Green Living Ideas
Energy"For Here"- Reduce Waste at the Coffee Shop or Restaurant
Stopping for coffee or grabbing lunch out are daily activities for many of us. To better align these habits with green living requires only a few adjustments in your behavior. Making a few more choices in favor of green living will help reduce the total waste produced. All you have to do is follow the green living precepts of the eco-friendly theory of FOR HERE.
For Here: Save the paper or plastic cup, the lid, or the styrofoam takeout container by simply requesting your food, "for here." Take the five, fifteen, or thirty minutes to sit down and enjoy your coffee or your lunch in the midst of an otherwise hectic day, and support green living while doing it. Many coffee shops, like Starbucks, even do their own part for green living by offering small discounts for orders placed, "for here."
Own Mug: If you like to enjoy your daily dose of caffeine, why not also practice green living and bring your own travel mug? As an added bonus, just like ordering, "for here," many coffee shops offer a discount if you bring your own mug. That way you're both encouraging green living.
Rag for Spills: If you spill the coffee or milk at the coffee shop, support green living by asking the employees for a clean wash rag instead of wasting a napkin. In many cases the coffee shop will even clean the spill for you. It's win win for you and green living.
Hold Only One Cup: If you forget to bring your own mug, at least don't double cup your coffee! In most cases it's not really all that hot. And in the case of iced coffee condensation, just don't put it down in the middle of important papers. Staying away from the second cup is good for green living as it very simply reduces half the waste.
Eat With a Friend: When you're out to lunch or dinner, avoid the need for a doggie bag at all by ordering less food and/or by sharing your meal with a friend. This is good for green living as it saves the doggie bag waste. At the same time, it means you're more likely to eat healthy food portions.
Request or Remove Takeout Extras: When you decide to order takeout, request in advance that you don't need plates, forks, knives, spoons, chopsticks, napkins, or condiments. Practice green living by using your own instead! When you pick up your takeout order, remove any extra ketchup or whatnot that you don't plan to use. Or, support green living by saving that extra ketchup in your desk at work for when you forget to ask for it. Better yet, live even greener by buying a regular size ketchup container and storing it at home or work.
Eliminate Plastic Bags: To practice green living, when you do request takeout or a doggie bag leave out the plastic bag. Unless the food is especially full of liquid, carry only the container itself without the bag.
