Do you ever have moments when something just clicks and you’re like, Why did I not think of this before? It’s so very, very obvious!

No?

Well, I have no trouble admitting these moments happen to me on a fairly regular basis. I’m not hiding my flaws here.

So my latest Duh Moment happened the other day when I was flipping through a magazine with one of those “How you can be green” articles. Most of the time I just nod my head when reading through articles like that because I’m trying to do my best with recycling, switching my lightbulbs, using less water, buying local, etc.

But sometimes they raise a point that I never even considered. Like the fact that my thrice-weekly mocha habit is, DUH, adding to the landfills. Even though I recycle the java jackets, the cups themselves have a plastic lining. *Smacks head with hand!*

So, yeah. I’ve been ditching those “disposable” cups into the trash.

The suggestion in the article was simple. Buy one of those travel-type mugs and have the barista fill it up for ya each time. Brilliant! So brilliant that I did just that this morning at my regular coffee stop. Now, not only do I feel good about reducing my impact on the landfill, but my coffee stays hot even longer. Even better? No more spills! Which I tend to experience far too often. Faaarrrrr to often.

I’m thinking the majority of folks aren’t really that concerned about the tossing of the cup. Why am I so pessimistic? I work with people who throw their cans and water bottles in the garbage even when there are recycling bins 10 feet from their desks. On top of that, a way-too-big percentage of the people who frequent my coffee place leave their cars running while they’re in line for their java. Boo on them.

So it’s nice to know that inroads are being made in the manufacture of the cups themselves. Maybe they’ll hit GR sometime soon. Although I won’t hold my breath.