When out and about, we are always in a rush, heading from one place to the other in the hopes of cramming as much activity as possible into one hour or day- it is only limited to 24 hours and we need a minimum of 8 of these to sleep; at least I do. This leaves us with 16 hours to complete our daily duties- work, cook, eat, commute from one place to the next…We have the urge to complete tasks faster, get more done and thus rush ourselves. Living in a city strengthens this “rush“, which I find sometimes very motivating and enlivening; being amongst a crowd, though strangers, pursuing different goals and destinations and yet sharing a space. I think this is why many are attracted to life in cities- being amongst a crowd, surrounded by vibrancy, movement, life and yet being to yourself, living in your own bubble.
Despite the fact that I might be on the go, or have to be somewhere at a given time, I like to take some time for myself to re-energize and have a little down time before going back into the storm. For that reason I like to carry my On-The-Go coffee and tea cup with me. It allows me to treat myself, such as purchasing a coffee with oat milk or a nice fresh green tea, and still take it on the go. Also, I am contributing or rather alleviating some stress from the environment by reducing my waste production and carbon footprint.
We are let to believe that the cardboard coffee cups we purchase at all the main coffee shops are being recycled, we even throw them into recycling bins. However…
- most on the go coffee cups are lined with polyethylene to make them waterproof- this aggravates the recycling process, since there are only few facilities with the capabilitity of separating this layer
- fewer than 1/400 cups are sent for recycling; even though you might have decided to recyle this does not imply they will actually be recycled in the end, some don’t even get to see a recycling facility
- 50% (150 million) of the American population drink coffee in its various forms, in the UK 10,000 cups are used in 2 minutes, making 7 million a day and 2.5 billion a year. This underpins the vast coffee community and the impact it can have when making sustainable and conscious choices
- coffee cups are also not made from recycled materials in the first place, enlarging the carbon footprint one leaves
The facts were new to myself as well, yet have supported my choice of turning to re-usable on-the-go coffee cups instead. If the line “CAUTION! CONTENTS HOT“ is why you rather turn to the disposable, non-recyclable and non-reusable coffee cups I can assure you, my silicone lid has the same line written on it AND it is environmentally friendly. The only real drawback is that my lipstick is really hard to get off of the silicone lid, but this is something I am willing to accept for the many, many benefits my ceramic cup brings along. I do not only use it for on-the-go beverages, but also as a usual cup for tea at home. The rounded off top is just so nice to drink from, and the black hearts instantly make any drink look more appealing to me.
At home or on the go, I love drinking from my ceramic cup. I can enjoy my “hot contents“ with delight and a good conscience. What other thoughts would you wish for when enjoying the first coffee or tea of the day?! I wouldn’t know any better. See some cute options below!
Shot by Sarah Johanna
sophiemariex.com 