Coffee (Make Your Starbucks Trip More Eco-Friendly!)

Who doesn't love Starbucks? We see the logo every day, whether around town or on a paper cup in someone's hand. Often I see my teachers or fellow students with their coffee in the mornings, and when they're done, they throw them out, and unless they're in a classroom, the only place to put them is a trash can, so they aren't even recycled. Putting aside the problem that they aren't being recycled, and think about the fact that it only takes six people to have coffee each day for 1000 paper cups to be used over the course of the school year. That doesn't even account for the ones that don't come to school.

How many people do you see go in to Starbucks, place an order, and ask politely for it to be put in an insulated reusable cup? Not very many. But when it does happen, they almost always are happy to fill your cup, bypassing the wasteful paper cup. Also, your coffee stays warmer for longer. So if ten people at my school were to use reusable cups whenever they went into Starbucks, that would take almost 2,000 paper cups out of the trash over the course of the year. Its just that simple.

You can easily find reusable insulated cups at places like Target or your local grocery store for less than $15, so why not? This is a scenario where the benefits definitely  outweigh the costs.

Movie Theaters

Who doesn't love going to the movies every now and then? A lot of people go in, get their soda and popcorn, and go find some decent seats. When you walk out everything just gets put in the trash, usually. A few months ago, Cinemark came out with reusable soda cups which are fairly expensive on the first use, but from then until the end of 2011, they're really cheap to take back and refill. My family bought a couple, and they've turned out to be really useful.

Last week when we went to the movies (with our reusable cups) I saw a sign advertising a refillable popcorn tub which worked on a similar principle to the cups. We weren't getting popcorn, so we didn't end up getting one, but I loved the idea, as it makes being more eco-friendly even more rewarding.

The other reusable cups which my family has recently used a lot are from our local gas station. They're fairly large cups for using at their soda dispensers, but we've also used them at Burger King, Subway, Erik's, Raley's, and Boudin's, as well as using them at home, so they've been really useful too.

Recycling Old Electronics

How many of you got new electronics recently? I'm guessing some of you did. Say, for example, you got a new cell phone, what would you do with the old one? Recycle it, of course. But how can you be sure where it's really going to end up?

I recently heard about gazelle.com, which is a website where you can answer a few simple questions about your old electronics, and they'll take it from you and recycle it. Usually, as long as whatever you send it is usable, they might even buy it from you and pay for shipping. They aren't the only option out there, I bet, but they seem to be a pretty good choice. I've also seen an article in the New York Times about options for recycling electronics, which I found really interesting.

Although it takes a little effort to get rid of old electronics responsibly, sites like Gazelle can really make it worth doing. So next time you need to get rid of old electronics, try looking at sites like Gazelle, and see if you can make a little money from it! 

The Plastic Bag Challenge

Just over a month ago, my family and I decided we needed to reduce our use of plastic bags. We were already really good at not using plastic bags, because we usually use reusable bags. But when we forgot those, either because they're in the car or because we left them at home, we just used paper/plastic bags. There were occasions when we all went out and my brother and i just bought a couple of small things, and we'd be given a bag, which was really unecessary.

So the Plastic Bag Challenge we came up with goes like this: for every plastic bag you bring into the house, you pay a $0.25 fine. We decided that we would collect these coins in a jar, and count them up after a couple months, and see how we've been doing. The money would then go to charity. How are we doing? Well, after 5 weeks, we only have $1.25! Thats about one plastic bag per week, which I think is pretty good.

The hardest time for me was going shopping with friends. We went out for a few hours one weekend, and I bought a lot of stuff, but I forgot a reusable bag. Somehow, though, I managed to keep everything in one bag, so only paid one fine. Also, when we go out to run errands and my brother and I don't think we'll end up buying something, we have to think about either sharing a bag or going without one entirely.

Its definitely a challenge, but its making us think, and we seem to be improving with use of bags when we don't need them. Why not try counting up the plastic/paper bags your family uses in a week? I'd love to hear about it!

