Last week while reading a poster promoting the use of polystyrene (Styrofoam) cups instead of paper cups I suddenly realized just how wasteful we can be. It’s not like I never noticed how much waste there was before, I just didn’t realize how much goes into items that are destined to be thrown away. The poster focused on the amount of water used in the production of paper cups and the difficulty in recycling paper versus polystyrene. The truth is that both are recycled less than they should be but there is no reason why they need to be produced in such mass amounts in the first place. I guess reading the poster did affect me, maybe not in the way the writer intended but it made me think about my own habits. I went out and bought two re-useable mugs; one for hot, one for cold. The first thing that I noticed was that I was actually paying less now for coffee and other drinks by getting refills. I also didn’t have to search for a garbage can or recycling bin and I found myself making my own coffee more often as it is easier to carry around a mug that has a lid. There is one downside though; you have to wash your mug! Just try to make sure you use as little water as possible when you do so. Maybe one mug at a time we can save our worlds forest and water resources and save a little money in the process. Just a little wishful optimism…
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