-By Elaine Wong

At a time when Procter & Gamble and Kraft are fighting over plastic coffee container patents, Good Earth is trying to convince consumers to help save the earth by creating less waste.

To promote its new Sienna, Mystic and Sedona blends, the organic coffee company debuted its "Brew-at-home" pledge today (Sept. 23). For every visitor to Goodearthcoffee.com that pledges to drink more coffee at home, Good Earth will donate $1 to The Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit environmental group. Consumers also will receive coupons for the new products.

Coffee drinkers contribute 28 billion cups to landfills each year, per a study conducted by Kelton Research on Good Earth's behalf. Among those polled in August, 67% admitted to discarding as opposed to recycling their coffee cups. This accounts for about 100 million pounds of paper being wasted each year.

 "We're hoping to bring attention to this issue," said Deborah Glasser, marketing director at Good Earth Coffee. "When people toss away their cups, they don't spend too much time thinking about it."

The survey also points out that drinking coffee at home is more economical. It can save the average on-the-go coffee drinker $1,264 a year.

FSIs, print, digital ads and direct mail support. Top Spin, Princeton, N.J., is the agency.

Good Earth's announcement comes on the same day that Folgers' parent company P&G initiated a patent lawsuit against Kraft, maker of the Maxwell House coffee brand.

P&G alleged that its rival poached upon patent rights in its Folgers plastic container, which was first introduced in 2003. P&G attributes growth of the Folgers business to this "consumer preferred" packaging. P&G's chief legal officer Steve Jemison said in a statement that the packaging, which "withstands the pressure changes that occur between the factor and the consumer's home," was a core part of the Folgers marketing when it was first introduced. The company has since refined the message to focus on the quality of the brand.

J.M. Smucker bought Folgers for $3.3 billion in June and the deal will close by year's end.

Kraft maintained its innocence. "Kraft does not infringe the patent rights of others. We will vigorously defend ourselves in this matter," said Bridget MacConnell, Kraft senior manager for corporate affairs/beverages.

Good Earth, meanwhile, comes in 10 oz. bags. The premium brand, which targets women 30-50, retails for $7.99.

Judith Ganes-Chase, a coffee observer in Katonah, N.Y., said that while Good Earth is smart to capitalize on the economic situation and demand for premium coffee, it remains to be seen how much fervor the company can generate with its green campaign.

"There is a lot of merit to it. It's wonderful," she said, but convenience may still win out. "The intention is right, but will it really get consumers to change habits?"