It IS That Easy Being Green!

How often do you drink a cup of coffee at school?  Once?  Twice?  Three times a day? (Coach Steele...we're talking to you!)

Now think about how often you rip open a Splenda packet, use a plastic coffee stirrer, throw away a Styrofoam cup, or use those little plastic creamer containers. 

All those elements that go into your daily cup of java=lots of trash.  Unfortunately, a large majority of that trash will never be recycled or re-purposed into something new.  Here are a few simple steps that will make your cup of joe a little greener:

Instead of using those Styrofoam cups, why not invest in a cute coffee mug that you can reuse each day? 

And instead of using individual sugar and creamer packets, why not buy a Sam's Club container of each?  It's more economical and less waste each day.

Don't bother purchasing those plastic coffee stirrers.  Why not just use a reusable spoon?

There are even ways to keep your actual coffee a little more green:

Buy your coffee beans in bulk and grind them at home.  Your coffee will taste fresher and you'll be saving money!

Check for a Fair Trade sticker on your coffee.  This means that the place where your coffee was grown has safe working conditions for growers. 

Choose organic or shade-grown coffees.  This means that your coffee has been grown without harsh chemicals.  Shade-grown coffee means that less trees are cut down in the rain forest.  This means that birds and other critters that call the trees "home" remain safe!

  Reuse and re-purpose your coffee grounds!  Did you know that coffee is great for scrubbing grease out of pots?  It is also a great natural fertilizer and deodorizer for the refrigerator.  You can even use caffeinated coffee grounds in place of a body scrub (the caffeine actually "wakes" your skin up)!