Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Drink Responsibly

I recently visited Starbucks, and noticed that they no longer automatically give you the cardboard sleeves... a step away from gratuitous waste that I was happy to see. But the Betacup project is taking the idea much further: they have created a virtual space where aspiring designers can submit ideas for a sustainable alternatives to the disposable paper cup. The prize is funded by the community at the moment (currently $2,842) and the site functions as a platform for constructive criticism and feedback that the designers can access and incorporate into ongoing modifications in their designs. The project seems like a win-win: a sustainable goal achieved through independent/grassroots creativity, funded by social philanthropy and facilitated through a community-building application of social media. I am looking forward to the day that the cup will no longer be a Betacup but a Starbucks cup, an office kitchen cup, a summer snow cone cup. Thanks Denuology for the tip!

P.S. For an example of a sustainable cup in action, visit the Fair Bean Coffee shop in Austin TX and sip some of their Red Espresso™ from a cup made of corn!

1 comment:

Event Supplies said...

It is good that emphasis is being placed on environmentally sound redesigns of disposable products, it is a step in the right direction. I do wonder though, is the motivation behind the redesign simply to reduce waste or is it also aimed at increasing awareness? I ask this because in my opinion the best way of dealing with the large waste created by paper cups is to simply implement the correct sorting procedures to allow existing cups to be recycled. Once the cups containing the PE / wax coating are seperated from normal paper waste it should be possible to recycle the raw materials.

Robert Daniel
Paper Cups