AP Photo/Al Behrman
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A nifty trick or two, or a smart new habit, can make your daily (or hourly) coffee ritual way easier on the planet. Turn your regular afternoon coffee break into a veritable bonanza of eco-smart planet-saving with these five tips.
- Pour the Sugar Before the Coffee
You can scrap those disposable coffee stirrers, 'cause you won't need one if you just change up how you fix your drink in the cup. Put your granulated sugar and your milk or cream into the mug first, then pour the hot coffee over it. The heat from the fresh-off-the-burner brew will dissolve the sweet stuff and warm the dairy without any need for a stirrer, unlike what happens when your coffee's been cooling in the cup for a while before you fix it all up. (When all else fails, or if your coffee is too cool to do the trick, grab a real spoon instead of a disposable thingy.) - Get a Coffee Mug
Ditch the garishly non-sustainable, chug-and-trash Styrofoam cup in favor of a ceramic mug, or a good old thermos, or even a bucket—anything that you can rinse and refill a million times. It's not rocket science to think about how much waste you'll be keeping out of the landfill with this single, simple act, so just get a mug that says "I Hate Mondays," or has your family motto on the side in Latin, or whatever else floats your boat, and use it. - Make Green Coffee Chat
The next time you're hanging around the break room and a co-worker comes in to get his or her java fix, take a second to share what you know. Demonstrate the power of the sugar-first, stirrer-free method, or spread the news on how much you love your new sustainable thermos. Ask your co-worker if they've heard about, or trying out, any cool ways to cut their carbon footprint, or do other eco-smarty-pants stuff at home or work. Swapping green info with the people you're around is a great habit to get into, and your smalltalk can have big results. - Buy Coffee Beans you can be Proud of
Support ethical and sustainable businesses by buying shade grown, fair trade coffee beans, preferably some that have been roasted locally by a cool little business in or near your town. It might cost a couple more bucks to green your coffee this way, but you'll notice the difference in quality, and it's a lot better for the planet than getting your grounds from "Mr. International Conglomerate's Hut O' Environmental Devastation." - Forget the Coffee
Okay, so when you're pulling an all-nighter there's really no substitute for the brew, but reducing your daily caffeine intake might be something to strive for. Lots of water and other natural resources go into producing every sip of coffee you drink, so the fewer cups of java you need to chug just in order to feel alive every day, the lower your environmental impact will be. Try cutting back, or cutting it out once or twice a week. On those days, use your afternoon coffee break to do something else that gets you away from your desk and energizes you, like calling your best friend on the phone, having a secret dance party in an empty conference room, or listening to "Eye of the Tiger" on your iPod. As an added bonus, when you're not used to caffeine, just a little bit will ramp you up, so breaking down your tolerance with an occasional coffee-free-day makes the Joe you do drink that much more effective.
How are you greening your coffee break? Leave your hack in the comments, for the rest of us eco-conscious caffeine addicts.
Self-proclaimed science nerd? Learn the art of sustainable experiments on Planet Green TV's Stuff Happens.
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