Give me coffee!
Home » Blog » Holly Jean Brooker » Give me coffee!This week Holly Jean is reducing her environmental impact by investing in a KeepCup to hold her daily flat white. Takeaway coffee cups aren't recyclable, so carrying a reusable cup is an easy way for urban greenies to produce less waste. Plus, they're cute!
Image by KeepCup
Most Kiwis are big on coffee. But not just any kind of coffee – good coffee. In fact, during my recent travels through America, cafe staff often commented on this. We're a nation well-known for our love of strong, double-shot flat whites. Our daily coffee fixes are all too common, especially while we're on the run.
There's nothing wrong with a good, strong coffee. However, what many of us fail to consider is the environmental impact of our coffee obsession. For now, let’s leave out the issue of coffee plantations, beans and dairy milking, as well as the economic impacts. What I’m referring to is waste.
I don’t have the official data, but based on my experience in barista work, the quantity of takeout cups used in New Zealand is immense. Tragically, takeout coffee cups are not recyclable due to the waterproof lining – they go straight into the rubbish. More cafes are becoming environmentally conscious, and there are some recyclable paper cups being used, but there's still a long way to go in reducing waste.
As an urban hippy, this is a green issue I can personally take responsibility for. Plus, it's not too taxing. Last week, I ordered two KeepCups for myself and my husband Rico. They'll be perfect for holding our morning flat whites on the way to work. The sacrifice involved in washing my own cup after ordering from a cafe is not too unbearable compared to the sacrifice suffered by the planet because of my (at times) desperate need for coffee. (Fast. Right now.)
The other benefit of KeepCups is that they're BPA-free, so heating them doesn't leech nasties into your consumables. You can use them for all sorts of hot liquids, they look cool, and even better you can calculate your environmental footprint for takeout coffee consumption on the KeepCup website.
Holly Jean Brooker is owner
of www.urbanmac.co.nz,
which provides New Zealanders with untreated raised garden beds,
nutritious soil and outdoor furniture.
Sat December 18, 2010 @ 09:29 PM
