New York Times
2/28/2017
The importance of the Clean Air and Clean Water EPA initiatives for New York City (and any living thing that breathes air or drinks water)
With the future of the E.P.A. now in doubt, it’s worth recalling what New York City was like before the agency and the movement it represented.
Note I just submitted to the Starbucks CONTACT US form, per recycling of their coffee bags (PS: you can’t recycle their coffee bags):
Dear Starbucks,
I just Googled “How to recycle Starbucks coffee bags,” and found this link: https://www.starbucks.com/responsibil…/environment/recycling
While I appreciate what is written there and that recycling depends on many factors and many of those factors are complicated and irritating, I’m really NOT willing to give you a pass on it. And, I don’t think Starbucks does nearly a good enough job on the recycling efforts.
For one thing, those layered foil and plastic coffee bags are not recyclable. Those bags do a good job containing the coffee, but does it REALLY seem right to you that a human being in 300 years will be able to go to a landfill and find that same coffee bag that was used to keep for coffee fresh for a relatively short period of time. Make your coffee bags recyclable. And make them from 100% post consumer waste.
You say in Europe, your plastic cups are comprised of 50% PCW, why not make those cups of 100% PCW EVERYWHERE? Or, make them biodegradable.
And not just the packaging for the product to consumer. You mention in the article that most of the waste generated is done so BEHIND the counter. Then do the same behind the counter. Demand that your suppliers package their products in packaging that is made of 100% post consumer waste and that that packaging is recyclable or biodegradable. Starbucks is a huge corporation. If you tell your suppliers what you want, they will provide it to you, or, you can be sure, some other company that wants your business will do it instead.
And provide PAPER straws. I love straws, but plastic straws are an environmental scourge. Have you seen this video:
This could just as easily have been a Starbucks straw as anyone else’s.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE, STARBUCKS! YOU CAN DO IT! And you can then take credit for it. If you make these changes, you could then brag about being part of the solution instead of being one of the biggest contributors to the problem.
It would take corporate WILL and DETERMINATION, PERSISTENCE and TENACITY. But, if you wanted to, YOU COULD do it. So do it!
Come on! I know it can be done.
Do it.
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Project PUT: Pick Up Trash
Every little PUT counts
ProjectPUT.org
@ProjectPUT (Facebook & Twitter)
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4/3/2018
Response from Starbucks within just an hour or so:
Hello Emily,
Thank you for contacting Starbucks. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughtful feedback. We are continually evaluating our commitments and how best to provide our customers the information they need to make informed decisions about their food and beverage choices.
Emily, I am glad to learn that there’s still people out there fighting to help our mother earth. Starbucks is committed to significantly reducing the waste our stores generate – especially when it comes to recycling.
We know this is important to our customers, to us and our planet. In fact, we get more customer comments about recycling than any other environmental issue – especially when it comes to our cups.
To learn more about our work in recycling, please visit https://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/environment/recycling.
Thanks again for writing us. If you ever have any questions or concerns in the future, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Sincerely,
Luis F.
Starbucks Customer Care
Writing and Calling Companies About Their Packaging
https://projectput.wordpress.com/2017/03/24/writing-and-calling-companies-about-their-packaging/
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Project PUT: Pick Up Trash on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ProjectPUT/
@ProjectPUT
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Project PUT: Pick Up Trash on Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/singbooksemily/project-put-pick-up-trash/
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Project PUT: Pick Up Trash Blog:
https://projectput.wordpress.com/
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Project PUT: Pick Up Trash Online:
ProjectPUT.org
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Project PUT: Pick Up Trash on Twitter
https://twitter.com/ProjectPUT
I live in Arlington, VA, USA and there are parts of our city that are littered. Time has come for Litter Laws which must be vigorously enforced.
How is garbage strewn in beautiful places acceptable to anyone? And what is going through the mind of a person who litters? Why?
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Related Posts
Project PUT: Pick Up Trash
Every little PUT counts
ProjectPUT.org
@ProjectPUT (Facebook & Twitter)
If we could get people to WRITE companies about their unacceptable/wasteful packaging and also to make a few simple changes (bring your own cups to the coffee shop or your own bags to the grocery), it would make a big difference. If enough customers demand a change, companies will change. Consumers need to be ENGAGED and ACTIVE to demand changes and make changes themselves. It’s really not that difficult. And big improvements could be made quickly. It’s a matter of putting priorities into action.
Project PUT: Pick Up Trash
@ProjectPUT (Facebook & Twitter)
I wrote the following comment to Starbucks this morning after looking at my sack of Starbucks ground coffee bags. I’d been saving them up since i thought these could be taken to a Starbucks store and recycled there. But I asked about recycling these used ground coffee bags at the store and they looked at me like I had crabs crawling out of my ears. In addition, the fellow behind the counter was rather patronizing in the tone of his response to me, as if I was stupid for asking. This made me mad.
