On page [enter page number] in HOT: Living Through The ...



ASK HOW MANY STUDENTS PURCHASE COFFE DAILY. MULTIPLY BY 50 –that’s how many tons of water were used to produce their entire coffee.

Our project focuses on the environmental impact of coffee cups. The mass production of these cups leads to an overconsumption of natural resources.

On page 251 Hertsgaard writes in regards to CO2 emission, “Americans had one of the highest current levels, with annual per-capita emissions averaging 20 tons per person.”

However, coffee cups don’t solely impact CO2 emissions.

Of the 100 billion cups of coffee consumed by Americans per year, 16 billion of them are bought in paper cups. It’s easier for some to imagine a few of the environmental impacts that using these disposable cups may have. For example, 6.5 billion trees are cut down per year in order to produce the cups. After their production, there are 4 billion pounds of CO2 released into the atmosphere during the shipping process.

However, one resource often overlooked is water. Take a late for example; setting aside the water immediately used to make the drink, water has already been stressed in the production of the lid, cup and sleeve, sugar, milk, and coffee. When added up it takes 200 liters of water to produce one late. This estimates to more than 50 gallons of water. Now imagine all the people drinking lates in the morning. It is a depletion of resources that desperately need to be moderated.

While many of the paper cups and lids bought in store have the recyclable symbol 6 PS. This symbol (points to symbol) found on the majority of paper cups. However, this is false propaganda. While some may think that the symbol means that the product is ecofriendly, it is not. The 6 PS within the recyclable symbol indicates that the product is not biodegradable. This is because it contains polyethylene. Since it is not biodegradable, paper cups contribute to the 40% of solid waste that paper and cardboard put in landfills.

An alternative that comes to mind may be the use of Styrofoam cups. However this is not a liable solution. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 25 billion Styrofoam cups are used and thrown away each year. Unlike paper cups, Styrofoam cups are completely unable to decompose and will stay in landfills FOREVER.

When talking about the impacts civilization has on the environment, it may be difficult for some to start to make a difference. However, some of the largest impacts can be altered with simple changes. Reusable cups such as those made of ceramics are the best option of drink wear (lol. Drink wear) when attempting to better the environment. Though the production, shipping, and cleaning of the product has an impact on the environment as well, the long term benefits of reusing drinking cups is more prosperous.

One solution for those individuals who drink Starbucks religiously, there is a $1.00 reusable cup. IDK WHAT ELSE TO SAY????

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download