Comments
Christina
Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:01:50 am
…because agreeing and playing the Devil’s advocate are equally appealing/beneficial…
I’m not your team: You have to have that cup of coffee…fine, I get it. You forgot your travel mug. So, you go to Dunkin. You order your coffee. Now, this is a long heated debate...paper or Styrofoam? Paper or plastic? What’s the ‘better’ alternative? And, of course, you have hit the nail on the head…kind of (I’ll get into this later). Paper over Styrofoam. Why? It’s biodegradable and made from renewable resources. Styrofoam stays in landfills/takes up space/is made from nonrenewable resources (petrol based), etc. That’s simple. So, this seems logical; my vote is for paper. Yes, Dunkin, I prefer paper over your nasty Styrofoam which melts when I put lemon in my tea (the lemon’s acid chews away at the Styrofoam…where are those chemicals going you think? Yummy.). Everyone forgets a travel mug once in a while so you do what you have to for your caffeine fix. But, yes-paper would be better. Petition? “Dear Dunkin, Please get paper cups for all sizes of your coffee because you made me feel guilty about my medium caramel coffee I had this morning. Sincerely, Your loyal constituent.” Sign and send!
Are we all together still? Good. Here’s where it gets interesting...
In a conscious effort not to completely turn your world upside-down…I’m sorry, but you need to prioritize. What is important to you? Producing less waste? Saving water? Drinking coffee? I mean…you can interpret this is a million different ways…I’ll try to hit a few.
You’re a hypocrite: At Dunkin, depending on the size of the beverage you are buying, you will get a paper cup rather than a Styrofoam one. So, although you say you are pro-paper, if you order a medium/large something, you are getting Styrofoam. Prioritize. You HATE Styrofoam? Practice what you preach. Make a sacrifice. Get the small today. Better yet-no mug, no coffee. You forgot your mug? That’s your responsibility to yourself and the environment. You know your 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle). So, the small cup of coffee you just got REDUCED the amount of waste you would have created, but so would your travel mug and it does a better job, at that. How about the 4th? Refuse-stop the cycle by never starting it. If you never accept anything that creates waste, then you will not create waste. If you don’t get a coffee unless you have your mug, then you will not create waste. Way to stay strong and stand behind your beliefs. I’m so proud.
Not for anything, you would think that after all of the times you forget your travel mug you would have a used styrofoam cup in your car…probably from Dunkin. Did you ever think to reuse that? Even paper cups can be reused. Just because it is ‘disposable’ does not mean it has to be disposed of. Since you seem to be so passionate about this, one would think you were all in…just saying. Waste is waste. Whether a product is made from renewable or nonrenewable resources is almost negligible.
Now, we get to the bottom of this…the coffee. You are doing all of this for that cup of deliciousness. What goes into making that cup of coffee? I’m talking, just the coffee. 37 gallons of water is needed to make one cup of coffee (http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/food/). It’s called “virtual water,” the amount of water required to produce and trade food and consumer products (http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/home). We could do the math on how much water goes in to making that paper cup you want so badly, but I wouldn’t want you to have nightmares.
So, now, I’ll ask again, what is important to you? If you say “saving water,” then I guess your days of drinking coffee are over. If you say “drinking coffee,” then just keep on chugging. Maybe consider shade grown/local varieties and getting an extra mug...I’m not totally unreasonable.
Amy
Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:56:27 am
This is very well said. I think it's harsh and raw. To the point and challenging. Challenging enough to make me look myself up and down and determine where my clothes came from? How much wear and tear did my jeans put on the environment. Underwear? Socks? I drink tap water out of a water bottle. But where did that water bottle come from? And the travel mug for my coffee... Where was that shipped from? My Smartphone. My earrings that I order online shipped to me from all over the world in a brown envelope lined with plastic bubble wrap. Ahhhh guilty. We're all guilty of so much and if we're honest we can tear apart most of our actions, attire, habits and addictions. This is a website after all. Who will determine the carbon footprint of the WWW? Honestly? That would mean environmentalists have to cover a lot more ground to spread the word. Too far? We'll see.
Christina
Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:16:47 pm
The point of my comment was not to make anyone feel guilty or to suggest that "all is lost." …Of course it can spiral out of control when you realize that the coffee you drink come from Guatemala…yikes…push that to the back for now. It's meant as a way to put things in perspective. We all have something that we fight for. In this editorial, you are fighting Styrofoam. Good for you. Someone needs to. I avoid plastic bags whenever I can. Super. But, how can anyone be 100% “green” at all times? It’s daunting-attempting to be that eco-friendly all the time. So, instead of locking yourself in a shed somewhere with a candle made from animal fats of the livestock you raise and slaughter on your organic, LEED certified, self-sustainable farm, make realistic and deliberate lifestyle choices in support of the environment. Pick a couple things you are passionate about and stick with it. Recycle. Turn off lights when you aren’t in a room. Don’t run the water when you do dishes. Look for alternatives. Simple, everyday life choices. It starts with you. Now, go tell your friends.
And, yes, environmentalists have a lot of ground to cover and not nearly enough funding to enable that. Another debate…
