Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Easy Ways to Go Green #5: Use a Thermos


Continuing this week’s series, pretty much the easiest thing you can do – and it’s an upgrade – is to ditch “to-go” coffee cups and switch to a thermos.

As this Fast Company article notes, paper to-go cups are typically not recyclable, not to mention the plastic lid that goes on top of the cup.

However, as the article fails to note, all this fancy technology designed to replace such to-go cups neglect literally the most obvious solution to the problem: buy a damn thermos, and bring it with you.

Thermoses are even better than to-go cups, because they actually keep your drink hot, for multiple hours at a time. And, unlike the crappy plastic lid, they keep your drink successfully sealed, without spilling.

In America, we don’t have a good “thermos” culture, but we should because of how frequently we order drinks “to go.”

My Zojirushi thermos can keep my coffee hot for – no kidding – over 12 hours. Hot, fresh coffee, just the way you want it, throughout the entire day. No more running to the microwave over and over to heat your lukewarm coffee every thirty seconds, or spilling scalding liquid all over yourself because the café chose a slightly crappier plastic lid that doesn’t actually fit properly.

Zojirushi is an expensive brand of thermos, costing $20-30 per thermos, but even a regular good-quality thermos, like the Contigo, can be had for as little as $10. As long as it’s double-walled and vacuum-sealed, you can keep your coffee at the right temperature for 2-5 hours.

Think of how these venture capitalists and R&D people invest so much money into enabling our collective laziness by inventing all sorts of “reusable” coffee cups and compostable ones and recyclable ones and all this b.s., when all we have to do, on an individual level, is just buy a fucking thermos, and rinse it out with water every once in a while. Many cafes even offer discounts for people who bring in their own thermoses and mugs.

I’m addicted to coffee, and I find this solution perfect for me.

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