How Not Drinking Starbucks Can Solve World Hunger

2009 January 27

by Tyler

Alright, I get it. Going to Starbucks is a lot more than just getting your favorite coffee, mocha, chai, or latte. At least you better hope it is.

I mean if it isn’t something more than just the drink how else can you justify dropping 4 bones down everyday?

And I’m with you here. I love me some Caramel Macchiato or Caramel Latte or Peppermint Mocha…they’re stinkin good. But I also know how much of a rip off they are. If I can make drip coffee at home for less than a quarter per cup, then spending about 4 bucks for a hot drink is definitely a rip off.

Every time I buy one of those things I feel guilty. I feel guilty because for one, I know I’m getting unbelievably ripped off by a monopoly. For another, I am spending more money on a drink that will last 10 minutes than I usually spend on a meal for myself.

I figure there are about 10 million Americans that buy stuff from Starbucks every work day (we’ll go with 5 days a week, easy math). And I’ll bet they spend $4 every time they go. It is probably more than that, but 4 will work.

Let me warn you…these numbers might scare you.

That one person spends, at the least, $20 a week, $80 a month, and $960 a year. Now for the crazy math: 10 million people do that everyday. 960 multiplied by 10 million is…

$9, 600, 000, 000. Yep over 9 billion dollars a year.

The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations says that they would need $30 billion per year to rid the world of hunger. We would get there if we upped the number to 30 million people who buy from Starbucks per day instead of 10 million. That wouldn’t be hard if we included other countries. Obviously it would take more than no empty stomachs to save the world, but it is certainly a start.

Think about that next time you order a 4 dollar latte.

(And believe me, I feel as guilty writing this as you do reading it.)

Filed under: the rest...

http://ash-nits.blogspot.com ash

gee, thanks tyler. i appreciate the “trip”…at least it was one guilt “free of charge”…then again, i suppose i make myself feel a LITTLE better when i don’t buy starbucks everyday, taking that number from 5 precious days a week to say 3…and besides, red bull is about three bucks cheaper by the can! shrug!
http://designingforphilistines.blogspot.com/ dorothy (vicar of vibe)

So did you write a check today of the money you saved from not going to Starbucks?
But while you are at it and you should not just focus on Starbucks purchases-but include every other self indulgent purchase we Americans make each and everyday. 7-11 (Redbull), Red Robin, Carrabas, Best Buy, Robeks, the list goes on and on.
People love to bash Starbucks, but it the self indulgence that is the issue.
I’ve read that we spend enough money for candy at Easter (in one year alone) to completely solve the water issue in Africa.
Extrapolate that out…
Walk the walk..
http://manofdepravity.com Tyler

“Walk the walk”

-I’m doing my best.

And yes I do fully realize this isn’t about Starbucks. They made for an example most people can relate to. Hopefully it made you think without wanting to pick a fight with me first.
http://www.robpetrini.com Rob Petrini

Oh man… not Starbucks… it’s not just the coffee, it’s the defining bastion of American Capitalism, something us Aussie look across that wide berth of the Pacific ocean with longing knowing that no matter how bloody good a thing can be, only in America can you rip someone off like that and turn it into a franchise!!!

Jokes aside, Dorothy, I definitely agree with you that it’s all about the self indulgence. I’m guilty of falling for it…
Deana

you are brave….bringing up people’s ‘coffee’…..thanks for the blog Tyler…your posts really do challenge my thinking and the details of daily life…which I need….

Yep…us Americans have a self indulgence problem…as do people in other countries. Why is it so easy for us (people in general) to attack others instead of looking at ourselves and seeing what it is God would have ‘me’ do.
http://ryanguard.net/ ryan guard

Move to Orange County and I’ll open up a coffee shop with ya. We’ll charge the same but send all of the loot to the Food and Agriculture folks. Easy enough, right?
http://manofdepravity.com Tyler

Or you could move up here where little shacks don’t cost $500k and you actually need coffee to warm up not just get a caffeine kick.
http://ryanguard.net/ ryan guard

you cut right to the core of me…
http://godside.livejournal.com Kurt Brandemihl

Whats funny about your post is precisely what is wrong in the world…everyone talks about this sort of stuff…but NO ONE actually does it. Some people will read your post and within twenty minutes be drinking a latte.
http://manofdepravity.com Tyler

I think awareness is a starting place.
http://ryanguard.net/ ryan guard

Dang Tyler, you’ve got some cynical readers!!! “Feisty” and “Sassy” are words that come to mind.

