Every day, the number of coffee varieties seems to grow. On top of that, you almost need a decoder ring to decipher the various labels and mysterious acronyms. If you want to understand your coffee in relationship to how it’s affecting the environment, here’s a primer:

According to the environmental organization WWF (www.panda.org), the main negative environmental impacts from coffee production include habitat conversion, soil degradation, pesticide use and degradation of water quality.

Moderation is good, and here’s why: According to a report from www.SaveEarth.org, methane is responsible for nearly as much global warming as all other non-CO2 greenhouse gases put together. While atmospheric concentrations of CO2 have risen by about 31 percent since pre-industrial times, methane concentrations have more than doubled.

Here's a guide from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services for eating local freshwater fish. For all fish except trout, follow these guidelines:

• Pregnant and nursing women, and women who may become pregnant, can safely eat one 8-ounce meal of freshwater fish a month.
• Children under age 7 can safely eat one 8-ounce meals of freshwater fish a month.
• All other adults and kids 7 and older can safely eat four 8-ounce meals of freshwater fish a month.

In New Hampshire, there are some fishing spots to watch out for: According to DES (http://des.nh.gov/) fish from several water bodies in the state have been shown to have higher than average mercury concentrations.
For the water bodies below, DES says, “sensitive populations should not consume any fish,” and others should limit consumption to two meals a month:
• Ashuelot Pond in Washington
• Comerford and Moore reservoirs on the Connecticut River
• Crystal Lake in Gilmanton
• Dubes Pond in Hooksett
• Jackman Reservoir in Hillsboro

We’ve all heard that the world’s marine life is being depleted at an alarming rate, sometimes in very destructive ways, but when it comes down to buying seafood or ordering it, it’s difficult to guess which choices are good or bad.