Written by Ashely, creator of The Little Black Coffee Cup
Ever since publishing a piece highlighting the environmental challenges of our single-use coffee culture, I made a commitment to change my behavior in relation to the to-go cup. In the past I would attempt to circumnavigate half of my environmental guilt by choosing not to use a lid, or skirt the issue entirely by taking the time to sit and enjoy a cup in shop. These methods, however, are a safety hazard and inconvenience to the majority of folks who like to drink coffee on the go.
Armed with my favorite reusable mug and an unshakable curiosity, I made it my mission over the past month to fully understand what is required to cultivate the habit of reusing a coffee cup. I wanted to know: Why aren't we all bringing our own mugs? Why haven't I—a person who drinks a lot of coffee and professes to care about the planet—been making it a priority to reuse? And, could it be so darn hard?!
In the past 30 days of bringing my own coffee cup, these are the 3 most important things I have learned:
So, without further ado, here are 7 easy tips to help build your own reusable mug habit...
Follow this link to continue reading... The Little Black Coffee Cup
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The second most common question asked by a barista is: "Would you like that for here, or to go?" In my experience on bar, most people choose to take away. Even if the customer decides to sit and stay, they tend to enjoy the optionality that comes with a portable cup.
The to-go culture has run rampant in our society. The convenience that it affords has become invaluable to coffee drinkers and cafes alike. Customers can seamlessly integrate hot beverages into their fast paced lives, and businesses can use to-go cups to churn out volume while turning them into mini billboards to market the heck out of their brands. In fact, the branded disposable cup has become so trendy Instagramers show up to shops just to snap a few pictures with designer single-use cups in hand. Happy customers, increased volume and brand exposure: It's a win, win, situation. Right?
Follow this link to continue reading... The Little Black Coffee Cup
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The PortaVia Universal To-Go Lid does something quite marvelous. It retrofits onto the top of any drinking vessel (mugs, cups, glasses, usually have roughly the same diameter at the lip) and instantly turns it into a travel cup that you can carry around with you without splashing your drink. It covers the mouth of the drinking vessel almost entirely, not only creating a nice seal that prevents spills, but it also helps in retaining your drink’s overall temperature, keeping your beverage hot and piping for longer, and if any of this wasn’t good enough, the PortaVia lid even comes with an integrated sipper that lets you use the cup and lid together like a travel mug with a sipper lid.
The PortaVia Universal To-Go Lid is made from food-grade BPA-free silicone. It can withstand hot temperatures, it’s dishwasher-safe, and most importantly, it grips particularly well, creating a robust seal around the edge of your mug. Designed for most mugs between the 12-20 fluid ounces, the PortaVia sits snugly on top, almost like a Tupperware lid, turning a regular cup into a cup you can walk (or even run) around with, without worrying about your drink going cold, or worse, spilling. It also makes sipping your drink on the go easier, and is a much better alternative to disposable plastic lids. Plus, the fact that the PortaVia sits so wonderfully on ceramic and glass mugs also helps reduce your dependency on plastic or paper cups. The PortaVia, with its silicone construction, can be used and reused multiple times across almost all cups, mugs, and tumblers. It’s dishwasher-safe, food-grade, stain and odor-free, and also a boon for the planet!
Designer: Louis Dombowsky
Written by
]]>I recently attended a Zero Waste event held by the City of Vancouver, which eventually led me to cross paths with a chap called Louis. He’s the brains behind the PortaVia, a reusable lid for coffee cups. But not for specific cups, all coffee cups. Well, OK, I suppose not all of them, but lots of them!
We caught up with Louis during his Kickstarter campaign to raise cash to fund his project to lower waste in Vancouver.
Continue Reading at: Vancouver Coffee Snob
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