This March, Seattle Public Utilities quietly rolled out an updated city-wide recycling plan with the type of efficiency critics rarely expect from government.  Billed as “Better Recycling”, the changes appease the vocal crescendo of recycle-maniacs who have been pushing for broader recycling options for years - and the top dogs in city hall who have set ambitious recycling goals.

The “better recycling” moniker is ambiguous, but the city has covered its bases.  Everything from more pick-up days, to job security, to recycling accessibility is resulting from the program.  But perhaps most interesting for us coffee-lovers is this: paper coffee cups are now recyclable.  There are a few caveats; cups that are too dirty might still be sorted for the landfill, and foam covered cups don’t make the grade.  Nonetheless, this rocked our world at SIS.  New recycling options have the potential to alleviate tons of residential and commercial waste, and advocacy groups (us included) can heave a sigh of relief knowing the city can “walk the walk”.  So does this mean we can close the books on the coffee cup issue? Or would a celebratory Irish coffee be premature?

 

Blue Skies for Eco-Coffee Drinkers

Seattle’s recycling progress should put smiles on java drinkers throughout the world’s coffee capital.  The new coffee cup rule makes recycling more convenient and accessible.  Seattleites seem prone to recycle on instinct, so tossing a cup into the right bin shouldn’t be a hard habit to change.   And public recycling receptacles are already abundant throughout most of the metro area.  It’s too early to predict any impact in quantitative terms, but past successes in Seattle are promising.  In the first year of the big composting push, Seattleites remembered to toss 80,000 tons of food and yard waste into their compost bins.  The common paper cup could very well be the summer-blockbuster sequel.

Of course, municipal reinforcements are always welcomed by environmental non-profits and advocacy groups.  Recycling centers which can handle the complex materials of a disposable coffee cup come with a big price tag.  Amidst tight budgets and a shaky economy, it’s fortunate that the upgrade wasn’t axed.

The new rules could have a big impact on long-term plans for eco-regulations too.  It’s tough to enforce recycling when options are limited.  But now that the city has stepped up to the plate, it’ll be possible to coerce those who create excessive trash to change their habits  And if the city is to hit its goal of diverting 60% of its waste to recycling and composting, this may happen soon.

 

Prevalient Clouds Still Abound

Despite the many benefits, environmentalists should be cautious not to succumb to hubris.  As far as waste solutions go, broad recycling is a proven weapon.  But conservationists cringe when “recycling” becomes the default solution to municipal environmental issues.  Sure, disposable paper cups create landfill waste, and that’s not good.  But what about trees, water, energy, petroleum, and other scarce resources gobbled up by cup production?  Because of the extra resources consumed in the pick-up and recycling process, disposable coffee cups being recycled can claim even more energy than before!  Unless new recycling trucks and sorting centers run on alternative energy, ecoists miss a flawless victory.

This solution also neglects to conserve one important resource in particular – money.  Recycling, although eco-friendly and popular, does come with a cost.  The city has to pay for the state-of-the-art recycling center, businesses must pay for recycling services, and coffee houses still have to pay for their disposable cups.  A recent Wall Street Journal article cited a coffee shop owner in Pennsylvania who lost 40 cents per cup in costs. Comparably, promoting reusable coffee cups as a solution saves money for everyone.  When it comes to a solution that’s friendly to both the financial and environmental bottom lines, recycling may take second place.

Could Seattle’s programs and commitment to recycling serve as the paragon for other municipalities?  It would be an environmentalists dream to see every town and city embrace recycling like Seattle, but the reality is less rosy.  Retrofitting a typical recycling center to process disposable coffee cups is costly and out of reach for most cities.  And even though Seattle pushed these new recycling investments through the budget process, other municipalities may not be so lucky.  I recently visited Lawrence, Kansas to speak with a campus group advocating for glass recycling in bars.  The biggest obstacle they face is that glass recycling isn’t yet available.  Chances are, spending money to recycle coffee cups is low on their priority list.

Even within the coffee capital, the new recycling solution misses a few targets.  Broad recycling may be available, but there’s no guarantee that landlords will provide such amenities to commercial tenants.  As Jim Hanna, Environmental Director for Starbucks pointed out in an SIS interview last year:

“Here in Seattle, where commercial recycling is generally available, we [Starbucks] often lease our store spaces from landlords; which may or may not provide us with recycling options… it’s important to understand that setting up recycling is subject to a lot more variables than just putting some bins out front.”

