What Is Your Cup, Not What's In Your Cup?

It was 6am when I started this. One light on, dog asleep by my side on the floor and my coffee cup steaming. Now I got to wondering, my coffee is in a refillable coffee mug, one that the hospital gave me. They said no more free drinks without the cup. I understand, they are trying to do their part to be "Green". They recycle paper and batteries, they give employee bonuses to people that share rides or use the bus. And the list goes on. But, what do I get out of this mug? I save over a dollar at the hospital cafeteria, and .50 cents at the local gas station, but there's got to be more. So lets look as some of the facts;

In 2006, it is estimated that paper cups accounted for 252 million pounds of garbage resting in landfills. Paper cup use in 2006 also accounted for 4 billion gallons of water wasted, 6.5 million trees cut down, and 4,884 billion BTU’s of energy used.

A report conducted jointly by the Alliance for Environmental Innovation and Starbucks found that 1.9 billion cups were used by Starbucks in 2000.[5] In 2006, Starbucks reported that this figure had grown to 2.3 billion cups for use at their stores

1,000 disposable coffee cups equals about 60 pounds of trash. So, 1,000 people saving a cup a day for one year reduces waste by more than 11 tons!

Starbucks’ Environmental Footprint Team estimates the chain would save 150,000 cups every day “If only 50 customers a day in every store were to use reusable mugs.”

OK, so I get the point and I have learned a lot. I can feel good about my refillable mug because at one cup a day I make a big impact and so can you.

Tell me what your cup or mug is, do you like it and would you tell other about it?

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