Kittens! (and the impact they can have)

Meet Peeta and Percy! Last week, my family and I adopted two kittens from a local cat-rescue organization. One of the things we were thinking about was the impact they could have on our environment. One thing we considered? Sea otters. If you read that and finally decided that I'm crazy, I don't blame you. But really, my kittens could have an impact on the lives of the otters. When cats are outdoors, they don't tend to use a litter box, so they do what they need to do wherever they please. Cats are hosts of toxoplasma gondii, which can cause toxoplasmosis. The cats often pass off the infection in their feces, and the infection can die inside them within a couple of weeks, and the animal would never be infected. On the other hand, when the feces is washed down the storm drains, in will eventually end up in the ocean. When it does, it can infect some of the creatures that otters can then eat, or can get to the otters through direct water contact. Otters are particularly susceptible to toxoplasmosis, and it can easily kill them.

Sleeping Beauties

What can we do? If you dispose of cat litter well, you can prevent toxoplasmosis from spreading, but really the best thing to do is keep your cat indoors (for more info, visit Sea Otters and Cat Feces - What you can do). Peeta and Percy are indoor cats, so we aren't incredibly worried about toxoplasmosis, but we are still being careful with disposal of cat litter.

Percy wants a turn!

As well as thinking about toxoplasmosis when we got the kittens, we purchased store-brand pet litter, which comes in a reusable container. We bought the largest size, so not when we need more, we'll take the container back to the store, and pay to refill it. There are also a lot of eco-friendly cat toys around, which often like to advertise their eco-friendliness on the packaging.

Obviously, cats aren't the only pets out there, so why not try looking for more eco-friendly ways to take care of your pet, whether dog, fish, bird, or something else. I guarantee there's something out there :)

A little too close to the camera!

How Cute <3

Adorable :)

Inventive Wrapping

Christmas is in a week, and we're all rushing to wrap up those perfect presents, so our instinct tells us to run to the store and buy a roll of Christmas-y wrapping paper or two, right? What about the old magazines and newspapers around the house? That last question wasn't as off-topic as you may be thinking! This year, I took one of my magazines, and wrapped all of my friend's Christmas presents in the pages and pages of double-sided advertisements. They were really effective, and all looked really unique! It was also a really good way to start conversations. Everyone was asking questions, and they love the idea. One of my friends even decided she would go home and wrap the rest of her presents in old newspaper and magazine pages!

Do you really need new wrapping paper? Try using your old newspaper and magazine pages to wrap some of your presents, even if it is only one or two. Every little bit helps!

"You've Inspired Me"

Have you ever thought that your endeavors to be eco-friendly are hopeless? That whatever you do, you're only one person? That what you're doing isn't being noticed? You're not alone. I've felt like that before too. But then I realized that it isn't about showing off and being talked about. Its about what you're doing. You're taking part in an eco-friendly action, and its good if people notice, but don't worry if they don't.

But do you want to know a secret? People DO notice. They don't tend to let you know though. Since I've been having waste-free lunches at school, using reusable water bottle, and making sideways comments about the wastefulness of juice boxes, I've noticed more of my friends using reusable bottles and producing less trash. If you keep working hard, you might just get lucky, and someone will tell you how they've been inspired by you. For example, when my mom was at a grocery store a couple of weeks ago (with her reusable bags, of course) and was in line to pay, the woman behind her was fascinated with her bags. She engaged in conversation with my mom, repeatedly mentioning how she'd been inspired to do the same.

Thats just one example of people noticing another's eco-friendly habits. Sometimes, a similar encounter can happen without the words though. If that woman had wanted to, she could of stayed silent, noticed the bags, and still have been inspired without talking to my mom. Its the silent inspiration whcich is helping these ideas grow more than anything.

I promise you, if you keep trying, someone will notice. Or maybe they already have! If you have any stories about an encounter with someone you've inspired or that has inspired you, I'd love to hear it! Post a comment or email me at beth@whymewhynot.org  .