Campfyre Stories

I saw this article today on 10 ways to go green for $50 or less.  While they are excellent ideas, not all of them are very practical and many could be expanded to encompass more people.  For example, #5, taking an electric shuttle.  This isn’t something that’s available in all areas, or even to most people, but taking public transportation once a week would offset gas costs and cut down on emissions.  Sure, it’s not as environmentally-friendly, but it’s a green option that could be integrated into one’s schedule.

Now, I’m all about reusable shopping bags and killing junk mail and e-cycling, but it seems to me that they left off one of the easiest things to integrate into your daily life, and something that many people take for granted.  Travel mugs.

Those who know me in real life know that I am NEVER without my mug.  I put a carabiner on my purse and a keyring around the handle of my mug so that when it’s not in use, I can clip it to my bag and go about my business.

The thing is, pretty much everyone has at least one travel mug already, but few people think to bring it with them.  I can’t understand why something so simple, and frankly, money-saving, would be so difficult to make a point to carry.  Not only am I avoiding the waste of the disposable cups, but most places charge me for the smallest size or give me some kind of discount for bringing my own mug.

My office recently stopped providing disposable hot cups, opting instead for ceramic mugs, which they ask anyone who is using one to wash when they’re finished.  This has led to a large number of people bringing their travel mugs to work, but it astounds me how many of them leave their cups on their desks and come in in the morning with a disposable cup of coffee from Starbucks (or Stewart’s or Dunkin’ Donuts or whatever).  Time and time again they say "Yeah, I really should carry it with me, but…"  and there is nothing past but except an implied "I don’t."

This is something that everyone can do with a minimal effort.

I was talking to a woman this weekend and she complimented me on my carrying a travel mug.  "That’s a really smart idea.  You’re so green," she said.  And I explained my rig to carry it as well as how it saves me money.  "You’ve inspired me!" she said.  I hope I really did, because it’s an amazingly simple thing to do, especially when you consider that we were at a rest stop on the Thruway when we had this conversation.  Both of us were, you know, traveling. 

It’s interesting, the more I think about it, the more I can’t wrap my brain around the difficulty of actually carrying a travel mug.  I mean, those of us with kids know that we bring bottles and sippy cups almost everywhere we take the kids.  The question here that we should be asking is "Why do we STOP?"  I even sometimes refer to my travel mug as my "sippy cup".  Considering how accident-prone and clumsy I am, it behooves me to have a lid on my cup, and it has spared me some serious messes.

So let’s start with ourselves.  Start carrying the mug and asking that it be used for coffee instead of the paper or styrofoam cup.  Every time.  If you can’t remember to bring it in with you, make a point to pour your disposable cup of coffee into your travel mug and at least drink out of it.  You’ll also start to notice how many cups you’re wasting.  Then, once that’s been ingrained, move to the kids.  Buy them their own travel mugs and add it to the "we’re leaving checklist."

"Did you pee?  Do you have your jacket?  Your mug?"

Let’s teach THEM to always have it with them.  The younger they are, the closer they are to remember always having their favorite sippy cup, and if they already have a sippy cup, make graduation from that move to their own "grown-up" travel mug.  "Just like Mommy and Daddy have!"

As easy as it is to not take a bag for small purchases, you often have to tell the clerk ahead of time, or hand the bag back (which I do).  As beneficial as it is, to the earth and your wallet, to buy reusable shopping bags, it takes an effort, both in initial investment and in remembering each time you go shopping.  Travel mugs take the minimal effort.  There is no rejection to the business, there is no pretension to the act, there is actually less effort, since you don’t have trash to deal with when you’re finished.

Make a small difference…  other people will notice.