This week, I’m going to go for a *really* obvious one, because I don’t see enough people doing it: use travel mugs for your take out coffee/tea/hot chocolate.
I know lots and lots of people use travel mugs when they leave their houses with their own coffee/tea/hot chocolate, but I’d encourage you to take it one step further: take them with you into the cafe or wherever, make a vow to never, ever hold a disposable cup in your hands (unless you’re doing a litter pick-up, of course).
The statistics are scary: a cup of coffee in a disposable cup each day is 23 lbs of waste a year; 18% of garbage in America is disposible containers (and I don’t imagine we’re doing any better in Canada)… (from the wisebread site). It’s not worth the very slight inconvenience of keeping a travel mug in your backpack/car/oversized handbag.
Besides, lots of coffee places offer a discount on their beverages if you bring your own mug, which I’m sure means that your new travel mug will pay for itself in short order. 
Saver Queen said,
20 May, 2009 at 10:02 pm
I rarely buy coffee or tea out but when I do, I usually forget to bring my mug! It’s so hard to change your habits. But this one I really want to work on. It sickens me every time I buy a paper cup. It’s a waste that really is not excusable. Many people I know *ahem,* Josh, and my dad, buy coffee out almost everyday – sometimes twice a day. The amount of preventable waste just blows my mind.
When you have a coffee or other beverage, you drink it down and forget about it. You consume it in about 15 minutes. But the consequences of that drink are much longer lasting.
Saver Queen said,
20 May, 2009 at 10:04 pm
PS Tim Horton’s charges 10 cents less per cup. A medium coffee I believe is $1.25. So it’s like getting a free coffee after buying 12. For most people, that would amount to a free coffee every two weeks or so.
Madelyne Hogg said,
20 May, 2009 at 10:23 pm
I think Starbucks also charges 10 cents less… I’ve no idea what their coffee actually costs, mind, but I’m sure it works out to a couple free coffees a month for the average Starbucks addict, and who can argue with that?
I occasionally leave the cup at home, too, though I’m vowing to not get a beverage on the go unless I’ve a container to put it in. We’re all guilty of that sometimes, I think, but fortunately habits can be changed with dedication and practise
Sushi Girl said,
30 May, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Hi, great post once again! We are taking this a step further and always trying to remember to bring an empty container to restaurants when we go so our left-overs don’t have to be put in that horrible styrofoam.
It is hard to always remember, but SOOO important, and if it becomes habit, then it’s easier.
Thanks
)