Sometimes the best bits of activism can be accomplished in the course of living our day-to-day lives. Recycling, turning off lights not in use, walking rather than using the car for short trips — all of these are examples of quick activism hits that can take some of the pressure off of Mother Earth. Every now and again, our activism offshoot and mailing list The Armchair Activist will offer hints for easy activism that can add up to incremental change in making the world or at least our little piece of it a wee bit better. Every bit counts, right?
In case you are wondering, The Armchair Activist is our nearly 20-year effort to promote and inspire positive, pro-planet, peace-progressive action for people who may never have seen themselves as being activists. We believe we all have a part to play in making the world better. With any luck these quick hit suggestions will inspire you to do some good. For more activism news and alerts, keep your eyes on Progressive Nashville, and by all means join the E-list!
Now if you’re like me, you spend time working or socializing in one of Nashville’s many Starbucks locations. Well, if you are a Bux patron of any regularity, you can take a tangible step that costs little to nothing to help the planet.
Most branches of the coffee chain now offer reusable plastic cups that you can purchase for $2. If you don’t have your own reusable cup with you the next time you walk into a shop, we recommend you take them up on the offer for several reasons.
- You’ll save money. Bringing your own cup, be it this reusable one or one from home, will save you 10 cents off the purchase price of whatever drink you buy every time you use it.
- You’ll free up space in our landfills. Every time you reuse a cup when purchasing a beverage, you prevent another tall, grande, or venti-sized paper cup from going into the trash. The benefit there is obvious if you, like us, get depressed looking at the too-often overflowing trash bins at Starbucks stores.
- You may save some trees. If fewer paper cups end up being used, Starbucks will see the stats and move to save the company’s own bottom line by reducing the number of paper cups it needs to buy, which down the line can be good news for the nation’s trees.
- Activism makes you feel great. The sheer act of doing something for the planet flat out makes you feel better. It certainly does for me!
So take a tip from Progressive Nashville’s The Armchair Activist: Buy a reusable cup from Starbucks or bring one from home. It’s a step toward a more sustainable future.
