ASPEN, Colorado – Want to reduce waste, shrink your carbon footprint and help your favorite coffee shop become more energy efficient?
You can by bringing your own mug when you purchase beverages around the Valley in the fifth annual reusable cup challenge from February 9-13th.
This year 11 coffee shops in Aspen, Snowmass Village, Woody Creek, Basalt and Carbondale are entered in a friendly competition to determine which one can encourage the most customers to use reusable mugs.
The coffee shop that sells the highest percentage of coffee in reusable cups for the week will receive $1,000 in energy efficiency upgrades from the Community Office for Resource Efficiency’s (CORE) Energy Smart program and free advertising for the week.
Last year’s winner, The Woody Creek Community Center, set the bar high with 59% of its customers choosing a reusable mug for their hot drink.
“We think this challenge is an opportunity to remind and educate the community about the waste and resources that are associated with single-use items and to actively reduce waste by using reusable mugs,” said Liz O’Connell, the Waste Reduction and Environmental Health Specialist at the City of Aspen.
The average American office worker uses about 500 disposable cups each year, totaling about 16 billion disposable coffee cups in the United States. The process of manufacturing those cups requires resources such as trees, water and energy.
To participate in the challenge, customers should bring a reusable mug to any participating coffee shop and make sure their cup is included on that shop’s tally board. Many participating coffee shops will offer discounted reusable mugs and may offer discounted coffee for customers who bring their own mug.
“The Cup Challenge is an easy way for residents and local businesses to reduce their waste and support sustainability efforts in the Valley,” said Lucy Kessler, Outreach Coordinator for CORE. “We are excited to provide upgrades to the winning coffee shop to improve their energy efficiency.”
The reusable cup challenge began in 2011 in Aspen after City staff members noticed large amounts of paper coffee cups in the City trash cans every morning. Now, Waste Free Roaring Fork has brought the challenge to the whole valley with help from the City of Aspen and CORE.
“We have found this is a fun way to remind people of the importance of refusing disposables,” says Liz O’Connell, the Waste Reduction and Environmental Health Specialist at the City of Aspen.
According to the Environmental Defense Organization, we could power 53,000 homes with the energy America consumes in paper cup use. Additionally, most disposable cups are non-recyclable and non-compostable due to the polystyrene lining so they end up in a landfill.
According to a study conducted by Starbucks and the Alliance for the Environmental Innovation, each paper cup manufactured is responsible for a quarter pound of CO2 emissions. By using a reusable mug in the Cup Challenge, customers can reduce their CO2 emissions by 1.2 pounds over the five days.
Participants in the Waste Free Roaring Fork Cup Challenge include:
Bonfire Coffee and Boomerang Coffee in Carbondale; Fuel in Snowmass Village; Ink! Coffee, Paradise Bakery, Peach’s Corner Café, Jour De Fete and Spring Café in Aspen; Saxy’s Café in Basalt and Starbucks in Willits; and Woody Creek Community Center in Woody Creek.
Visit www.wastefreeroaringfork.com for more information.
