Drink Coffee, Kick Junk
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Green Living |
I’m not generally into making New Year’s resolutions and, until now, I’ve never actually kept one. Back in December, I went to have a late night tea with a friend. There was a Coffee Bean And Tea Leaf right there, so we popped in for their last call. I didn’t actually want the tea I ordered, I just wanted to talk with my friend and it seemed polite to have a tea together. My mint tea came in not just one paper cup, but two, and a sleeve. These people really wanted to protect me from the heat of my luke warm tea. I’d been trying to cut down on excess waste (plastic bags and all that), so I gave them back one of the cups. As I sat with my friend, sipping this tea I didn’t really want to begin with, I just realized I can’t do this anymore. I looked at my friend and said, “This is my last paper cup.”
Americans use and throw away 15,000,000,000 paper cups a year. The number is so massive, my calculator literally can’t actually display it. We love our morning cup of joe on the go in The States, and apparently we prefer the kind of cup that we can throw “away.” Well, rumor has it there’s actually no such thing as “away.” All our waste stays right here on Planet Earth with us, generally in landfills, which are made up of 40-50% paper waste. So in essence, humans chop trees down to make things we use one time, and then bury them in the ground. When it comes to trees, it’s like we’re psychokiller necrophiliacs. Weird.
Well, my New Year’s resolution is holding up for once. I buy a coffee every single day and I’ve only used one paper cup in ‘08, when my barista didn’t hear me say “For here please.” If I’m near my house, I just take a mug right from the cabinet and take it to the coffee shop. They love that. I did recently find a near-perfect travel mug that hermetically seals so it won’t leek in my bag, which I was pretty excited about. (Geek.) Though as one of my favorite bloggers No Impact Man points out, the best travel mug in the world is free and you probably already have one. It’s called a glass jar.
Inspired to reduce paper cups, increase trees, and save some money?
- For coffee to go, remember to take your favorite ceramic mug to your local coffee shop
- If you’re headed into the car or any other precarious scenarios, use a sealable travel mug. Many coffee shops give 25-50 cents off for bringing your own cup. If you don’t have one yet, check out the great selection at ReusableBags.com
- If you are ready to trailblaze, throw a nice glass jar in your bag and take it with you wherever you go. It’s great for water, coffee, and even leftovers
- For more waste reduction tips, check out Reduce.org
Posted on May 2, 2008 |
Comments
3 Responses to “Drink Coffee, Kick Junk”
Leave a Reply
-
Buy eCo Products
By the way, the first photo was so good, we had to ignore the huge logo. It’s not meant to be an ad and we of course hope you choose a Fair Trade, organic, mom’n'pop coffee shop in your area.
Wow. Really interesting statistics Jenn. I’ve actually made it a rule last year that if I forget my travel mug, then tough luck, no (to go) coffee for me. It’s a self-imposed punishment. And I tell ya, it works! I can’t tell you the last time I forgot my mug…
I love the jar suggestion! Makes perfect sense and it’s leak proof.
On days when your commuter mug is dirty and you just GOTTA have some coffee, this is a nice little eco-helper:
http://www.CupKozy.com
Enjoy!
-Amanda