Around the world, coffee drinkers consume more than 2.25 billion cups of coffee per day. With such a huge number of drinks, making eco-friendly choices for each cup could make a difference. We suggest taking your coffee with a side of sustainability — because that’s a cup worth waking up for.
1. Pledge to purchase sustainable coffee.
Becoming an eco-friendlier coffee drinker starts with the actual coffee. Sustainable coffee is grown organically and is Fair Trade™ Certified. Check the labels on your beans or grounds to make sure your cup of caffeine is guilt free and planet friendly.
2. Initiate a single-use boycott with reusable cups.
It’s not as easy as you think to recycle single-use coffee cups. Although the most common ones are made from 100% paper, most also have a nonbiodegradable, thin plastic lining that ends up in landfills.
It’s better to buzz through the day with reusable cups made from sustainable materials like glass, ceramic or stainless steel. They have a much longer lifespan and paying a little more upfront for a reusable option ensures the planet won’t pay for it in the long run.
3. Introduce a sustainable coffee maker to your kitchen.
There are good and bad parts to common coffee makers, but we can help nudge you in a greener direction. Single-serve coffee makers are not planet friendly because of the plastic, paper and aluminum pods. If you can’t give up the convenience of these one-cup wonders, be sure to switch to reusable, refillable coffee pods that are Mother-Nature approved.
The issue with standard drip-coffee makers is the warming plates that run for hours — using electricity the whole time. Switch to stainless steel, thermal coffee makers that keep your coffee warm using insulation instead of excess energy.
