North County Voice: Six Easy Ways To Save Money And ‘Go Green’

Filed under: Earth911 - May 29, 2009

By Yoram Baltinester

Want to save money while simultaneously saving the planet? Then listen up…

1) Power down your computers at night. A recent Gartner study measured carbon emissions from a variety of IT devices and found that the top three are PCs/monitors, data centers, and fixed-line telecommunications systems, in that order. PCs and monitors alone contribute 40 percent of total carbon emissions, data centers around 23 percent.

In fact, PCs worldwide consume about 80 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year. What’s more, as much as two-thirds of that is wasted, according to Kevin Klustner, CEO of Verdiem, an IT energy monitoring and management company, translating to $5.4 billion of energy waste each year.

2) Stop Printing Non-Essential E-mails, Faxes And Documents. Not only will this save your company money on ink and toner, but you’ll reduce the amount of paper and ink waste clogging up landfills. You can also install software to make your faxes show up like e-mails. That way you can easily delete the ones that aren’t essential and save a ton of paper and ink. Plus, you won’t run the risk of losing the only paper copy you have!

3) Stop Wasting CDs and DVDs. CDs and DVDs can hold a lot of data, but most people only use a tiny portion of the space by burning small files. This results in a lot of unused and wasted space (it’s the equivalent of storing a postage stamp in a warehouse). CDs and DVDs are difficult to recycle so use them intelligently and conservatively.

4) Change Your Power Settings. Almost all computers have lower energy settings that will power down the computer (or parts of the computer) that are not being used. For example, after 10 minutes of inactivity, set your PC to power off the monitor, modem and spin down the hard disks. Most systems have pre-determined profiles that make it easy to set up.

5) Turn Off Peripheral Devices When Not In Use. Specialized peripherals like printers, scanners and bar code readers consume large amounts of energy and, in some cases, are rarely used. Keep them turned off until they’re really needed.

6) Recycle—Earth 911. This tip is two-fold. First, if you need to upgrade a computer, printer or other electronic device, look for energy and earth-friendly machines. Many manufacturers are selling green versions of their devices that conserve energy and use fewer resources to operate, such as printers and copiers that use ink more efficiently.

Next, don’t just throw your old equipment into the trash! First, computers contain components that require special recycling procedures. If not disposed of properly, they can sit in a landfill for YEARS. The federal government requires businesses to donate or recycle old electronic equipment that the EPA considers hazardous waste. If you are caught violating these laws, you will be fined.

If those aren’t reasons enough, you never want to throw your old electronic equipment into the dumpster because your identity could be stolen. So how do you get rid of them safely and without harming the environment?

If the machine or device is less than three years old or otherwise in good working condition, consider donating it to your favorite charity or look for charities that specialize in refurbishing old computers for charitable donations. Some good websites are www.earth911.com or www.youthfortechnology.org. If the machine is too old to give away or refurbish, then consider www.pcdisposal.com or www.1800gotjunk.com.

To learn more, go to http://www.BaltiGroup.com or contact Yoram Baltinester, 858-704-3838, yoram@baltigroup.com.

Fort Collins Green Living Examiner: Four of the Hottest iPhone Apps for Greener Living

Filed under: Earth911 - May 27, 2009

By Beth Buczynski

Even though the Apple iPhone’s somewhat snobbish takeover of all that is cool in the mobile/digital/computing world irks me, you can’t deny that there are some amazine apps out there. Like the one that can instantly tell you the calories of that bagel you’re eating, and exactly how many minutes you’ll have to dance around your living room to work it off.

Despite the ego and the pricetag that make the iPhone a little offputting to some, you can’t deny that it is a demonstration of the future of mobile technology, and that it has the potential to revolutionize the public’s connection to sustainable businesses, local resources, and green products.

