Confronting my environmental waste problem has made it clear that my New Englander-prescribed obligatory dependence on Dunkin is totally wrong. After I assessed my personal environmental footprint, I had my coffee epiphany. I stopped going out to get a cup of coffee every day, but I didn’t let my caffeine addiction go. Instead, I created a more sustainable morning routine by making better coffee at my home. I am saving the environment, saving money, and improving my coffee-centered ego by doing this.
Anyone who visits coffee shops will see the waste that disposable coffee cups create. These coffee cups are everywhere on campus at Syracuse University. It is difficult to find a trash bin on campus that doesn’t have a coffee cup with a Starbucks or Dunkin logo. Lectures often feature at least one student drinking coffee from a disposable cup.
There are plenty of disposable coffee cups available on campus at SU. Each cup is approximately 3.5 oz. 30 yearsTo degrade the environment.
Starbucks and Dunkin have waste reduction campaigns. Dunkin Eliminated2020 will see the introduction of polystyrene foam cup cups for hot beverages. Starbucks has MarketingRecyclable plastic cups with a strawless cover CommitmentsTo reduce waste by 50% in their stores by 2050
Both businesses allow customers to bring their reusable cups to their locations. It doesn’t appear that many people bring their reusable coffee cup to campus cafes. Consumers still produce significant amounts of waste. Students and consumers can overcome their addiction to coffee in plastic cups by being more mindful about how they drink it.
Perceived convenience is what fuels our addiction to buying coffee out. Going to Dunkin’ at Schine can mean waiting in long lines and paying. There is much moreIt is more than the average at-home brew and you can leave your personal preferences to the hands of others.
It takes less time to make coffee at home than it does to buy it elsewhere. When you have the right equipment, it is not necessary to leave the comforts and convenience of your own home.
This process requires that you make simple, but thoughtful, choices. It is important to choose the right type of home coffee machine. The K-Cup system is used by Keurig coffee machines. This refers to single-use plastic coffee grounds holders. Pre-packaged coffee grounds in the K-Cup makes it difficult to control the strength. This can be avoided by searching for espresso machines that allow direct use of coffee grounds. The brewing process also includes the selection of the right coffee bean roast and the way the beans are ground.
The sheer number of things that could go wrong when I first started home-brewing coffee was overwhelming. Through trial-and-error, however, I was able to make the perfect cup. If the brewing process goes well, the coffee tastes better than any cup from Dunkin’s or Starbucks. There is no single-serve waste.
It is time to stop our daily addiction to these cups. Americans could be more mindful about what they eat and how it affects their environment. Students can reduce their environmental footprint and spend less by choosing home-brewed coffee. This will also increase their ability to identify what good coffee is.
Harrison Vogt is a junior environment sustainability communication and rhetorical studies double major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached via [email protected]. He can be reached at @VogtHarrison on Twitter.
Published February 9, 2022, at 10:19 PM