Eco-Friendly Tip #1: Bring Your Own Cup

I walked into Starbucks today for a favorite fall treat, a Pumpkin Spice Latte. As I looked around the bar, I noticed that they were selling reusable cup sleeves. I stood there thinking to myself, "wow, that’s a cool idea!" Of course, I’ve already seen these reusable cup sleeves at independent coffee houses and it was only a matter of time before Starbucks caught on.

Yet the more I thought about it, the more I thought that these reusable cup sleeves didn’t really solve any environmental problems. Sure, you don’t end up using one of those cardboard cup sleeves, but you’re still using a paper cup each time you go to Starbucks. This thought occurred to me one day when I looked in the trash can and noticed how many times i had been to Starbucks and how many paper cups I had used.

What’s the best environmental solution? Bring your own cup with you! I originally bought a porcelain cup aptly named, "I Am Not A Paper Cup." It was cool looking, but the lid leaked. So I ended up going to Bed Bath & Beyond and buying a Copco 16-ounce reusable mug. It’s plastic, machine-washable, and doesn’t leak. Woo hoo!

So if you like to go to coffee shops to get your morning cup o’ joe, consider buying a reusable mug and taking it with you. You’ll still get that great cup of coffee and you’re helping out Mother Earth by not adding another paper cup to the landfill.

NOTE: If you like this post, check out the post that inspired it: "It’s Not Easy Being Green… Or Is It?"