Here are four ahead of the curve apps that are already making green living on-the-go possible:

App Name: Locavore (by Buster McLeod)
What it does: Informs you of what foods are being grown locally, what local foods are in season, and where you can find them (i.e. farmers’ markets).
From the creator: “Eating local food when it’s in season is an increasingly popular goal amongst people who are interested in eating the tastiest, healthiest food while also being good to the environment. Knowing what’s available in your area at a given time of year is often difficult to determine, so we’ve taken on the task of collecting data from a variety of sources and presenting it all in the most understandable of ways. The Locavore iPhone app will come in handy next time you’re at the market and want to know what’s actually being grown near you, and what is most likely to taste the best right now.” enjoymentland.com/locavore
Price: $2.99

App Name: 3rd Whale (by 3rd Whale)
What it does: Delivers business listings in four categories, Food, Ecotourism, Retail, Spa/Fitness, by proximity to the user via GPS. Also allows you to add a “favorite green place” that may not be in the 3rd Whale database yet, and rate/review the greeness of a business.
From the creator: “3rdWhale’s mobile application for the Apple iPhone lets you power up your green lifestyle. Find the nearest vegetarian restaurant, fair trade store, yoga center or bicycle shop. You can also use 3rdWhale Mobile to plan your next trip. Feel good that your purchases will match your values.” www.3rdwhale.com
Price: Currently FREE, but only for a limited time!

App Name: iRecycle (by Earth 911)
What it does: Allows users to pinpoint the nearest location to recycle specific items.
From the creator: “iRecycle can pull up local recycling locations using GPS, so an address isn’t needed. Along with the location’s basic information, iRecycle also gives a detailed list of all items accepted for recycling, the location’s hours and contact information and can even give you turn-by-turn directions.” earth911.com/iphone
Price: FREE

App Name: Carbon Tracker (by Clear Standards Inc.)
What it does: Enables users to track and manage their personal carbon footprints.
From the creator: “With Clear Standards Carbon Tracker for the iPhone, you can easily calculate the carbon footprint from your commuting, vacation, and business trips. Use the GPS feature while traveling to determine the length of each leg of your journey, so you don’t have to guess the distance. Set monthly “maximum emission” goals and monitor your progress against your own personal reduction targets.” www.clearstandards.com/carbontracker
Price: FREE

The Daily Green: 17 Creative Things to Do with Phone Books

Filed under: Earth911 - May 26, 2009

By Jeff Yeager

Is it just my imagination, or are they sending out updated editions of the phone book and Yellow Pages a lot more often than they used to?

When I was growing up, it seemed like we had the same phone book the whole time. I remember it, because my Uncle George —who fancied himself the Human Hulk— said he knew a trick whereby he could tear an entire phone book in half with his bare hands. It didn’t quite work out that way, although he did thoroughly mangle the A-G listings.

And the Yellow Pages; I don’t ever remember getting an updated version. Our copy was sort of our family Bible, not only a source of information but a record of our lives. Especially the page with the phone listing for our family doctor, which was crammed with frantically written margin notes in my mom’s handwriting, instructions from the good doctor’s office for treating her two accident-prone young sons. Things like: “Induce vomiting immediately!”, “Not contagious…as far as the doctor knows,” and (multiple entries) “Should pass in his stool within 48-hours.”

Okay, so maybe it is just my imagination, but certainly the phone company is distributing a heck of a lot more phone books than they need to in this era when so many of us retrieve the phone numbers we need on the Internet instead. More than half a BILLION phone books are printed and distributed every year in the U.S., which is nearly two books for every American. That consumes about 19 million trees. Here’s how to help curb this waste of paper and make the best use of outdated phone books you have on hand:

Jeff Yeager is the author of the book The Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to True Riches. His Website is www.UltimateCheapskate.com.

Victoria Advocate: Make a Big Impact with Little Effort

Filed under: Earth911 - May 13, 2009

By Meridith Byrd

Are you looking for an easy way to make a big difference? If so, then I have an idea for you: recycle your cans. These lightweight little guys pack a big punch when it comes to recycling and energy conservation.

According to Earth911.com, the aluminum can is the most valuable beverage container to recycle. So this week’s installment of “What You Can Recycle Here in Victoria,” will feature aluminum, tin and steel cans.

