Letters For Earth

I like coffee! I bring my mug most places, but sometimes I forget. I'm human. Though I try to say that I don't need it, sometimes I really want it and get a disposable cup. It's like a diet - everyone slips once in a while! I usually go to the JustUs! cafe which has ceramic mugs for 'for here' and compostable cups 'to go' but sometimes SecondCup is closer!
----

Hello Second Cup Customer Care!

Second Cup coffee is really good. Your lattes have helped me through many exams! I try to bring a mug when I get coffee but sometimes I forget. When this happens, I have two choices, I can go to a coffee place which has compostable cups or I can go to Second Cup and get a plastic-lined cup which will not biodegrade. Some of my choices are based on environmental factors and since the price is not different between places - if I'm going to get a throw-away cup, it should be compostable. For this reason, I don't go to Second Cup as often as I could, or would, if there were compostable cups.

Why does Second Cup not use compostable cups? Are there plans to implement them? What steps are Second Cup taking to reduce waste? At my local Second Cup, there is only a 10 cent discount when a mug is brought, but this may be a special case as it is a campus-wide policy.

Thank you for your time,

Lauren Dombowsky

Worms, or vermiculture, as a method of composting is a pretty interesting compost. Not for the scoleciphobic (fear or worms - I learned a new word!), vermiculture apparently allows you to compost in a small apartment and make really good quality fertilizer.

I hate compost bins. Stinky and fungus filled, I hate opening them when I'm cooking for fear of getting spores everywhere! It's one environmental thing that I hate doing (along with cold showers). I don't have a backyard compost heap and I don't fill up the compost bin fast enough to avoid nastiness. I tried the paper liners. I gave up as I walked outside with icky grossness and the bottom of the bag burst because it was wet and got the icky grossness everywhere. My compost bin is sitting overturned outside because I do not want to wash it because it's nasty.

Apparently vermiculture will fix that! It doesn't smell and the worms turn it over too fast for fungus to develop into supergrossness. I made a DIY kit based on instructions from a book called "The Urban Homestead: Your guide to self sufficient living in the city". It was two walmart bins that I had kicking around from the last time I moved. We borrowed my landlords drill and drilled holes according to the instructions. I ordered worms and they are on their way!

They should get here.... tomorrow? I ordered them like two weeks ago but the folks I got it from responded to emails like once a week (who does that anymore?:P) !