Going Greener | the Coffee Edition

Now, neither of us are coffee connoisseurs by any stretch. But we love coffee culture. a lot. We love the environment. The people. The freedom to sit and read and talk and people watch. We live across the street from a coffee shop now. We spend a great deal of time (and money) there. Also, I am probably way more guilty of this than Rene. But I digress. We like coffee.

We also like trees. We love this gorgeous earth God's given us and we know how easy it is to forget to take care of it. In fact, we usually don't do a very good job of that. So... you probably see where I'm going with this...

Here are a few tips on going just a bit greener and taking better care of the planet when it comes to your coffee (or tea) consumption.

1) Get it for here. 

Most coffee shops (Starbucks included) will give you your drink in a real life mug. Then when you're done, they wash them and use them again like in normal restaurants. Crazy eh? It's true. So if you're not in a hurry, ask for a mug! You won't be creating any unnecessary paper waste and you'll feel extra comforted and cozy with a real mug in your hands. promise.

2) Re-use your paper cups. 

When I do get paper cups to go, I take them home, give them a quick rinse, and use them again when we make our own coffee before leaving the house. It's easy and saves me both the use of another paper cup and an extra coffee purchase. It may seem like a small thing, but if you only re-use your cups once each, it will cut your paper cup waste down by half!

3) Make it at home & go organic. 

We have a Keurig at home. And we love it. But however you make your coffee, by the cup or the pot, it's definitely worth it to make it at home. Both for your wallet and for the planet. We recently started getting fair trade, organic K-cups for our Keurig and they're wonderful. What you buy may seem like a small thing, but you as a consumer say a lot with your purchase. Buying "fair trade" means you're getting coffee that supports environmental sustainability through organic practices that reduce or eliminate the use of harmful toxic agrochemicals, pesticides and other chemical additives. You can read more about it here. 


So there you have it. Just some small, easy ways to make less trash and support a healthier earth. and still enjoy your coffee.


xo


jess