You’re Drinking Sustainability in Your Morning Cup of Joe

Thanks for checking in for Week 2 of my new series about harnessing approachable methods of sustainability within our homes. For those of you following along on Instagram, you may know already that I am far from an expert in this realm, only a concerned citizen looking to do my best for our ailing planet. It is also my aim to present these ideas to you with a great deal of approachability, and it is my hope that you will add to the commentary in comments section, via email, on Instagram, etc. I am always looking for ways to do better, too. Lastly, I promise to not feed you the obvious. We all know recycling is bad, and that blasting our air conditioners at 64 degrees all summer long is frowned upon. What I want you to walk away with from these posts is a host of new, unpredictable ways you can help save our planet. I promise these posts will be SHORT, and the advice will be EASY TO IMPLEMENT. Also, be sure to click all bold links to take you to products and/or articles mentioned.

This week it’s all about that cuppa Joe! Many of us start our days off with a steaming cup of the good stuff, and there are some obvious, and not so obvious ways we can tap into the eco-friendly powers of our cup of coffee. I’m going to start with a short list of the obvious:

1. If you don’t brew at home, be sure to take a reusable stainless steel canister to your barista each morning. I forget often, but the more we remember, the more green our planet will be. Our favorite is the Yeti Rambler.
2. Encourage your local coffee shop to switch to Compostable Coffee cups. My brother owns three coffee shops, and I always feel relieved that his customers are walking out the door with these compostable cups each morning.
3. Be mindful of where your coffee is sourced from. Supporting coffee farms that embrace sustainable farming practices is one of the most powerful ways we can impact our environment through our coffee drinking habits. Counter Culture sets a great example. Read more here.

Now, let’s chat about those LESS obvious ways we can make a difference with our favorite beverage. Most people brew their coffee at home in the morning, and there are several steps that are taken to complete that process. One of the first things we do is set up the filter. And this is such an easy switch to make if you haven’t already, but using compostable coffee filters is a super simple way to be easy on the environment. The link I have provided is for #2 filters, which fit most at-home coffee machines.

Ok, our coffee is done, we’ve poured our cup and we’re cleaning up before we sit down to enjoy. STOP RIGHT THERE. Before you toss that compostable filter in the trash, you may want to think twice. Coffee grounds are one of the most potent plant fertilizers around, especially for azaleas, roses and blueberries. This article is a tremendous resource for the best ways (and the best plants) to sprinkle those grounds around the garden, or even on certain house plants.

Thanks for tuning in this week and I hope you’ll stay tuned for this ongoing series. Beginning next week, I will provide a checklist on each post for each item that is mentioned, and please be sure to subscribe to the blog to have each post delivered directly to your inbox.

Until next week!

XO,