Betacup for a Better Cup
By Karina | December 2, 2009
Reusable cups are something that we talk about a lot at Tiny Choices, probably because it’s one of the best examples of a personal Tiny Choice that we can implement to make a difference. (Like, a lot. A whole lot. lots and lots and lots and lots.) The issue of disposable cups can be a big one, after all! Check out these unfortunate stats about paper cups:
The amount of solid waste created and valuable resources consumed throughout the process of manufacturing and drinking coffee is an escalating problem:
- 58 billion paper cups are thrown away (not recycled) every year
- 20 million trees are cut down in the process of manufacturing paper cups
- Amount of water used in the process is approximately 12 billion gallons
According to the Environmental Defense Organization, we could power 53,000 homes with the energy we consume through our paper cup consumption.
A friend-of-a-friend has started a new project called The Beta Cup which is looking at different ways to solve this problem! Now, their hypothesis is interesting - disposable cups are bad, but reusable cups are inconvenient, so let’s come up with another solution. I have to say they have a point there - as much as we may love our own personal reusable mugs, and as much as we may buy them as gifts for our loved ones, we can’t make our loved ones actually USE the mugs. Forget use them - we can’t even make our loved ones remember to bring them as they dash out the door in the morning!
Check out their introductory video:
Betacup from the betacup on Vimeo.
So Beta Cup has a plan that involves researching the problem and getting a community driven solution. It is soliciting ideas to be uploaded to their site on how to address the disposable cup issue - and the idea will then be judged, prototyped, and marketed. It’s a really remarkable way to find a solution to the terrible problems outlined above.
You should be able to start making submissions soon! And if you’re so inclined, you can fund them through the end of the year using kickstarter.com.
(and for those out there who worry most about where to put your reusable mug after you’ve finished drinking out of it, might I suggest a Flatterware cup? It’s good for hot AND cold.)
What’s your dream portable, convenient, and reusable cup solution?
[[Graphic from The Beta Cup website!]]
Related posts:
- All-Star Interviews: Toby from TheBetaCup.com
- Dear Starbucks:
- The Saga of the Disposable Dishes
- The Cup Conundrum
- Easy Peasy Tip: Bring Your Mug!
- All-Star Interview: Theo Stewart-Strand
- Hankies?
Topics: Activism, Food, Waste |
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Great post Karina, thank you so much for your support.
I wanted to let your readers know that by supporting our fundraising campaign and by pledging $20 or more they will receive a commemorative betacup and be listed on the betacup site as a contributor. (since its an innovation competition, we don’t know exactly what this cup will be like, but that’s part of the fun, right?).
Thanks again, we’re so glad you’re supporting us on our quest to rid the world of non recyclable paper cups!
Thanks Toby! I can’t wait to see what happens with the design process!
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