It isn’t just the torpor landlords putting up obstacles.  Large Seattle institutions like the University of Washington find themselves left out of the celebratory recycling hubbub. An article titled “New City Recycling Program Not Instituted at UW” notes that contracts with disparate waste management companies are the root cause of UW evading the new rules.  This quirky irregularity takes a more serious tone when it’s realized the campus burns through 5000 disposable cups a day. 

So…what about that Irish coffee?

Bottom line, this is a major achievement for environmental movers, the city of Seattle, and coffee lovers.  New recycling rules will undoubtedly lessen the amount of garbage from disposable drink containers.  But only the most credulous of coffee drinkers should believe that the new regulations will close the case on paper cup’s environmental footprint.  Conservation takes a back seat when recycling is driving progress, which does no good in protecting our natural resources. 

Ultimately, it’s still the responsibility of coffee drinkers and the coffee business to actually do something about paper cups.  Whether that means putting in the elbow grease to institute recycling or promoting and using reusable coffee cups, the city government can only do so much.  

 

Tags: activist, Better, BYOC, coffee, coffee house, compost, Conservation, Cost, cups, disposable, eco, ecoist, Expense, garbage, goals, Greg Nickels, is, java, Litter, Management, Mayor, paper, Public, recycle manicas, Recycling, Recyleable, reusable, Seattle, sexy, successful, sustainability, Trash, triple bottom line, Utilities, waste, waste reduction

Poster used in Portland, Maine Reusable Cup Campaign.  April 2009.

Coast-to-coast distances be damned!  The Maine Potters Market, O’Naturals restaurant and Morning in Paris coffee shop, are partnering with Sustainability is Sexy to promote reusable coffee cups in Portland, Maine.  MaineToday.com has a great write up online of the ongoing campaign:

“Wednesday, April 22, 2009, is both Earth Day and Administrative Assistants Day. To honor these holidays, the Maine Potters Market will be promoting the use of ceramic, reusable cups by offering coupons for $5 off any mug in our store during the whole month of April.   Break the disposable cup habit and reward yourself with a free cup of coffee when you bring your own mug to Morning In Paris Coffee House, April 12-18, and O’Naturals Restaurant, April 19-25. Thanks to these local businesses you can do your part to celebrate Earth Day.  Go to www.SustainabilityIsSexy.com for more information on the environmental impact of using disposable cups.”

For Sustainability Is Sexy, this campaign first began back in March.  Susan of Ash Cove Pottery, (a participant in the Maine Potters Market Co-op), contacted us seeking thoughts on promoting reusable coffee cups.  As the project instigator, Susan already had some serious opinions regarding reusable cups.  “As a potter, it’s [reusable coffee cups are] a no-brainer.”

As a coffee lover, its a no brainer for us too. If you’re a coffee house, business, or community interested in promoting reusable coffee cups, then Sustainability Is Sexy can help.  Our all-encompassing campaigns are designed by young adults immersed in the coffee culture and well-research.  Smart and sexy - we’re the perfect storm when it comes to eco-campaigns. Track us down for more info at SustainabilityIsSexy.com

And for those enjoying the beautiful sights in Portland, Maine - don’t forget to stop and smell the coffee in Old Port.  Happy Earth Week!

Tags: bring, campaigns, coffee, conscious, cup, earth day, eco, environment, exchange street, help, how to, initiatives, Maine, Maine Potters Market, Maine Today, Morning in Paris Coffee Hous, O'Naturals, Old Port, own, Portland, projects, reusable coffee cup, sexy, sustainability, your

“When I told my career counselor that I liked to travel, this is not what I had in mind”. Three hours into a business conference, and I was already tapping my heels to go home. I’d flown the red-eye the night before, had woken to a generic continental breakfast with generic coffee, and was now watching a generic powerpoint presentation. Living out of a suitcase is no picnic, as any business traveler will tell you.

To me, even more offending than the verbose speaker were the bad environmental habits on display. Disposable coffee cups, disposable water bottles, disposable lunches – throw-away conveniences flourish in the conference environment. I have a hunch that some of the discomfort felt by conference-goers tends to be caused bad environmental habits. It’s no secret that coffee is more enjoyable from a durable mug than from a paper one. Talk About Coffee published a thorough article a year ago, detailing how paper cups can negatively affect the taste of coffee. The basic gist is that pieces of the disposable cup disintegrate into the coffee and contaminate the flavor. Also, disposable cups don’t hold heat.