Here’s my note to Starbucks:
12/6/2017
Dear Starbucks,
I like your coffee. I’m VERY VERY concerned about the environmental impact of your product packaging.
Your paper cups say they contain 10% post consumer waste. Can’t you do better than THAT? How about 100% post consumer waste to make your cups. Why not?
And the plastic cups? Why aren’t they made of post consumer waste? They should be.
And what about the bags in which your coffee beans and ground coffee are packaged. Those are neither composed of post consumer waste nor are they recyclable.
All this amounts to a BLOT on Starbuck’s environmental responsibility. Starbucks is a HUGE POLLUTER.
What are you going to do about that?
My suggestions:
Make sure ALL PACKAGING is composed of 100% post consumer waste.
Make ALL PACKAGING 100% recyclable or biodegradable.
Come on Starbucks. Be a good corporate citizen of the world. Do the right thing. Lead the way!
Thank you,
Emily Gleichenhaus
Arlington, VA
Project PUT: Pick Up Trash
PS: I will be posting my note to you and your response on all our social media.
Writing and Calling Companies About Their Packaging
https://projectput.wordpress.com/2017/03/24/writing-and-calling-companies-about-their-packaging/
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Project PUT: Pick Up Trash on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ProjectPUT/
@ProjectPUT
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Project PUT: Pick Up Trash on Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/singbooksemily/project-put-pick-up-trash/
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Project PUT: Pick Up Trash Blog:
https://projectput.wordpress.com/
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Project PUT: Pick Up Trash Online:
ProjectPUT.org
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Project PUT: Pick Up Trash on Twitter
https://twitter.com/ProjectPUT
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CindyLoo the Mermaid, sitting on Mermaid Rock
Art by Emily Leatha Everson Gleichenhaus
For Project PUT: Pick Up Trash
This is CindyLoo the Mermaid, who was inspired by my friend Cindy Hutchins who, the other day, expressed how much she loves Mermaids.
CindyLoo is made of 100% post consumer waste (pictures from magazines and newspapers that I saved for the colors).
I’m going to print her on 100% recycled paper and as a cover for notebooks that I make that are also all recycled (and comprised partly of reclaimed materials).
This is the promote
Project PUT: Pick Up Trash
Every little PUT counts
ProjectPUT.org
@ProjectPUT (Facebook & Twitter)
And to raise awareness of what human’s irresponsible use of plastics is doing to our oceans. Did you know that you are drinking microplastics in every glass and bottle of water? And, have you seen images of those vast garbage patches in the oceans? These patches are largely comprised of irresponsibly disposed of plastics. Do we REALLY need to package our food and water in materials that we use for such a short time, but which will not decompose in the lifetime of any living organism on earth? Come on people!
Don’t make CindyLoo the Mermaid swim in plastic garbage. And don’t make your grandchildren drink plastic from the water fountain.
Think about what you do. Think about how you do it and the impact is has on you, all the living organisms around you, and all the living organizers tin the future.
We need to take responsibility for the things we do, the things we consume, and the ways in which we do things. And we need to ask EVERY kind of business, from our local coffee shop, to manufacturers of cars, to electronic companies, to do the same.
I regularly write manufacturers about the materials they use in their products and packaging. I ask them to please begin using post consumer waste in both and to encourage customers to recycle and buy products specifically for the responsible way in which they were created.
Humans created this problem and we can solve it, too. And we can solve it in a way that CREATES jobs and makes the world a better place.
Let’s work together and do the right thing.
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These are the collages that I crafted to create CindyLoo the Mermaid collage:
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Mermaid Hair Collage
Artwork by Emily Leatha Everson Gleichenhaus
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Mermaid’s Rock Collage
Artwork by Emily Leatha Everson Gleichenhaus
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Fish Scales Collage
Artwork by Emily Leatha Everson Gleichenhaus
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PUT Posters & Printables Page
https://projectput.wordpress.com/put-posters/
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Wisdom, Inspiration, and Good Advice Blog: All Posters in One Place
https://wisdominspirationgoodadvice.wordpress.com/all-poster-in-one-place/
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SING-ALONG RESOURCES AND PRINTABLE MATERIALS
This is the place to find Print Materials Created by Emily
https://singbookswithemily.wordpress.com/sing-along-resources-2/
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PINTEREST
POSTERS AND COLLAGE BY ELEG
This list on Pinterest board filled with the posters and collages Emily has made
https://www.pinterest.com/singbooksemily/poster-and-collage-by-emily/
