Starbucks – Elizabeth Trevathan

[SUSTAINABILITY & ETHICS] What’s in your Starbucks cup? Probably slave labor.

September 23, 2020December 15, 2020 22elizabethmt All Journalism Writing, Opinion, RubicOnline, Sustainability & EthicsTagged Child labor, coffee, slave labor, Starbucks, Sustainability & Ethics

On March 1, Starbucks released a message from Michelle Burns, senior vice president for global coffee and tea, stating that on the next day, a UK news show entitled Dispatches would air a program on child labor on coffee farms in Guatemala, calling out Starbucks.

I am Elizabeth Trevathan, a sophomore at Macalester College in Saint Paul, MN. I am completing a double major in Geology and Geography. I was a student journalist in high school and Director of RubicOnline for two years. I was honored as the 2022 Minnesota Journalist of the Year by the Journalism Education Association. As a student journalist, I became passionate about science communication. You can find more information about my experience as a student journalist and my entire portfolio on this site.

I intend to pursue a Ph.D. in Hydrology and research the influence of climate change on the physical circulation of ocean water and its impact on coastal and glacial environments. I am eager to learn how to integrate remote sensing and GIS into this research. I recognize the importance of integrating science communication into this field to create better environments.