Most offices have coffee. It's cheap and it perks up the employees. The trend (at least from what I am experienced with) is to have single-cup machines. No messy pots to clean. No stale coffee. Every person for themselves. Seems simple enough. The coffee where I work is delivered weekly, along with sweeteners, teas, etc. The coffee comes in a box, which holds several other boxes, which holds the individual plastic containers of coffee grounds. So you take the coffee pod, put it in the machine, put your free paper cup (standard in our office) under the dispenser and push the button. Out comes one piping hot, perfectly measured, standard cup of coffee. Time to sweeten. You take one or two packets of your favorite sweetener out of the box, tear them open, pour them in, and toss the empty paper packets into the trash. Toss in some "creamer" (I use quotes because powdered corn is not, in fact, cream), grab a plastic stir stick out of the stir stick box, give it good swirling, and toss the stir stick. Enjoy your coffee, maybe get a second cup, then toss that paper cup out. Repeat each day.
This whole process does create jobs. That's a good thing, right? The delivery guy, the box manufacturer, the coffee company, the cup, stir stick, and pod manufacturers, etc. Would bringing your own cup cost someone a job? How about using an old-fashioned coffee pot that doesn't use pods? What will happen to the plastic company that relies on the coffee pod business? Dare I suggest that someone use a spoon? If so, what will become of the stir stick maker?
Can sustainability really happen in our wasteful, uber-consumer driven lifestyles? Can happiness be achieved from all the time supposedly saved by using so many items one time and then discarding them, thus saving us the hassle of cleaning anything?
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Not sure what good jobs are to anyone as the ecosystem crumbles around us. People speak of the environment as some "other" thing, ignoring the fact the this environment is the only one we've got and we kinda depend on its stability for our survival. The problem is that: one, it's been politicized; two, money has become a god, more vital than fresh air and clean water, more powerful than compassion, more sought-after than common sense and common purpose.
ReplyDeleteRunning along as Money's sidekick is Convenience, because heaven™ forbid anyone have to actually make a pot of coffee, clean a coffee cup and a spoon, and ensure the milk hasn't gone sour.
Not to mention.. that's a pretty unimpressive cuppa coffee :p I'll take the real thing over that watered down fake stuff any day!
Renee, we had a pod coffeemaker for the past year and a half. A week or so ago we replaced it with an actual coffeemaker/grinder. The difference is incredible!
ReplyDeleteI think it depends on what's important to you. If you are that person who just wants a quick cup of coffee and isn't particular about the taste (and the waste) the pod is the way to go.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think that society takes the easy road a bit too often and in the case of coffee...I'll take the high road. I drink coffee all day long, so the flavor is important. I'm willing to make a pot myself, grinding the beans (freetrade/shade grown) myself. Sure I have to clean the pot everyday, but sometimes it's worth the extra effort.