundation
by Starbucks."
William Foote, president, EcoLogic Finance, Inc. Fair Trade coffee represents 23 percent of sales and Fair Trade
organic coffee represents 18 percent of sales. Today , the cooperative has grown to include more than 1,200 farmers
who work together to improve the quality of the cooperative's coffee.5 million loan to EcoLogic Finance for
lending to coffee farmer cooperatives across Latin America and in East Africa.
With Fair Trade premiums established, farmers are often able to purchase
equipment and machinery that ordinarily would be financially out of reach. It is supported by 22 of the world's
leading scientific bodies, including The Royal Society of the U.org
To download graphics from the executive summary, go to
http://newsroom.

biosphere proarca

---

- - kjjkjk

Loading...

(Note: These pages use the Atlas Content Safeguard System (ACSS) and require that Javascript is enabled for viewing.)