Forgot to bring your reusable coffee mug to campus?
Staff and students now have the option of borrowing a mug, instead of reaching for a disposable cup with their coffee purchase, thanks to a new Mug Share program launched by the Office of Sustainability and the Niagara College Student Administrative Council.
The Mug Share program, which launched on International Coffee Day on October 1, aims to make mugs available to borrow at The Shack (Welland Campus) and The Undergrounds (NOTL Campus) cafes, for those who forgot to bring their own reusable mugs. Those who borrow a mug or bring their own reusable mug, rather than use a disposable cup, will not only help reduce waste, but will receive a 50 percent discount on their coffee/ hot beverage purchase during the month of October
Students will receive a $1 Basil Buck when they bring their own reusable mug, thanks to a partnership with the Centre of Student Engagement and Leadership.
Starting November 1, there will be a 75-cent discount on hot beverage items that would have been served in single-use paper cups.
“The ultimate goal of the program is to reduce single-use coffee cups on campus, which will contribute to less waste going to landfill,” said Amber Schmucker, sustainability program and outreach coordinator. “Single-use coffee cups and their components, lids and sleeves, are one of the top contaminants in the waste streams on campus, which is why we have a coffee cup bin (our gray bin that goes to landfill), but this program goes one step further to try significantly reduce this waste material at the source.”
NCSAC president Tom Price noted that it was important for the NCSAC student-led enterprises to be involved with the Mug Share initiative in order to bring awareness to, and support, the College’s sustainability efforts.
“NCSAC recognizes that this effort will address the needs of today without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their needs,” said Price. “This partnership also provides the opportunity to attend to the immediate economic, environmental and social aspects of sustainability.”
Donate a mug
NC employees are encouraged to donate mugs to the Mug Share program. Donated mugs should be clean and in good condition, without cracks. They will be cleaned as well prior to being available for use at the student cafes. Mug donations may be dropped off at The Shack or The Undergrounds.
And there’s a bonus; those who donate a mug to the Mug Share program will receive a free coffee!
Bring your own reusable mug
Having everyone bring in their reusable mugs from home, of course, is the ultimate goal, noted Schmucker. That’s why those who bring their reusable mugs receive a discount on the purchase of their coffee at the Shack and The Undergrounds.
“But if they do forget, because we are all human – even the Office of Sustainability has been known to forget a mug – then they will have this as an alternative to needing a single-use cup,” she said.