Switch to a reusable coffee mug
Why This is Green
Oh the myriad studies, charts, and statistics from various organizations—and even coffee conglomerates—floating around out there on Google, all proving just how wasteful disposable cups are. Like: 130 billion cups are used in the United States each year, 16 billion just for coffee. The numbers vary, but the point remains the same: the environmental impact of producing disposable cups and the waste they generate as soon as you’re done with your beverage is outlandish.
It takes millions of trees to create paper cups (some say 6.5 million), plus billions of gallons of water (some say 4 billion), and enough energy to power many thousands of homes for a year. Americans are said to throw away an estimated 25 billion Styrofoam cups a year. Polystyrene doesn’t biodegrade, and can leach its unsafe chemical components into your hot coffee when heated.
By using a reusable mug daily—including when traveling—you can drastically reduce your involvement with this rigmarole.
Learn More
- SustainabilityIsSexy.com: The Basic Problem With Coffee Cups
- EnvironmentalDefense.org: Report Of The Starbucks Coffee Company/Alliance For Environmental Innovation Joint Task Force
- TriplePundit.com: Ask Pablo--Disposable Cups Vs. Reusable Mugs
- YouTube: Consider A Reusable Mug
- Rodale: Drinking Coffee In A Styrofoam Cup? Pour It Out
How To
Buying a reusable mug isn’t hard. Remembering to take it with you is. Help yourself out by buying multiple thermoses. Stash them in your office, your car, your bag.
Establish a rinse-as-soon-as-you-finish policy to avoid spilling remnants in your bag or discovering the gross scum that forms in reusable cups left at work over a weekend.
If your local café isn’t hip to filling reusable mugs yet, make coffee at home and take it with you. You’ll save cash. Or ask for a ceramic mug and sit down for a few minutes. Bliss!
