Baby Steps: Small Changes to Smaller Footprints

Issue 1: Coffee Drinking

In my opinion, coffee is the best after sitting out for about an hour, having by then reached the perfect hot-warm drinking temperature. My Hazelnut/French Vanilla mixture makes my whole office smell nice and homey, and it tastes delicious. (Usually. The taste does somewhat depend on that day’s Hazelnut to French Vanilla flavor ratios). And like the dependable stimulant that it is, my coffee always delivers a much needed kick in the pants to help beat those work-day slumps in order to get my shit done.

I’m not sure exactly at what point it happened, but it did: I have joined the ranks of my working peers and officially need coffee to get me through the work day.

Does this mean I’m a grown-up?

Right after I graduated college and landed my first real job as a manager at Abercrombie & Fitch, I relied heavily on coffee to get me through those grueling 14 hour days during Back-to-School hell. At the time, I considered myself environmentally conscious because I would reuse the same Wawa coffee cup throughout the day for all of my drinking needs. And while, yes, this was better than going through countless cups a day, I still had room for improvement.


Worst Case Scenario:
52 weeks x 5 work days x 4 cups= 1,040 paper cups per year, in the trash from me alone.


Reality:
52 weeks x 5 work days x 1 cup= 260 paper cups per year in the trash, from me.



Then, reminiscent of the Ghosts of Field Hockey Coaches Past screaming in my ear to “Dig deep! Dig deeper!” I dug (a little) deeper. My next rung up on the Environmental ladder consisted of recycling the lone empty paper cup instead of just tossing in the garbage can. Now at an office job, this really did make me feel a little better. Until… that horrible day when I found out that the recycling bins in the office were purely for show, and the janitors indiscriminately dumped EVERYTHING in the dumpster. Makes me heart sick even now thinking about the thought and energy that went into carefully putting every piece of paper in the paper bin, every soda can in the aluminum bin, every glass bottle in the glass bin, etc. The old adage “ignorance is bliss” comes to mind...

Now, in yet another new office- that does recycle- I find that I still feel a tinge of guilt every time I toss my finished cup into the recycling bin by my desk. That trash didn’t need to exist, at least, not from me, and the energy that is going to be used at the recycling plant to make my 240 used cups into something else could have been spent on something more worthwhile…
So, in an effort to better myself and the world one step at a time, I am currently exploring alternatives. And, short story long, that is how cheap, chic, and cleanable travel mugs surprisingly found its way onto Kelly Green’s Spring 2008 “Must Buy” list.

Possibilities:



"Commuter Mug":

Simple and elegant design, it’s sleek silver design will match everything J There is a long description about it, but aside from aesthetics, the major selling point for me would have to be the “one-push open and close ring allowing you to sip from any side without spills.” ($19.95)


“Trudeau Pink Drive Time Insulated 18-Ounce Travel Mug”:

It has a mouthful of a name, but at least it covers the most important feature- it’s pink! At $14.99, the price is very reasonable, and bonus conscious points as 5% of the cost goes to Breast Cancer research.




“Senja Travel Mug by MiGo”:

No pun intended, this mug is hot! And, it’s by Alladin, a reputable company that’s been in the Thermos business for so long I can remember reading their brand name on the thermos that came in my Barbie lunchboxes. ($19.00)



And another one from Aladdin, “Venus Tumbler by MiGo”:

This one just appeals to the girly-girl part of me. And the thrifty part. So cute, so reasonably priced.






Side note: I was pleasantly surprised to rediscover Aladdin, a company (and fairy tale) I haven’t thought about in over a decade. They have a great website and absolutely great products. Out of all of my searching for cute travel mugs, Aladdin blew all of the other competition out of the water.


Unforeseen Travel Mug benefit: Although not a standard practice (yet), some coffee distributors such as Starbucks, offer reduced coffee rates if you go in with your own mug. (Saves them the money that would have gone into the cup you would have used, and, is good for PR.)


Foreseen Coffee Future: Instead of icky, plastic petrochemical coffee-cup liners that will never, ever disintegrate, EcoHotCups has developed the same heat trapping properties out of corn! These cups look the same, feel the same, yet are 100% recyclable.












Inconvenient truth about Americans and their coffee cups: http://thegreenmiles.blogspot.com/2008/01/seattles-best-coffee-loves-trash.html