Even more recently, a psychology study from Sheffield University in the UK concluded that coffee (and tea) tastes better when enjoyed from a favorite cup.

My own theory on the correlation between bad eco-habits and poorly received business conferences is cultural. Most of us grow up learning the importance of hosting a party properly. We clean up the house before guests arrive, we serve cold drinks, and we break out the good china when important people drop by.

When a host ushers conference-goers to a coffee table with cheap throw-away cups, attendees are reminded that their comfort isn’t actually all that important.

There are exceptions. At a recent one day conference in California, my conference hosts took subtle measures to boost conference-goes mood. Immediately noticeable were the coffee cups. At this conference, ceramic coffee mugs had replaced the ubiquitous paper cups commonly used. The same was true for other foods and drinks. Pitchers and cups replaced plastic water bottles; a serving pitcher replaced individual coffee creamers; sugar came in a dish instead of in little packets.

Given my thoughts on reusable coffee cups, I felt like cart wheeling down the halls in excitement. But it wasn’t just the eco-obsessive who seemed to enjoy the change. Everyone in the room seemed to feel more comfortable and at ease. As an audience, we seemed more eager to participate in discussions, ask questions, and work in groups when asked. The conference hosts benefitted too. Every conference photo that was taken, tweeted, or posted to a blog showed conference attendees holding coffee cups branded with the host company’s logo.

Planning a conference? Why not treat your attendees well, and nix the disposable materials. You’ll do a small part for the environment, and your attendees will thank you.

Lead picture courtesy of jaako on Flickr Creative Commons.

Tags: bottles, business, ceramic, coffee, conferences, disposable, eco-friendly, forum, green, host, sexy, speakers, sustainability, sustainability is sexy, travel, water

Spreading our message - that Sustainability Is Sexy - is the core of SIS.  It’s why we run a website and blog, why we write editorials in newspapers, go on radio shows….

…. and sell T-shirts and reusable coffee cups.  We love it when people buy our cups and our shirts, and not just because it’s how we finance ourselves.  Those products are walking reminders to forget about disposable coffee cups, and instead to rely on reusable ones.  It’s a reminder to whomever bought the cup or shirt, but it also spreads the message to others as well.

The website which hosts our T-shirt store, Spreadshirt, is having a sale.  Discounts include 15% off of items when purchased between Dec. 1st and 5th.  Between Nov 25st and 28th, buyers can see 20% off when 2 items are purchased, and 25% off when 3 items are purchased.  Check out the banners and coupon codes below.

Tags: clothing, coffee cups, discount, discounts, gear, is, sale, sexy, Sexy T Shirts, shipping, shirts, SIS, Spreadshirt, sustainability, Sustainability Is Sexy T Shirts

Sustainability Is Sexy packed up its bags and went back to it’s roots for Earth Day last week. The University of Washington hosted Seattle’s biggest Earth Day fair - and SIS was there to spread the message about coffee cups and waste.

It’s been close to a year since I graduated from UW. Returning to a familiar place from the past can be a bit nerve-wrecking. Would people still care? Would my message be taken seriously? Because I’m a “real adult”, would anyone listen?

The answer to those questions were overwhelming. We were hit with a stampede of interest even before our set-up was finished. Maybe it was the new “Sustainability Is Sexy” coffee mugs, or maybe it was the brilliant bright green all around. But no matter what the draw, everyone wanted to know what SIS was all about. Most importantly, everyone wanted to be a part of the solution. We went home with empty boxes, as most of our new cups and info packets were in the hands of eco-informed coffee drinkers.

Perhaps even more amazing than the amount of people we spoke to was the huge range of people interested. We spoke with everyone from students in Birkenstocks and faculty in suits (and of course, suited students and faculty in Birkenstocks). The message of saving the world with reusable coffee cups is something in which everyone can participate.

If you don’t believe students are active in today’s world, then this event would have blown your mind. Thanks to the guys from Your Revolution for organizing such a big event - you guys rock! If you’d like to read about the event and the groups which participated, you can find an article by The Daily at UW here.

Tags: coffee, cups, disposable, earth day, ED, environmental, event, festival, sexy, SIS, sustainability, sustainability is sexy, The Daily, university, UW, washington, waste, Your Revolution