If the past 20 years haven't illustrated enough how globalization and free-market capitalism has put environmental protection and workers' rights a distant second to insatiable consumption and pure profit, the next 20 will see repercussions of massive unsustainable development and global climate change.

In business over a year, Treehugger Dan's is a vision of change in Hungary and worldwide. It's the only place in Budapest that exclusively serves Fair Trade organic coffee. This benefits the environment in two ways. First, organic crops are not genetically modified and are grown without the use of harmful pesticides, and second if workers earn a realistic wage, they are less likely to contribute to destructive development or "slash-and-burn" agriculture.

Another tree-friendly aspect of the store is, yes, the books - some 4,000 of them on view - all second-hand and not available elsewhere in Hungary. Topics range from genre fiction to history and politics, as well as many travel guides. It's not at all dry - Dan says with a smile that "we have a lot of chick-lit too."

A unique aspect of the Café has been its function as a cultural nexus - something that Dan says was unexpected but welcome. Weekly events range from Great English poetry evenings to "Greenpeace Fridays" to political discussion evenings. The last always features a good debate across the political spectrum, no preaching to the choir.

What really puts Treehugger Dan's in the visionary category, however, is the owner's intent to normalize the market for organic and fair-trade products, which has largely been seen as a boutique option. He sells his 100% Arabica beans for even less than the major imported brands, which are neither fair trade nor organic, and he buys used books for nearly double the market rate. According to Dan, in order for Fair Trade and organics to catch on, they "have to be easy, accessible, [the stores] open at reasonable times" - just what you'd expect from any neighborhood grocer.

It hasn't been easy, of course. The fearsome Hungarian bureaucracy, as well as transportation delays and shady middlemen slowed the opening of the store for months, and seemingly random regulations keep Dan on his toes. While the store is still young, his goal is to expand the space for more books in German and Spanish, as well as offer more in-store beverages. Let's hope this vision of sensible and sustainable living becomes a permanent part of Hungarian life.