The city collection centers require that all cans be rinsed (no need to remove the labels), and no aerosol or propane containers or appliances are accepted. I’ll devote future columns to recycling appliances and electronics.

If your household is like mine, you go through a lot of cans. Metal cans contain everything from green beans to soft drinks to cat food. All of these cans are able to be recycled into new products.

Why is metal recycling so important, anyway? Simply put, these items take a very long time to break down naturally in a landfill. Estimates vary, but the range is from about 100 years for tin and steel to approximately 500 years for aluminum.

In addition, the energy savings are phenomenal. A quick web search reveals statistics repeated on a number of sites: recycled tin and steel cans require up to 74 percent less energy than making them using new materials, and the number jumps to 95 percent when it comes to aluminum.

The sustainability of metal is another encouraging reason to recycle. Recycled metal keeps its strength, so it is able to be made into new products over and over again. Aluminum cans are made into more aluminum cans and other products, and recycled steel is used in cans, car parts, and home appliances, to name a few. Why throw something away when it can be reused so often?

Packaging has gotten a lot of press recently for being wasteful and contributing to the enormous amount of garbage produced each year. The good news is that companies and industries are becoming aware of this concern and working to lessen the packaging of their products.

Aluminum is a good example of the changing times. Forty years ago, it took about 22 empty aluminum cans to equal one pound. Today, technology has allowed less material to be used in the making of each can, and one pound of aluminum cans now equals about 34 empty cans.

The substantial amount of energy saved by making cans from recycled aluminum illustrates how wasteful it is to throw them in the garbage. Earth911.com states that for each aluminum can thrown away, about half of that can’s volume of gasoline is wasted. That amounts to more than 3 gallons of gasoline wasted for every pound of cans in a landfill.

So, instead of throwing away your cans, why not recycle them instead? It takes surprisingly little effort to make a big impact.

Meridith Byrd is a marine biologist and invites readers to contact her at meridith.byrd@gmail.com.

Everett Daily Herald: Recharge your Batteries

Filed under: Earth911 - May 12, 2009

By Sarah Jackson

If you have a device at home that’s rechargeable, it has a recyclable battery.

That’s according to the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation, which operates Call2Recycle.

Rechargeable devices, including rechargeable home phones, cell phones, digital cameras or camcorders, remote-control toys, power tools, cordless vaccuums and computers, all have batteries that can be turned into new batteries or recycled as scrap metal.

Call2Recycle features a list of local drop-off locations, including major retailers and hardware stores, who all accept the batteries for recycling for free. If your device no longer works and you want to recycle it, too, visit Earth911.com or Snohomish County Solid Waste for more recycling options.

The Salt Lake Tribune: Give Household Hazards the Boot

Filed under: Earth911 - May 9, 2009

By Mary Jane Butters

You’ve been making changes to give your lifestyle that lovely sheen of green—filling your pantry with organic fare, choosing chemical-free fabrics and scrutinizing labels for scary ingredients before buying. But as you stock your shelves with healthier household products, you inevitably find containers of not-so-green chemicals hiding in the corners.

Not wanting to be wasteful, you’ve held onto those half-empty bottles of carpet cleaner, nail-polish remover, bug spray and so on. Maybe you figured you might one day use them again. Or maybe, like most of us, you don’t have any idea how to get rid of them safely. It doesn’t seem right to dump them in the garbage or down the drain, where they’ll leach into local waterways. So how can you come clean? Fortunately, there are environmentally responsible ways to give your household hazards the boot.

I’ve come up with a quick-reference list of common disposal dos and don’ts with the help of Earth911 (www.earth911.com). This must-see Web site can fill you in on all you need to know about reducing, reusing and recycling. Their vast database lists more than 100,000 recycling locations across the country. If you’re not sure where to find the nearest recycling center or household hazardous-waste collection site to dispose of the items below, Earth911 will have the answer.