I think its great to bring awareness, even when you have sassy kickback. Dorothy went on a “digital fast” right after giving you a digital kick in the mouth.

Keep on keeping on man. The skeptics aren’t changing anything.
http://ash-nits.blogspot.com ash

but here’s the other thing too, people. yes, our starbucks and chic fil a and all of things are a luxury in this country. but, while we should be mindful of our selfish indulgences, there is also nothing wrong with taking advantage of the blessings we have here in america. relationships and love and giving the poor are more important, spread the wealth right? at the same time, i have no problem w/ receiving and enjoying the blessings i have in this country, the fast food, the access to internet, the starbucks coffee. it makes me grateful. and i have the ability to go w/o if i choose.
http://www.jenniclayville.com Jenni Clayville

Wow… some people are quick to jump on you. DUDE!!! People… it’s a cup of coffee (coming from a starbucks addict).

Totally with you on this one, Ty. Our family has gone from multiple cups of Starbucks a day to MAYBE one a day. It’s been pretty good on the pocketbook… AND we got to give a better chunk of that to the Clean Water Project this past Christmas because of it.

Yeah… I’m pretty rad.
Kendra

Keep in mind, lots of people in this country are employed by this big green machine called Starbucks — and that’s nothing small to look over these days!

I for one enjoy being fully supported, and enjoy all my health benefits because of SBux. Your $4 isn’t going just to the coffee but someones salary, the rent for the building….Sure its overpriced, but its all relative, eh?

You bring up a good point, Tyler, I’m just saying, i have a roof over my head, because you enjoy your latte. mmmm…..
http://manofdepravity.com Tyler

Kendra- Totally agree. And again this post isn’t about Starbucks. Well it is…but it isn’t. My point is that in America we spend a lot of money on extras, enough money on those extras that it could change the world if we didn’t spend our money on those extras. In my book coffee is an extra. I just make sure I enjoy my latte when I have a gift card
lynne

switch to Americanos………..

or become a Mormon, and all is taken care of. =)
http://frazierblog.com Paul Frazier

Very thought provoking post. As you have further clarified this is a bigger issue than just Starbucks. I think it starts to become an issue of the Heart and money attitudes. There are people who sit on millions of dollars that still don’t donate money to charity. If there is not a desire to give money away to worthy causes skipping out on a cup of coffee does not matter.

I also was thinking of what Kendra is saying. I recently saw a feature on Starbucks and it showed how they RAISED their prices to pay for all of their employees health care even part times employees. Furthermore they pay above market rates to farmers who grow their beans.

So while it may be an extra it also does put food on many peoples tables.

Yet,I am also torn on “extras” in our lives….

Paul
Yonas

Free coffee at work. Tastes like a combination of ground pencil lead and burnt corn, but put a bit of sugar and some powdered hot chocolate, you got yourself a free poorman’s mocha.

I don’t do starbucks…MAYBE three-four times a year.
http://ash-nits.blogspot.com ash

yonas, you’re missin’ out on your God given blessings, man. besides- starbucks coffee breath is much sweeter than nasty office coffee breath…makes me wonder who you’re knockin to the ground! ha ha
Blake

I’ve been looking for statistics to see if Americans really spend more in diets than it would cost to solve world hunger. I find that Americans spend 35,000,000,000 dollars on diets yearly. Umm… that’s astonishing! Thanks so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Andreas

“That one person spends, at the least, $20 a week, $80 a month, and $960 a year. ”
That is the imaginary person who goes to starbucks every day (on an average 10 million per day, this calculates with 10 million people going each day) – it’s rather 50 million people going once a week, e.g., which would cut this number in five.

Also, the thing about removing hunger world-wide is impossible. It is stated that the Earth does not have resources enough to feed one billion people, and atm we’re 6-7 times more than that.

So – since hunger is impossible to stop – let’s all enjoy the little time we have by going to starbucks without feeling guilty!
Petter

Money alone is not enough to solve hunger. Try giving each starving person $4 each day to buy themselves food, and see how long it all lasts.

I live in Norway, we barely have MacDonald’s, and infact zero Starbucks’.