… my travel mug. That’s right. Don’t judge. I love it. I’ve had it since 2002, and it still works like new. I have used it almost every day – it goes with me in the car, to my classes, to teacher’s meetings, on walks in the stroller … I fill it with Peet’s coffee that I brew at home; the kind barista’s at Peet’s (and a few other select coffee shops) fill it with what feels like ultra-caffeinated coffee, hot or cold … (and Peet’s generously gives me 10 cents for bringing in my own mug) … it might just be my best friend.
And here it is in all it’s worn glory:
It’s a little scratched and coffee-stained, but it’s solid. Why would I ever want to drink coffee from one of those paper cups with a plastic lid? Not one reason comes to mind. My mug is superior on all counts.
Think of the amount of garbage that ends up in landfills. Every day, people drink coffee from paper and plastic cups and throw them away. You may think, “but it’s made of paper – I can recycle it!” Think again. Those paper cups are coated with a plastic-based resin called polyethylene to help with temperature control; this resin makes them non-recyclable. According to the EPA, “in 2012, Americans generated about 251 million tons of trash” and paper/cardboard made up 27.4% of the total. Of that 27.4%, I’m not sure how much was from coffee cups; I could look it up and spout more statistics but those numbers don’t really mean anything to me. What is 27.4% of 251 million tons of trash? All I know is that it is a LOT! I am just going to take the common sense approach and say that not using disposable items is the right thing to do.
Think about your own coffee habits. Are you guilty of using disposable cups? I am not into public shaming, but you know who you are! (Yes you do … don’t deny it.) Get out there and get your own travel mug today.
According to Ai 