Itty Bitty Bonzai #14

October 14th, 2009 - filed under: Itty Bitty Bonzai

Itty Bitty Bonzai is a collection of tiny tips and tricks for living a life more mindful. Small actions, collectively and compounded, become a powerful force of change.

#14

Alright guys, lets talk about coffee.

If you grab your joe on the go, remember to bring your own reusable mug. Millions of plastic and paper cups are trashed each year, and totally unnecessarily. For extra insurance, stow a lidded metal mug or glass jar in your glove box for emergency caffeine fixes. I even have a friend who habitually carries a ceramic cup in her purse, everywhere she goes!

If you brew at home, make sure your equipment is eco-friendly. For example coffee filters are bleached with a chemical called dioxin, an environmental toxin and carcinogen. Choose unbleached paper, cloth, or metal mesh coffee filters instead, to keep yourself and your planet dioxin free.

Regardless of whether you drink out or drink in, make sure your business is going to a company that shares your ethical priorities. Look for earth-friendly organic, eco-friendly ‘shade grown’, and socially responsible fair trade coffees.

BONZAI!

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No Comments to Itty Bitty Bonzai #14

1

EroSan

October 14, 2009

Also, remember that after brewing, grounded coffee is great for your plants…

you can even ask for it in starbucks and they’ll give you some for free
http://j.mp/4G01T4

2

Shana

October 14, 2009

This particular bonzai is near and dear to my heart. I gave up caffeine for awhile but found my life was lacking without it. I know that there are a lot of choices for getting your morning joe and I know that Starbucks is very popular, but we need to be more mindful of where we go. Starbucks is trying to do better by using locally sourced material and attempting LEED certification on all new buildings they build. Additionally, they are working with cup companies to offer cup recycling stations in all their stores. But, I digress, I love coffee and my choice is always local and fair trade. Thanks for this post.

3

Minna

October 15, 2009

But can we really trust Fair trade?

Fortunately coffee has bad influence on me, makes me all over-energetic and sick. And my heart starts to beat too fast. So, I’d rather carry around with me a bottle of water, a few drops of lemon juice in :) Gives me much more good energy.

Although… I gotta admit I sometimes crave coffee. In such cases, a littel metal mug might come in handy.

4

Sayward

October 18, 2009

@ Ero San – Yes! It’s great in the compost or just straight into the flower beds. And thanks for that link!

@ Shana – All very important points. Starbucks has their good and bad points. If people are going to go there, make sure to take advantage of the strong points, and let them know!

@ Minna – Trust, *sigh*. I think we have to trust as much as we trust organic and natural labels, sweat-free proclamations, etc. Just do your research and know the companies you buy from. Diligence!

5

Laura

November 29, 2009

I highly recommend an ‘I am not a paper cup’ as a travel cup. This is a ceramic cup with a silicon lid and it looks exactly like a paper cup. Double walled for insulation, dishwasher and microwave safe.
I have used one of these for a couple of months and I absolutely love love love it!
I got mine from amazon.

6

Sayward

November 30, 2009

@ Laura – Yes! I’ve seen that, its adorable!

7

Minna

April 7, 2010

I recently discovered KeepCup: http://www.keepcup.com.au/

I work in a cafe that owns KeepCup, so I bought one as well and simply love it! The good thing about it compared to some of the metal travel mugs is that it’s light and easy to carry. Another awesome thing is that you can design it yourself. Plus, it’s made out of recycled plastic! Mine is white with a yellow band and dark brown lid :)