EDITED- Madison's Re-useable Coffee Mug Article

As the days when sweaters are optional attire become fewer and farther between, so do the days when the majority of us don’t start off our morning with a cup of our favourite hot beverage. Just think, soon enough you’ll be dreading the moment when you have to step out of the warmth of your house and face the freezing cold abyss that is Drummond Hill in order to get to school each morning. As you trudge your way towards Stamford, you’re probably day dreaming about how great that cup of coffee will taste when you finally make your way to Tim Hortons. Not only will you be warmed up, but you’ll also be alert for that two page biology note you have to copy down during period one.

When we associate these positive attributes with buying a large double double from Timmies every morning, it’s probably hard for most of us to see anything wrong with this morning ritual. However, one thing stands out in the mind of those who have a deep concern for the state of our environment: the cup that carries it. This is one of the instances in life where what your mother taught you just isn’t right. “It’s what’s on the inside that counts”. In this situation, the outside makes all the difference.

Think about your visits to Tim Hortons. How many other people are in line with you everyday, waiting for the same caffeinated salvation? Even if it’s just two other people, that’s three disposable cups and lids put out into the world in the span of just a few minutes. Multiply that (as a bare minimum) as many times as there are coffee shops in the entire world, and think about how much waste is produced on a daily basis.

Now, I know that Mrs. McBurney has taught us all that the lids are recyclable, (blue bin), and the cups are organic, (green bin), but wouldn’t it be great if there were no cups to be disposed of at all? A great way to eliminate this problem is to use a travel mug. It may sound like a hassle, but have you ever really considered it?

First of all, the price itself is certainly worth the benefits your mug will provide. Some can be found for the low cost of six dollars, and that is a one time only expense. I recently found out that Tim Hortons offers a ten cent discount on any travel mug refill. Sure, it doesn’t sound like much, but if you’re already planning on spending the money for a cup of coffee, why not save a few easy cents? Plus, money adds up. After buying fourteen medium cups of coffee, you’ll have saved enough to buy your fifteenth. Not to mention the benefits of the mug itself, your coffee will stay warmer longer, and there is much less chance of spillage when your beverage is protected by a tightly screwed on lid.

The biggest difference of all is easily the impact you will have on the environment. We have over 1000 students in our school. If even one fourth of us opted to bring a re-usable mug on our next trip to Timmies, we would save two hundred and fifty paper cups and plastic lids from circulating our planet.

On behalf of Stamford's Eco Freaks, I would like to invite everyone to consider purchasing a re-useable mug. When it comes to reducing our impact on the environment, every effort we make, no matter how small it may seem to us, to "go green" truly helps. We have the power to make a positive change for our planet, our country, our community, and even ourselves as individuals. So please, consider going paperless. Next time you're craving that cup of Tim Hortons coffee, bring along a travel mug, save ten cents, and help save our planet too.