Where my coffee drinkers at?? Although I go through phases of drinking way too much coffee to not drinking any, it is safe to say that on average, I drink my fair share of it. Being on the go constantly, I tend to buy cups of coffee at wherever is convenient at the time. Awhile ago, I realized my car was what appeared to be the final resting place for paper coffee cups; a sad sight to see indeed. I recycled all of them so that they could be reincarnated into something great but still was not at ease. To fix this, I started making my own coffee and taking it to go in my own travel mug. Of course, I would run out and go on a hunt for some more. Typically, this would occur when I would be neck deep in textbooks, doing homework or studying at a... wait fot it... coffee shop (I can't help it that coffee and free Wi Fi go together so wonderfully). I continued to use the cups they provided and continued to be shamefully aware of my growing carbon footprint. Well, one day I had my travel mug with me and asked if they could just refill my cup, please and thank you. Guess what... they were happy to! Not only were they happy to use
my cup, they even gave
me a discount! Since that life changing day, I have encountered some weird looks when making the request and discovered not all places give discounts. In the end,
you know the positive effects of a reusable cup and are being kind to the Earth.
Reusable mugs can be found for great prices at places such as Ross, Marshalls, and TJ Maxx. Like with reusable water bottles, avoid cups with BPA. See my blog "Three Ways to go Green" for more about that. Many coffee shops sell cups with their logo but do not feel like you have to use theirs.
Award for best discount goes to...
Paradise Bakery: $0.80 + tax for unlimited refills of your chosen beverage (coffee, tea, or soda). You save about $2.00. Did I mention the unlimited refills?
Award for most eco-friendly goes to...
Starbucks has been working hard at becoming more environmentally friendly. When using your own cup, you will save $0.10 on any drink. In fact, their goal is to serve 25% of their drinks in reusable cups by 2015! Don't have your own? You can request your drink to be served in a ceramic cup if you intend to drink it in the store and still get the discount!
I hope to branch out and try some new places. I will let ya'll know if I find a great deal. I encourage you to go explore the coffee shops in your area. Don't be afraid to ask about discounts for using your own cup and about their recycling practices.
What are your experiences with bringing your own cup to coffee shops? Any great places we should go check out?
I've only brought my own cup once or twice, and the barista was more than happy to put my coffee in it. =)
ReplyDeleteI keep ogling those super-cute ceramic cups that keep popping up at places like Walgreens. They're only 7-8 bucks, but look just like a paper cup and they have a silicon lid instead of plastic. :D