Ditch the paper cup with Envirogorge’s Re-Fill Challenge. Stopping at the coffee shop to get your morning fix, think before you grab that disposable cup. We are challenging you to Use A Reusable. You can have your take away without the throw away. For the month of June, instead of using a paper cup and all its accouterments borrow a house mug or bring your own!
Then, take a photo of your reusable container and submit it to Envirogorge to be entered in a drawing for prizes. Winners will be drawn weekly, and best of all you can enter each time you hit the coffee shop for your fix be it coffee, tea, kombucha, or hot cocoa.
Now go ahead, get that refill.
What’s the point?
Our theme the past few months has been focused around energy. And those single use cups take a lot of energy to produce. According to the Environmental Defense Organization, we could power 53,000 homes with the energy we consume through our paper cup consumption.
Paper cup, stir stick, paper sleeve or second cup, lid. That’s a lot of waste. The worst part is, for the most part it’s not recyclable! Those paper cups are lined with wax or plastic, and though it is technically recyclable few facilities have the capability to remove the layers. Recyclers in the gorge do not accept disposable coffee cups for recycling.
To enter the drawing submit a photo via:
Text: Send your name, photo and (name of coffee shop) to 321-236-8476
Instagram and Facebook: tag @envirogorge and use the hashtags #useareusable and #(name of coffee shop)
email: send your photo (name of coffee shop) to COFFEE@envirogorge.com
Winners will be selected weekly and will win gift cards to participating local coffee shops! Including in Hood River: 10 Speed, Dog River, Doppio, Farmstand, Ground, and Kickstand Coffee. In White Salmon: North Shore, and in Odell: Hood to Hills.
this seems like a doable challenge — I’d also encourage people who are travelling on planes to bring their own water bottle or container. Have you ever noticed how much plastic is used on an airplane?
Ruth, we love the enthusiasm! The more you can use your own (preferably recyclable) container the better!
Excellent idea! And… what about The Dalles? I know it’s nearly to the edge of the earth — but not quite! I believe there are one or two coffee shops in these parts.
We’ve talked to Hosteins and Grinders and left them flyers. But really anyone can enter anywhere. Just use a reuseable cup, send us a photo and they’re entered in the drawing. We always ask the winner what coffee shop they want a gift certificate from, and we’ll buy the certificate for them where ever it is. Alright, Australia might be a challenge.
I’ve brought my own cup for years and a little tip to avoid drips getting in your car, purse, backpack when you’re done drinking your beverage: use a mason jar with a lid, that way you can screw the lid on when you’re done, and voilá, no messy leakage!
Thanks, Roxanne. I think we can change the world one coffee cup at a time. I hope you’ll enter the challenge and win a gift certificate to your favorite coffee shop.
We’re hoping the coffee cup strategy works for the plastic water bottle user. During a recent trade show 27,000 plastic bottles we’re estimated going to the landfill after the event. Shortt Supply decided maybe we could do a Hydration Station in our store and bring about a small amount of change. The “little bit at a time” awareness campaign.
Coffee drinkers…..we’re watching you and applaud the effort!
Brian, kudos to you and Karen for the Hydration Station. The 27,000 figure is staggering and that’s just one of thousands of trade shows and other events. Sometimes we all just get into habits and that’s what we hope your hydration station and our coffee cup challenge do is get us to thinks about the single use habit.