Even if you're in the independent coffeehouse cheerleading camp (generally speaking, I'm a brew-your-own fair-trade, organic coffee at home fan), the reality is that millions of people patronize Starbucks daily. They are a fixture of city life in New York. I received a Starbucks gift card, and when I suggested to the counterperson they should offer ceramic mugs, she said, "we do." Really? Do any of their customers realize this? In an age when corporations are bending over backwards to promote themselves as "green," why are they keeping the lid on ceramic mugs (pun intended) if people are going to drink their beverage there? The company states on its web site that by 2015, its goal is to have every Starbucks cup be reusable or recyclable. But ceramic mugs are something people can use right now.
Starbucks finally wised up and is now offering a 10-cent discount if you bring your own coffee mug. I hope the company gets enough requests to make ceramic mugs the default for customers staying in. I shudder at all those plastic lids languishing in the landfills, in addition to all those trees cut down needlessly.
Visit My Starbucks Idea (free registration required) to request this change, in addition to adding vegan options and leaving soy milk out on the counter. The consumer voice is more powerful than ever in this struggling economy, and we must utilize this strength for a better planet.
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