Being Environmentally Responsible is No Fun

I may have mentioned (once or twice) how much I love my Keurig.

I love it so much, I've even joked about packing it up and taking it on trips with us.  (Don't worry, I haven't. That would be weird) Though I'm not the only one in my house who feels this way.  My husband, who likes to get out of bed in the morning at the last possible moment, and, thus, "doesn't have time for coffee at home," now, sometimes, does.   My college daughter, who spent much of her growing-up years sitting inside a Starbucks, and is now discovering just how expensive buying her own take-out coffee really is, (although her grandpa definitely helps her out with this) has been known to call on Mr. Keurig whenever she's home, in need of coffee, and too broke to go buy a cup.  Even Nora, who doesn't even like coffee, has been known to ask if she can make a cup--for me. 

Why do we all like it so much?

Well, Nora would probably tell you it's because it's easy, fun, and using it makes her feel like a grown-up. Dave might say it's because it's quick and convenient.  Anna would probably say it's because it provides her with coffee she doesn't have to pay for.  I like it for the following reasons:

1.  It produces one delicious cup of coffee in no time flat,

2.  It has cut down on my Starbucks bill (a little),

3.  My dad gave it to me.

But #3 is why I really love it so much.

My Dad is not the kind of man who will tell me he loves me.  Although he will write these words in every Birthday and Christmas Card he ever sends me, he will not say them aloud.  Instead, he shows me he loves me with food.  And it's always the same food.  And it's always ready and waiting for me whenever I visit him.  Hanging from the banister, at the bottom of the stairs, in a white plastic bag, I always find; one bag of mini-Snickers for me, one King Size bag of Peanut M&Ms for Anna, one bag of Tootsie Pops for Nora Jane, and one bag of Red Vines for Dave. 

Now, in addition to all of the above, (as if that isn't enough) awaiting my arrival is a bag of Keurig K-cups.  And not just one box!  Oh no!  When it comes to food, my dad has never lived by the "less is more" philosophy.   On the contrary, he's a firm believer in more-is-better.  It's a trait that was passed down to him from his own father.  Thus, since he knows that the coffees that come in the green box (Green Mountain) are my favorite, I get those.  I also get the blue box, (Emeril's) the brown box, (Tully's Italian) and the black box (Revv).  I've been too afraid to try the latter, however.  The name itself is too strong, too bold. I fear it might rev me and my easily agitated system a little too much.  Actually, all the coffees he picks for me can be described as strong, bold, extra dark.  Surely, this can't be how he sees me?  Obviously, I'm more of a medium blend, though definitely complex.

Needless to say, my dad is intent on keeping my coffee addiction (and supply) both strong and well-stocked for the foreseeable future.  And I love him for it.

What I don't love about the Keurig, however, is the waste. When I used to make coffee the old-fashioned way, (you know in an electric coffee pot), there was very little waste. Just a mound of spent coffee grounds and a paper filter.  And they were the brown paper filters, the ones that hadn't undergone any bleaching, so the whole mess could go out with the trash ready to decompose once it hit the landfill.  No harm, no foul. 

This is not the case with the Keurig.  Inside those cute, prepackaged, little pods, with their colored paper tops, something dark is lurking. And I'm not talking about coffee.  I know; I've dissected a few.

There is more inside these little, environmental killers than you think.

Inside that little, plastic cup, underneath the foil lid, buried beneath the coffee, I found not only paper filters, but little, tiny plastic trays.  (And no--I don't know what their job is.) All of this from just one little pod.   And when all of this goes in the trash, that makes for a lot of plastic pieces hitting the landfills, then the barges, then the oceans, and then the bellies of baby albatrosses.

When I mentioned my concerns to my dad, and how I felt compelled to recycle all these little bits and pieces, his response was, "but you only make a cup or two a day.  That's not much at all!" But every Keurig owner out there could claim this very same thing.  One of my friends actually did. While she was passing out coffees to my girlfriends and I after a dinner she gave. And do you know how many Keurig owners there are out there, having just one or two cups every day? They're everywhere! The other day I even  saw one at the jewelry store while I was dropping my necklace off to get repaired.  

I'm not implying that we all need to dump our Keurigs and go back to making hobo coffee on the stove-top.  No one wants to do that.  I know I don't, not for just one cup of coffee.  For now, they are with us.  Part of our busy lives. Until something new and even faster comes along.  I'm just thinking that maybe we could take a minute or two (after they've cooled down)  to  disassemble those cute little pods,  and recycle those little bits and pieces.  It's really not hard.  I promise.  I've done it.

And if you miss one from time to time, don't beat yourself up about it.  I'm the first to admit I'm not the perfect recycler.  I, too, sometimes get lazy.  Sometimes, my recycle bin is SO full (from being such a good recycler) there is literally no more room.  And then, I admit it, the stuff goes into the trash.  The point is: I try.

So, since I started this post with a list of reasons why I love my Keurig, I'm going to end it with a list of reasons why I'm going to keep it.  And keep using it. Although, admittedly, I could do with a caffeine cut-back.

1.  I enjoy being able to  run downstairs in the morning, brew a cup of coffee and take it back up to my bed in a matter of minutes. Thus allowing me to sip, and read in quiet comfort for a few minutes before Nora wakes up.

2.  Like Nora says, it's fun!

3.  My dad gave it to me.

But #3 is really why I'm going to keep it.