How Coffee Pods Can Impact An Ocean

How Coffee Pods Can Impact An Ocean

How Coffee Pods Can Impact An Ocean

With 8 million tons of plastic dumped into our oceans annually, and an estimated 5 trillion pieces of plastic currently in our oceans, plastic is having a major negative impact on marine life all around the world. Most of the plastic in our water cannot even be seen by the naked eye.

Why Plastic In Our Ocean Is A Problem

As plastic in our oceans breaks down into microplastic particles, they are easily digested by marine life. It’s not uncommon for fish and other inhabitants of our oceans to have plastic in their tissue and digestive system, often harming or killing marine life.

Aside from the potential marine life devastation, there’s a significant problem that currently exists in our fish supply. With increasing amounts of plastic being digested by the fish we consume, we end up ingesting plastic toxins as well.

Don’t eat fish? Plastic toxins affect our lakes and rivers as well. With that same water used for farming and livestock, it will soon be very difficult for us to avoid plastic consumption unless major changes are made.

With more plastic entering our water daily, it’s not hard to figure out that marine life could slowly become extinct if our dependence on plastic doesn’t change. And it’s not just single-use plastic filling our oceans and causing the problems – as we’re learning more about the impacts of commercial fishing and the plastic left behind in their wake.

While we won’t get into the science and details of the plastic pollution issue, we do encourage you to do your own online research – there are several expert resources and films that cover this topic, and the problem is definitely worth your attention (see links below). The more knowledge you have, the more encouraged you’ll be to evoke change.

Regardless of your views, we can all understand that plastic pollution is a major problem…both to our health and the health of the planet. And while the problem may seem too overwhelming to make a difference, it’s not…yet. Every small change we continue to make can have a major and lasting positive impact. And you can easily begin changing things today.

Doing Our Part To Eliminate The Plastic Contributed By Coffee Pods

So what does plastic pollution have to do with coffee? Well, coffee drinking is at an all-time high. Contributing to this increased popularity is the rise of the ultra-convenient plastic coffee pods. And consumers have responded, using millions of single-cup plastic coffee pods daily in the U.S. alone. Millions…daily.

While most of those will end up in a landfill somewhere, it is without question a lot of plastic – with some ultimately ending up in our oceans. And no matter where these plastic pods end up, it won’t be good for the environment long term as plastic toxins seep into our lands and water. And in case you’re wondering, no, each plastic coffee pod as a whole is not recyclable without extensive work in of separating the lids, grounds and rinsing.

It’s that very reason why we set out on our mission. Providing superior coffee to those wanting single-cup coffee convenience, but in a way that’s carbon-neutral and commercially compostable. It’s an uphill battle, but we’ve never backed down from a challenge. And to us, doing our part to help make our planet better is well worth the effort. Obviously, we couldn’t make this work without our customers and partners, and we’re very grateful you’re joining us in this fight to keep our planet cleaner.

July Is The Month For Environmental Awareness

July is a month full of celebration…and for good reason. Summer is in full swing – with tourism, picnics, BBQs, concerts, and 4th of July events. And for many looking to occasionally cool off from the early summer heat, beaches are a great answer. There’s nothing like being near or in the water during the summer – we’re big fans of the sun and surf!

With all the fun-in-the-sun that July brings as tourism kicks into full gear, a downside is the abundance of litter and plastic waste that comes along with it. It’s not hard to imagine, the convenience of plastic is a major part of our everyday lives – even more so when we’re traveling or on vacation. It’s just so convenient, and extremely hard to avoid.

But there are current and future consequences to our heavy plastic use. So we thought that now would be a good time to raise some awareness of the issue and hopefully influence reducing plastic waste in our oceans, lakes, and waterways.

There’s no better place to start than identifying some upcoming July events, as well as some reminders on how we all can do our part in making our planet better for the future.

Clean Beaches Week

To raise awareness of keeping our beaches clean during the busy July 4th week, July 1-7 has been designated Clean Beaches Week. Originating in 2003, the Clean Beaches Week initiative encourages visitors to enjoy our beaches and to protect them. With 180 million beach visitors making an estimated 2 billion trips to the beach in the U.S. alone each year, awareness and action to protect our beaches are critical during this heavy tourism week. For more info, visit www.CleanBeaches.com.

Plastic Free July® (And Beyond)

Taking the Clean Beaches Week message a step further, the entire month of July has been designated Plastic Free July. The Plastic Free July initiative challenges everyone globally to be part of the solution in reducing plastic pollution. With an estimated 326 million participants in 177 countries, making even the smallest of changes to single-use plastic products can make a world of difference to our lands, oceans, and communities worldwide. For more info and to take the challenge, visit www.PlasticFreeJuly.com.

As July nears, think about some small changes you can commit to – take some action!

How To Lessen The Burden On Our Oceans

A good way to incorporate changes into your daily routine without any major disruptions is to start small and increase your efforts over time. It’s good to incorporate changes for July, but do think beyond just one month. The more small changes you put into action over time the easier it gets…we promise.

To help out, here are a few suggestions to kick start your July and greener efforts!

  • Knowledge is power – Educate yourself with online resources and films (we recommend watching A Plastic Ocean)
  • Plan a beach trip and enjoy being outdoors
  • Participate in a beach (or a lake/river) clean-up event
  • Reduce buying/using single-use containers and plastic bags
  • Purchase/use biodegradable items like plates, cups, and cutlery
  • Refuse plastic straws – opt for paper straws or go without
  • Visit CleanBeaches.com and org
  • Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – visit gov/recycle
  • Find a commercial compost facility
  • Use commercially compostable, plant-based coffee pods – see our selection of coffee here
  • Enjoy Smile Coffee Werks® coffee – All Smiles. No Guilt®!

Make a difference this July, and every month. We can accomplish a lot together if we try, all it takes is a little effort from all of us to turn things around!

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