Household Cleaners

Household cleaners can’t be recycled, and although some sources recommend using them up to get rid of them, I disagree. Using them prolongs your exposure to harmful chemicals and increases the chances that they’ll find their way down drains and toilets into waterways. Interestingly, drain openers are some of the most toxic of cleaners! Play it safe by depositing your old cleaners at a household hazardous-waste collection site.

Personal Care Products

Hair color, hairspray, nail polish and polish remover may contain petroleum-based solvents or other potentially harmful chemicals that should be disposed of at a household hazardous-waste collection site. Medicines, too, should stay out of the trash. Communities across the country are exploring options for collecting and disposing of unused medications. The Drug Take-Back Network (www.takebacknetwork.com) provides information on pharmaceutical “take-back” programs, more of which are cropping up all the time. You can also call your local pharmacy or search Earth911.

Paint

Because latex paints and stains are not actually deemed hazardous waste, the best way to get rid of them is to use them. (Even spiffing up the doghouse will do!) You can also give perfectly good paint to a neighbor or charity. If you have no use for your old latex paint and stain, use one of the following options to dry it out for safe disposal. (Make sure it’s kept out of the rain and away from children and pets.) With small amounts of leftover latex, remove the lid and let it dry in the can. For larger amounts, mix cat litter, sawdust or sand into the latex and let it dry until it’s a sticky, oatmeallike consistency. Once dry, discard it in the garbage with the lid off.

Do not try to dry oil-based paint, spray paint or other paint products (like turpentine). Take these items to a household hazardous-waste collection site.

Pesticides

Pesticides like bug sprays, roach traps, mothballs, rat poison and even pet flea collars pose a range of potential health hazards. Those that are particularly dangerous are banned pesticides that may still be lingering in your garage or garden shed. Find a full list of banned or restricted pesticides at www.scorecard.org. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that “homeowners use up to 10 times more chemical pesticides per acre on their lawns than farmers use on crops.” Contact your local household hazardous-waste collection site for disposal of all home, lawn and garden chemicals.

Motor Oil

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, more than 40 percent of our nation’s oil pollution comes from the improper disposal of used motor oil by do-it-yourself consumers who change their own oil. Earth911 reports that 1 gallon of motor oil can create an oil slick on surface water up to 8 acres in size, contaminate 1 million gallons of fresh water and render a 4-acre area of soil unusable for planting for decades! Instead of dumping your used or excess oil, search Earth911’s Web site to find a community oil-recycling location near you.

Other hidden hazards

Chemicals and hazardous heavy metals can hide all over the house in smoke detectors, fluorescent light bulbs, batteries and electronic equipment. These items have become part of our everyday lives, but when they break or burn out, it can be tough to decide what to do with them. Again, this is where Earth911 comes in handy. Search the site for recycling or disposal locations near you.

MaryJane Butters is the editor of MaryJanesFarm magazine. E-mail her at everydayorganic@maryjanesfarm.

Slate Magazine: How To Be Eco-friendly When Buying a New Mattress

Filed under: Earth911 - May 5, 2009

By Nina Shen Rastogi

I’m in the market for a new mattress. Last time I bought one, it seemed as if my only options were soft, medium, and firm. But now that my Sleepy’s is full of soy foam and organic cotton and green tea-infused pillows, I’m concerned that my bed has a bigger footprint than I thought. How can I be a more responsible mattress shopper?

It’s unsurprising, if a little odd, that green marketing has come to the world of mattresses. A mattress may be a big-ticket consumer item—in 2006, the median price for a queen-size mattress was $650—but unlike refrigerators or cars, its carbon footprint is negligible. Still, eco-sales pitches are prevalent in the mattress market, with just about every major manufacturer having rolled out some kind of “green” product in the last few years. That may result from the relative weakness of brand identity—the Lantern adores her current bed but can barely remember where she bought it, let alone who made it. In that kind of environment, manufacturers have a particular interest in trumpeting anything that makes their products unique. (Witness the $60,000 handcrafted Swedish horsehair bed or the aloe vera mattress cover that promises to turn “back the clock on the effects of aging on the skin.”)

