We have all heard the mantra, Reduce Reuse Recycle three simple actions to help us create less waste. Let's add a fourth; one that's a bit more serious about getting at the heart of our society's waste problem: REFUSE.
REFUSE is starting on the Stanford campus with two simple targets:
Disposable Coffee Cups, and Water Bottles.
You don't need official statistics to imagine the amount of waste generated by the Stanford community's extraordinary café going habits, but here's some quick math:
- 1 coffee cup or 1 plastic water bottle = 1 oz.
- 15,00 students on campus
- Say each student makes 3 café trips per week for meals, meetings, dates, study sessions, etc.
1 oz. x 15,000 students x 3 coffee cups/water bottles tossed away =
= 2,812 pounds of garbage generated per week just from hot beverages & bottled water! That number is surely an underestimate but isn't it ridiculous that we are generating that much waste from an every day habit that is easily remedied?
Make the Pact
- REFUSE to buy bottled water. Carry a water bottle.
- REFUSE to get your tea and coffee in a disposable cup. Carry a travel mug.
- Get a REFUSE Sticker (coming soon), put it on your bottle/mug, spread the word.
REFUSE is about:
- Making waste awareness a habit.
- Getting students comfortable with bringing their own mug!
- Realizing the power of the consumer to have an influence on businesses
- Making cafés and eateries more friendly for reusables.
- Taking small but immediate steps toward creating a more environment-friendly society.
- Enjoying a simpler and less wasteful lifestyle.
- Generating a buzz about waste on campus.
- Addressing the contradiction between Our Generation's hopes for a sustainable future and our current lifestyle habits.
- Fueling discussion about the environment, waste, and our potential to make a difference.
- Sparking creative ideas for bringing about behavior change.
You may be excited for you and others to REFUSE, you may want to target more things than just coffee cups and bottled water, and you probably have great ideas! Let's unite our brains and our efforts.
- Come to REFUSE meetings : Tuesdays 10-11:30pm Xanadu House Lounge (558 Mayfield Ave.)
- Contact [email protected]
- Coffee Waste Calculator
- These Come From Trees Blog
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