Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Trying Not to Live a Disposable Life

Ok, I admit it- I'm a sucker for coffee. More specifically, I'm a sucker for walking into a place who's employees already have my order started when I walk in, know me by name, and ask me how my mom is doing. In this corner of Atlanta, that place is a Starbucks. Now before you get ready to lynch me, please note that we live in a land of office parks and mini malls and there isn't a home grown coffee shop for miles. When we visit Augusta, our favorite little spot is The New Moon Cafe, which sports fair trade beans that are roasted locally. If you want anything organic or vegan, they probably have it, and they encourage patrons to recycle and use fewer napkins. Here at home however, it isn't that easy, so I've decided to do what I can without giving up my morning stop. I present the cup:

Isn't it gorgeous!?!! And better yet, it was given to me by a friend who never used it. (Thank you Hannah) According the The New York Times, Starbucks uses an estimated 1.5 billion cups annually, a number that I'm ashamed to have contributed to. Previous to aquiring the cup we always took our coffee cups home for recycling- a great way to quantify your environmental and financial guilt. I am now disposable cup free. If we could just get a local roasting, organic, fair trade, shade grown, green as can be shop here in Dunwoody I'd be all set. :)

5 comments:

LoveMeKnot Creations said...

i was at starbucks the other day and saw a cup like that and almost bought one :)

thats one reason i tried to go to tully's more often, their cups are 100% compostable, nifty huh?

maybe...you should open up a cafe down there, you'd be a hit:)

GreenSpaceGoods said...

awe, thanks :)
That's the dream someday. I want to do half eco-cafe, half upcycled art gallery. I think the community would support it. I just don't have the funds to get started. But someday the corporate gig will come to an end and hopefully I will have saved enough pennies.

Tia Colleen said...

I'm pretty sure you can ask for fair trade coffee at starbucks. Back when I *could* drink coffee, we would order fair trade from our starbucks. The first time we asked for it, they didn't know what we were talking about, and phone calls to managers had to be made, before someone emerged from the back with a bag of fair trade perfection. They brewed us a fresh pot :)

That cup looks so super hip.

Unknown said...

Glad to see you back & sporting such a stylish but funtional solution at that! I have been thinking of getting a travel cup but in metal because hot coffee is my weakness :~D I will not lynch you, I love those Seattle based bean roasters too!

MindyG said...

I own stocks in Starbucks in a women's investment group...no offense taken, please drink up!

 

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