One way mattress makers are trying to reduce their footprints —and attract environmentally conscious shoppers like you— is by reducing their reliance on nonrenewable resources. Most mattresses contain petroleum-based foam made from either polyurethane or synthetic latex, which is used either as cushioning shell around a traditional metal innerspring or as a stand-alone mattress filler. Polyurethane manufacturers are experimenting with vegetable oils—primarily soy but also castor bean—though a 100 percent replacement isn’t possible yet. Latex foam makers, in turn, are swapping some or all of their synthetic content for natural, tree-tapped latex.

Some companies forgo foam completely, instead filling their mattress cores with cotton and wool. Wool gets a thumbs-up from many environmentally minded folks, because it’s naturally fire-resistant, which can eliminate the need for chemical flame retardants. (An endless debate rages among green consumers about the safety of various mattress components, although, as the New York Times reported in January, there’s wide dissension about whether, and to what extent, these chemicals and textiles pose a danger to consumers.)

Even though lessening our dependence on petroleum is a laudable goal, however, agriculturally based products can still translate into plenty of fossil fuels used to manufacture fertilizer and run farm equipment. And there may be other, hidden impacts to your fresh-from-the-farm mattress: The booming global market for soy, for example, has been linked to deforestation in the Amazon, and similar trends are being seen in Asia with regards to natural latex. And as the Lantern discussed in a previous column, both wool and cotton have their own environmental downsides—in the form of methane emissions and heavy nitrogen fertilizer use, respectively. (Going organic helps avoid the fertilizer issue.)

So if you’re serious about choosing a sustainable mattress, you’re going to have to do your homework to find out where its constituent parts come from. This can be difficult, given how complex the supply chain can be, but a company that’s truly committed to being eco-friendly should be as transparent as possible. Bedding industry groups are beginning to establish green standards and certification programs, but it’s probably going to be a few years before those really hit the market—so until then, caveat dormitor.

When all is said and done, though, the greenest thing you can do ends up being pretty simple: Choose a mattress that you’re going to keep for a long time. Because one thing is clear—mattresses do not go gentle into that good night.

A life cycle analysis (PowerPoint) conducted in the late 1990s for the European Union’s Ecolabel program looked at four kinds of mattresses: a traditional innerspring with polyurethane padding; a half-natural, half-synthetic latex foam mattress; an all-polyurethane foam mattress; and a “Scandinavian-style” bed, consisting of a wooden base with an innerspring mattress and a mattress pad. Though no single type emerged as the clear environmental winner, the biggest impacts for each were seen in the final waste phase.

Here in the United States, 40 million mattresses end up in the trash every year. Not only do they take up a lot of space in our landfills; the metal springs are hard to compress and often jam up compacting equipment. From an end-of-life perspective, then, foam mattresses seem better than the innerspring variety. They’re also said to last longer than their innerspring cousins, further boosting their eco-cred. But not everyone likes the sensation of sleeping on a foam bed—some people find that they get uncomfortably warm, particularly the denser ones—so, again, choose the one that feels most comfortable to you.

As you’re fretting about the purchase of your new mattress, spare a thought for the fate of your old one. First, unless it’s broken or bug-infested, try to find a new home for it. Otherwise, look for a mattress recycler in your area —try the search engine at Earth911.com— or ask your retailer whether it has a take-back program. (Be sure that they plan on recycling it, though, and not just shipping it to a landfill.) Theoretically, at least, mattresses are almost entirely recyclable. Steel springs can be melted down and reused; polyurethane and latex foam can be chipped up and turned into carpet insulation. Wood in the foundation can be remade into particleboard or used as a fuel source. One recycling firm estimates that recycling a single mattress saves 23 cubic feet of landfill space and recovers up to 65 pounds of material. But since the cost of collecting, disassembling, and then processing mattresses can often outstrip the resale value of the constituent parts, you should be prepared to shell out some coin in order to offset the costs and send your bed to a better place.

