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Think about the latte for a moment. You know, the one you pick up on your way to the office in the morning, or sip on during a brisk evening. How much water could it possibly take to create that little cup of joe?
It's just a little coffee, after all. Well, and some water. And milk, and sugar. That sugar, doesn't that have to be grown as cane first? Hm. And then there's that plastic lid, which has to be created and distributed over hundreds of miles. And doesn't plastic require a pretty vast amount of water and oil to produce? Come to think of it, there's the sleeve and the cup itself too . . .
It keeps adding up, doesn't it? It does—it keeps adding up until it reaches a grand total of nearly 53 gallons. 53 gallons. For every single little latte that gets drank in a to-go cup. For every single latte-sipping person in the world. See where I'm going with this?
There's no way we can continue to use up 200 liters, or 52.83 gallons for every latte we order. And that's why we have to change the way we think, as this illuminating video from the World Wildlife Fund points out. There are a number of things we can do to get the ball rolling towards a more sustainable coffee drinking future—starting on the individual level. We can all forgo those takeout cups, and start bringing our own cups. We can make sure to buy only coffee that's grown sustainably. We can even attempt to keep sugar and milk out of the equation (gasp).
But the biggest point is, we need to keep our eyes open—and be willing to consider alternative measures. Even when we're doing something as innocuous as having a cup of latte in the morning.
More on Greening the Latte:
Organic Chai Tea Latte : It Yourself Drinks Organic
Wolfgang Puck Disposable Instant-hot Latte
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