Wow, waking up this morning was rough. I could have stayed in my nice warm bed all day but just like anyone else I have obligations to fulfill. I don’t know about you guys but I need a little help in the mornings. I just need a little kick start to get my mind and body into gear for the day. So what is my saving grace that keeps me from walking out of the door with my shoes on the wrong feet, pajamas still on, and my blanket on my back instead of my backpack? Well, that my friends, would be coffee.
Everyday millions of Americans wake up and crave the same energizer to help them start the day on the right foot. Whether you call it; Brew, the hot stuff, joe, java, jitter juice, lifeblood or your morning mud one variable remains constant; it’s all coffee. But have you ever taken the time to ponder on what it takes to make your morning mojo? Once the coffee cherries are harvested, roasted, and shipped to consumers the process of grinding and brewing begins. Then we walk into our favorite joint to pick up a cup for our favorite drink. But what happens to all of the grounds that were used to make the coffee? No one really gives this part of their coffee experience a second thought but after the grounds are exhausted they are simply thrown in the nearest trashcan. Then they are hauled to the landfill with the rest of the garbage. They’ve served their purpose though, haven’t they? Well, in reality, yes they have served one purpose but could they do more? The answer is yes, they can!
Coffee grounds are immensely beneficial to soil and are great additions to a garden. Coffee grounds add nitrogen to your compost pile and help maintain high composting temperatures. Coffee grounds are high in Nitrogen which helps the decomposing organisms break down organic matter faster. Although coffee grounds are so beneficial to the soil they end up in landfills where they do more harm than good. All of the potential use and value of the grounds gets wasted. Not only are the grounds wasted but so is money and space in the landfills. Coffee grounds are taken to dump while they are wet which adds excessive weight because they are mostly water. The money saved from keeping grounds out of landfills could go back into the company to spark growth, create more jobs, boost the economy, and overall raise the standard of living for everyone.
The project Wasteful Thinking is directly focused on reducing the amount to wasted coffee grounds on the University of Arkansas campus. As of now, the ENACTUS team is partnered with Chartwells in Starbucks on campus. Every day we collect the coffee grounds from Starbucks, weigh them, and compost them. We have already collected over 300 pounds of grounds and that number increases every day. Our long term goal is to implement this project campus wide and get everyone to think about the small things that can make a difference.
Related Links:
http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/composting/index.htm
http://wordpress.uark.edu/sustain/2013/09/27/gro-green-an-update/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/University-of-Arkansas-Enactus/94609233578
http://www.gardeners.com/Coffee-Grounds-in-Compost-Bin/coffeelp,default,pg.html