You could even go a step further and think about getting a secondhand bed yourself, especially if you don’t think you’ll keep a new one for the full 10 to 20 years it might otherwise last. Obviously you should be cautious when buying used furniture—particularly when it comes to funky critters like bedbugs—but what could make for a sweeter rest than knowing you’re sleeping in a 100 percent recycled bed?

Is there an environmental quandary that’s been keeping you up at night? Send it to ask.the.lantern@gmail.com, and check this space every Tuesday.

Chicago Tribune: Revving Up for Summer

Filed under: Earth911 - May 3, 2009

By Bob Weber

Car ownership can be costly, but there are ways to save a buck here and there. Start with these five things you can do yourself that won’t cost a dime.

Check your tires:If the winter tires are still on your car, replace them with ones you put in storage. Check all tires and inflate to the pressure found on the door sticker. Don’t forget the spare, which may need to be 60 psi or more if you have a compact spare.

If you don’t have a digital tire gauge, occasionally check that pencil-style gauge against another to make sure it is still accurate.

Check your oil:Remove the dipstick and, using a clean rag, wipe it clean. Re-insert and remove it and check the level. It should be between the “full” and “add” marks. If it is below the add mark, add a quart or get an oil change if you are about due.

While you are under the hood, check the other fluids as well. Most power-steering systems have a dipstick on the underside of the cap. Most master cylinders are translucent, and you can see the brake fluid level from the side. Make sure the windshield washer reservoir is full.

Many automatic transmissions still have dipsticks similar to engine oil dipsticks, but consult your owner’s manual about the procedure for checking. Often, the transmission fluid must be checked while the engine is running, so it will be hot.

Check the battery:More batteries fail in hot weather than cold. If there is corrosion on the connections, clean it off with a weak solution of baking soda and water (one tablespoon per cup) using a stiff, non-metallic brush. Protect the connections with an anti-corrosion spray or petroleum jelly.

Most batteries are maintenance-free and have an “eye” that appears to glow green if the battery is OK. If your battery has caps, make sure the electrolyte is at the correct level or add distilled water if necessary.

Check the coolant:Make sure the system’s cool: Open a warm radiator and you may be scalded by a geyser of antifreeze. Remove the cap from the radiator or surge tank to make sure the system is full. Use a hydrometer to test for the right mixture, usually 50-50 antifreeze and water.

If the fluid is due for replacement, do a flush and fill. But dispose of the old coolant properly. Go to www.earth911.com to find a nearby recycling center.

Check the A/C:Make sure the air conditioner blows cold air. If it doesn’t, you can get an appointment for service before the summer rush.

To help your air conditioning and cooling system work efficiently, open the hood and gently remove leaves, bugs and other detritus from the fins on the front of the A/C condenser and radiator. Be careful not to damage or bend the fins.

Bob Weber is an ASE-certified master automobile technician, having recertified every five years since 1978. He also is an avid motorcyclist. Contact him at motormouth.trib@verizon.net.

Fox News: How Green Is Your Morning Coffee?

Filed under: Earth911 - May 1, 2009

By Jason Gurskis

Many coffee drinkers go out of their way to get “fair trade” and “eco-friendly” coffee, but is that pricey jolt of joe really any better for the environment than the 75-cent paper cup of gut-rot from the corner deli?

After oil, coffee is the most traded commodity in the world. It’s produced commercially on 25 million acres in 82 countries, and the United States consumes 8.7 million pounds of it annually, according to the Department of Agriculture.

But not all coffee should be treated equally.

In some parts of the world, forests —our first line of defense against global warming— are being cleared to increase the yield of the coffee crop.

“About 20 percent of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere each year come from the destruction of forests—more than from all the planes, trains and automobiles in the entire world,” says Dave Mehlman, director of the Migratory Bird Program for the Arlington, Va.-based Nature Conservancy (http://www.nature.org/).

Some types of coffee are produced under strict environmental or labor standards, but caffeine addicts have to pay more for them. The most common kinds are “Fair Trade,” organic and “shade-grown” coffees.

Coffee grown with a Fair Trade certification helps ensure that farmers in developing countries are paid fairly for their toil and hopefully won’t have to resort to unscrupulous growing practices detrimental to the environment.

