Anyone else feel like you blinked and January was almost over?  The beginning of the year is always an exciting and busy time for my family full of planning, organizing, goal setting, and of course the post- Christmas clean-up!  So somehow we find ourselves here on Week 4 of our 2015 challenge!

This month we’ve been looking at single-use items and how to reduce or eliminate them.  Last week we took a look at what most of you said your top single-use item was- toilet paper!

Today… disposable coffee cups!

According to Carry Your Cup Americans throw away 25 BILLION styrofoam coffee cups a year.  (More facts here for those interested plus you can take the Carry Your Cup pledge!).  I literally can’t even wrap my mind around what 25 billion styrofoam coffee cups looks like.   What I can tell you is that I’m guilty of using them.  Usually because I’ve either gone to get coffee when I wasn’t planning on it or because I didn’t want the “hassle” of  hand-washing my reusable cup.

IMG_0606This week- get in the habit of taking a reusable cup with you that you’ll actually use! I got rid of all my hand-wash-only cups because I just don’t use them.  I’ve switched to mason jars for my drinks.  I keep a couple in the car so I’ll always have one for unexpected trips.

I love mason jars.  I feel like they’ve gotten super trendy lately and for good reason.  You can use them for cups, salads, leftover containers, fermentation vessels, storage and organizing, and of course for canning and preserving.  They come in so many pretty colors and sizes and you can recycle them.  What’s not to love?

 

image_a048cb6d-27d1-4ed1-b958-82ab6923f7c1_large I’ve also discovered these from Mason Monster.  The owner, Brad, tells me they are made from Bamboo Fiber, Rice Hush, and Organic Plant Material.  When you’re done using them you can compost them but they’ll last forever above ground! And they make an insulated sleeve for your mason jar to keep things hot or cold.  I’m excited to try them out!! Brad’s offering you a 20% off discount when you enter the code “keeper” at checkout.

 

Mason jars not your thing? There are literally THOUSANDS of reusable coffee cup options out there.  Every coffee shop I go to seems to have them. Or go have fun at a paint your own pottery studio and make one that’s perfect for you.  Just use it and bring it with you.  It’s definitely a habit worth forming.

Will you join me in taking your own drinking cup with you?  Comment below or email me at blog@keeper.com and let me know that you’re going to bring your own! You’ll be entered in to our drawing on the 31st for a free Keeper or Moon cup from us (definitley NOT a drinking cup though! 🙂 )

I’d also love to see photos of your reusable drinking cups in my email or on our Facebook page!

Have a great week~ Olivia

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Olivia lives in Boulder, Colorado with her husband and 4 year old son.  She enjoys spending time in the mountains, studying about essential oils, natural remedies and herbs, as well as upcycling/ DIY projects.  Olivia’s family made the move last year towards becoming a Zero Waste household.  They have gotten down to one bathroom sized trashcan a month of garbage but hope to be totally Zero Waste by the end of 2015.

 

Like this?  Check out the rest of our Waste Less and Be Green in 2015 series for more tips!

 

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