Written by Marina Hanes

• Purchase a reusable mug made from recyclable materials. If you can’t find a mug made from 100% recycled plastic, go for the next best features. Is it BPA-free? Will it hold both hot and cold liquids? As long as you can wash it and use it again, you’re helping to reduce paper, plastic and Styrofoam waste.
• Choose your java wisely and drink certified organic, fair trade coffee. This option isn’t very hard to find. Even if you have a Keurig brewer that produces single portions, there are K-Cups available from Green Mountain Coffee, which fit these requirements. You just have to be more conscious of the labels.
• Should you brew a pot of coffee or stick with single cup brewing machines? This depends on how much coffee you drink, but you can always refrigerate the extra java and save it for refills. Although K-Cups are convenient and prevent you from going through a drive-thru, the plastic cup isn’t biodegradable. This may change in the future, but one way to green them up is to compost the leftover coffee grounds from the K-Cup.
• Eliminate your waste even further by drinking your coffee without any dairy products. There are so many flavored coffees, do you really need a flavored creamer too that only adds more calories to your drink? If you need creamer, try one derived from soybeans, and you can also sweeten your coffee with less agave nectar than you can sugar.

By enforcing some of these tips into your java addiction, you can enjoy guilt-free cups of coffee when you need them the most to start your day or push through a 12- or 14-hour workday.

Image courtesy of Creative Commons

Source: http://www.aboutmyplanet.com/daily-green-tips/eco-friendly-5/

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