Organic coffee is grown without the use of harmful pesticides or fertilizers, a green way to go for any crop.

Then there is shade-grown coffee. Otherwise known as “bird friendly” since it’s helpful to migratory fowl, it’s grown under canopy trees where the natural shade shelters the coffee plants during the growing season. This could be a win-win situation for growers and the environment.

“In Colombia, fruit trees are used to shade the coffee,” says Mehlman. “This produces double yield for the same acreage, fruit and coffee.”

Unfortunately, shade-grown coffee yields are lower than open-field sun cultivation, so the price is often higher. The increased demand for cheap coffee has resulted in the clearing of rainforests and an increase in the usage of chemicals and pesticides.

“Because it’s such a staple in our lives, it’s important to make smart choices to have a smart impact,” says Carmen K. Iezzi, executive director of the Fair Trade Federation, the trade association that strengthens and promotes North American organizations that are fully committed to fair trade. “It’s a holistic process; our members want to produce sustainably without compromising future generations’ ability to grow.”

Even if you decide to pay the extra for the java grown fairly and organically, there’s another side to your morning coffee that keeps it from being green.

“We as a country use 23 billion paper coffee cups a year,” explains Nicko Fusso of Sustainability Is Sexy, a Seattle-based non-profit organization devoted to getting as many coffee drinkers as possible to tote their own reusable cups.

“To make that many cups, we’ll consume 9.4 million trees and 363 million gallons of water,” adds Nicko. “That’s enough energy to power 77,000 homes for a year.”

With 150 million people drinking 3.1 cups per day, and many of those cups grabbed on-the-go, the number of single-use coffee cups going in the trash is staggering.

And paper coffee cups aren’t about to go away.

“It’s not the cup that’s the problem, it’s the habit,” says Bob Lilienfeld, editor of The Use Less Stuff Report [http://use-less-stuff.com], a Rochester, Mich.-based online newsletter. “In one word, it’s about convenience. We tend to move toward anything that makes it easier for us to save time and effort. But there is a cost.”

At least one coffee-cup giant agrees.

“Every choice has a trade-off,” explains Angie Gorman, director of communications for the Solo Cup Company, based in Highland Park, Ill. “You have an impact on the front end when manufacturing the cup, or at the end of that cup’s useful life. Reducing waste is important, but a better way to reduce waste is to expand the country’s composting and recycling infrastructure.”

Still, Gorman insists there’s a need for disposable coffee cups.

“Single-use cups offer a convenient and sanitary way to serve beverages to the public,” she points out.

Lilienfeld doesn’t dispute that.

“There are times when you have no other option, like at the theater or a ball game,” he says. “You can’t bring your own cup into these venues.”

Cup manufacturers like Solo are working aggressively to find more sustainable solutions, such as increasing the use of post-consumer fiber when making the cups.

Most cups are lined with polyethylene, preventing them from being recycled, but new cups are being made of plant-based materials so they can be composted. The bad news is they’ll only do so properly in a commercial composting facility.

Between the millions of acres being abused to grow our beans and the paper cups we carry around like trophies, how do can keep our morning coffee green?

Well, it begins with the coffee drinker.

“Consumers who enjoy convenience but want to make a difference can take two key actions,” says Gorman. “First, they can understand the options in single-use food-service products, such as compostable, and their inherent trade-offs so informed choices can be made.

“Second, they can request that local restaurants collect recyclable and compostable materials and contact their community and state leaders to ask for their support of the expansion of recycling and commercial composting facilities.”

To find a recycler in your area, check out www.Earth911.com; for a commercial compost facility, try www.findacomposter.com. To see how many pounds of garbage you produce with your caffeine fix, go to www.dzignism.com/projects/coffee.waste.

One thing’s for sure—we’re not giving up drinking coffee. Paper cups aren’t going away, and it may be a while before commercial composting is available everywhere.

The greenest way to get your kick is to pay extra for fair-trade, organic or shade-grown coffee—and, when you can, carry your own mug.