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After reading just one chapter of Ready, Set, Green: Eight Weeks to Modern Eco-Living, I'm already looking at my life differently. Apparently, I'm not as green as I thought: My favorite deli serves drinks in Styrofoam containers; I find my husband, Mike, leaving the television on when neither of us is home; and we're wasting water with leaky faucets when washing dishes by hand, and dumping half-full glasses once they get warm. While last week I thought going green would be simple, now it seems totally overwhelming.
One step a time, right? I decide to start with the deli. Everyone has a favorite: I love mine for its perfect coffee and just-sweet-enough iced tea, which, unfortunately, comes in liter-sized cups wrapped in plastic wrap. It's incredibly delicious, but the packaging is hardly eco-friendly. So when my daily afternoon iced tea craving hits, I grab my trusty pink Nalgene bottle and head out. (My Nalgene—an older model—is an issue all to itself: it's made from a number 7 plastic which is very difficult to recycle, and which I'm told is leeching chemicals into my drinks. I'll tackle that tomorrow.) At the deli, my second-favorite server is working the counter. I'm glad it's not a new guy who'll think I'm totally crazy—but he still laughs when I ask if I can use my own container. While he's filling it, I see him point me out to his coworkers, and as he's charging me full price (hmmm). I find out I'm the first person to bring her own container. I don't think he believes me when I tell him I'm going to make a habit of it, but that's ok—maybe I can set an example.
More about Styrofoam vs. Reusable Cups
Eco-Tip: Coffee Cups—Spilling the Beans
Refuse Styrofoam at the Counter
More about eco-friendly drinks
How to Green Your Coffee and Tea
Buy the Book
Ready, Set, Green: Eight Weeks to Modern Eco-Living
Blythe Copeland is a freelancer writer living on Long Island. Read more about her foray into the green life in her Ready, Set, Green: Eight Weeks to Modern Eco-Living.
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