Mugs, Cups, and the Environment.
The other day I was thinking about the tremendous impact cups have on the environment. Tunnel City alone goes through hundreds a day, imagine how many cups all the cafes in america use daily. I have some thoughts and suggestions on how everyone can make a real difference.
Coffee Shops:
Use recycled cups, sleeves, and lids if possible(tunnel city does)
Offer a discount for people who bring their own mugs.
Offer Ceramic mugs for customers staying with their coffee in the cafe.
Consumers:
Go to cafes that use recycled products(or suggest to you favorite cafe owner they start using them)
Bring your own mug from home.
I realized that by using a mug even half the time, I save almost 300 cups a year. I am just one person, if even a hundred people used their own mugs we could save 30,000 cups a year. Please leave any other environment saving tips you can thing of as comments.
Coffee Shops:
Use recycled cups, sleeves, and lids if possible(tunnel city does)
Offer a discount for people who bring their own mugs.
Offer Ceramic mugs for customers staying with their coffee in the cafe.
Consumers:
Go to cafes that use recycled products(or suggest to you favorite cafe owner they start using them)
Bring your own mug from home.
I realized that by using a mug even half the time, I save almost 300 cups a year. I am just one person, if even a hundred people used their own mugs we could save 30,000 cups a year. Please leave any other environment saving tips you can thing of as comments.
posted by Michael and Sadie at 10:52 AM
4 Comments:
mike, when one thinks about how many cups are wasted in one state, it's really quite incredible. if each coffee drinker used one cup a day (i use at least two...) that would be 365 cups per year. multiply that by at least several million coffee/tea drinkers per year, and we really are killing millions of trees--lets all buy TCC travel mugs/frech presses and save the environment! (and we can make the bossman happy, eh?)
Mike-
I'm happy to find this blog because I was in Williamstown this weekend and went to Tunnel City. A great place--but I couldn't believe I wasn't asked if I wanted the coffee to drink there (and hence use a mug). I went two days and was never asked, so I'm assuming that the workers didn't make a mistake and that no mugs are ever used. Why? I was stunned and disgusted by how many Tunnel City paper cups were stuffed into the trash can just outside the door of the cafe. I've been looking for an email address of the owner to complain to him directly, but can't find one online. If I lived in Williamstown I'd be tempted to organize a small boycott or something ...
Hi, in google it said you had listings of independent coffee shops around the world. I actually manage a local coffee shop in Houston, Texas called 'The Coffee Guy' you should list us :)
p.s.
Starbucks nazis just put a store next to ours to try and shut us down, and were unsuccessful.
Hi anonymous #1. It is true we do not have mugs and only cups. Our cups do contain recycled materials though. We also offer a small discount for people who bring in their own mugs. One reason we do not have ceramic mugs is the shear volume of business we do. On any given summer day we will have a line out the door. It is just like any other high volume coffeehouse, and even commercial coffee houses. That is why it is important for people to keep their own travel mugs with them. For the coffee purists out there, The gift store next door sells travel mugs made of ceramic instead of the typical metal or plastic.
anonymous#2 I have been extremely busy with school and work so I have not been able to start that website yet, although when I do I will gladly list you. My girlfriend and I are actually traveling through Texas on a road trip this summer Maybe we will look you up. Email me if you like at baristaman@gmail.com.
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