Can You Fill Up My Travel Coffee Mug Please?

Finally, I have had enough.

I go to Dunkin Donuts for coffees almost every morning. Every morning, I carry my large coffee in Styrofoam cup to work. After I am done, I flow the Styrofoam cup into the trash. Almost everyday, I feel bad that the cup will stay in our environment doing more harmful things for a long time. I did that for a few years. Finally, at the turn of this new year, I decided to put my thought into action and bought a travel mug from Dunkin Donuts. At first, it was a little awkward to ask the people at the counter to fill my mug. However, I got used to it. I did the math and the little awkwardness is well worth the reward.

Say if I buy 3 coffees every week (lots of us buy A LOT more that 3 coffees every week). Every year, I will save the environment from 3x52=156 Styrofoam cups. Wow! That's A LOT of trash saved! Not to mention, it is a lot easier to carry a travel mug than a Styrofoam cup. You don't have to worry about running into people and SPILL BOILING COFFEE ALL OVER YOUR BODY (granted it hasn't happened to me yet). Nor, do you have to worry about dropping and consequently, God forbid, LOST YOUR COFFEE (okay, that hasn't happened to me neither). Plus, you travel mug shows a lot more personality than a Styrofoam cup that everybody else uses. Already, I think people around me wants to get their travel mug because it looks better.

So, get your mug ready. Next time when you go buy coffee, say, "can you fill up my mug please?"

No Bag Please!

Plastic bag is a great invention. It's waterproof. It's can handle weight. It's also lightweight. We use many plastic bags everyday: goceries, take out lunchs, shopping, a bottle drink. If you don't think the plastic bags are strong enough to hold your goods, we double the bags.

Most of us would just throw away the bags after we take the goods out. However, these plastic bags we throw away will not decompose for at least 10 years! So, if we use and throw away one bag a day for 50 years, that would be 18,250 bags! Even for small bags, that's a huge volume!

I have always tried to use things to their full extend. So I usually keep the clean bags and use them again later (as garage bags, etc). Then, one day, I realize that if I keep taking bags when shopping, I would never be able to use up my collection! So again, I started exploring ways to reduct my "bag consumption":

If you are like me, I almost always carry a backpack. So, when I buy a small thing, like a DVD or a book, I would just put the good in my backpack (along with the plastic bag that serve no purpose now). So, I started asking cashier not to put my things into bags.

Instead of going out the buy breakfast everyday, I started buying breakfast in volume and stack them at my place. If I am really hurting for time in the morning, I would just use one of my clean bags to carry my breakfast with me to work. (better yet, you can just keep breakfast at work if you have your own space) Not only do I saved the possibility of taking another 5 bags, I am using up my clean bags!

Since I live in a city, I can afford to buy things little by little frequently. Also, I carry a gorcery bag with me so that I don't need to take new plastic bags. What strike me is how cashiers automatically put goods into bags. Once, I have bought a bottle soda. The cashier looked at me wired after I told her that I didn't need a bag for it.

If all of us start reducing our bag consumptions, the demand for bags will be lowered. That, in turn, will reduce the production of plastic bags. As an added bonus, plastic is made of oil. So, lowering consumption in plastic also lowers consumption in oil.

So next time when you go buy gocery, tell the cashier, "No Bags Please!"

Do You Use Papers Faster Than Trees Grow?

Papers are cheap. I bet, our mass demand for papers makes production cost per page really low. So, why worry about using them? boss does not care. Well, I am sure lots of us already know, just because papers are cheap dollar-wise, it might not be cheap for our environment. Papers are made from trees. So, I ask all of you to think: do you use papers faster than trees grow? Technology has enable us to print out hundreds of pages in minutes. However, trees do not grow in minutes. By printing out those pages, you are killing trees faster than they grow. If enough of us are doing it, we will significantly reduce the number of trees on earth!

Now, we have business to conduct. We can't just stop using papers. However, we can use less and use them more wisely.

• We can email that report, instead of print and send.
  
• We can print our reports double-sized.
• Do not just flow away used papers, recycle them.
• Better yet, save them, use them as scrap papers, THEN recycle them.

Since I started collecting used papers from my work, I have been very disgusted by the amount of papers we waste. I started exploring ways to use my scrap papers.

• I learned how to feed scrap papers into photocopiers and printers.
• I tried to see if my colleagues would accept drafts of documents printed from scrap papers.
• I am printing out articles with scrap papers so that I can read them on the go.
• I use scrap papers for all the quick notes I need to write down.
  

By using scrap papers more often, I am also using less clean papers. I am now slowly reducing my loads of scrap papers! I hope one day, I will be able to clean up my 3000+ pages of scrap papers.

I wish you can join me to save the trees!

Please Save Our Earth!

Use less gas.
Instead of driving, take the bus/train. better yet Walk!
Learn to save energy.
Recycle!
Beyond recycle, use material to their full extent!