About 25,000 cups of coffee are sold each day on campus, mostly in disposable cups.

“This is problematic due to the resources required to manufacture and transport these single-use products, and their significant contribution to landfill waste,” says Alison Tindall, a student co-leader of the campaign.

Tindall, along with students Tasia Wong, Monique Chan and Marion Davies, partnered with the Feeding 9 Billion program started by Evan Fraser, a U of G geography professor. The program aims to improve environmental sustainability and food security locally and globally.

The campaign includes:

• A new stamp-card program rewarding purchases of hot drinks in reusable mugs;
• Convenient public sinks for washing mugs;
• Posters explaining the environmental effects of consumers’ choices and savings from reusable mugs (Hospitality Services charges any hot drink as a “small” if purchased in a reusable mug, which saves $150 a year for the average customer); and
• Cashiers’ verbal recognition of reusable mugs.

Hospitality Services plans to integrate mugs into U of G’s existing “iamreusable” program, which allows patrons to borrow reusable dishes for to-go meals.

The post Students launch ‘green’ coffee cups campaign appeared first on .