Business tips: Cut back on takeout coffee, walk to the cafe, and use reusable mugs

​By Jess Blackwell

​Going on “coffee runs” has been a long-lasting office and workplace tradition for some pretty legit reasons: 
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• It gets you out of the office. 
• It marks progress or key turning points in the day, which is good for our sanity. 
• It can be a form of exercise (if you’re walking to the cafe). 
• It’s delicious.
• It gives you that little caffeine boost. 
• It supports local cafes (unless you’re going to Tim’s or Starbucks). 

However, if you’re grabbing one or two disposable coffee cups in a day, that can really add up.

So, next time you and your coworkers have a hankering for that afternoon coffee, consider some of these tips: 
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• Take a walk around the block to get out of the office and break up the day. Seriously—it’s okay to step away from your desk or the cash register just because you need to or want to, and this is something we should be working toward normalizing. 
• If you can, bring a coffee maker (whatever style you prefer) to the office and make your coffee in-house in reusable mugs. To keep supporting your local cafe, you can buy their coffee beans, loose leaf tea blends, etc. And if you love Keurig-style coffee makers, try using reusable K-cups instead of the single-use, disposable kind. 
• Go to the cafe as usual but bring a tray of reusable travel mugs (instead of using the single-use kind).
• Walk to the cafe instead of driving. 
• Support a local cafe that sources its beans as responsibly as possible.

Regardless of which of these tips you choose to implement, every change is a step in the right direction. 

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*This post is based on content originally published at lumida.ca/blog.