Juliana Moves

It’s time to fully bring back the reusable coffee cup. I’m sure this is nothing new for many people, but I don’t think I’ve regularly used a reusable coffee mug when out and about since pre-COVID! And I specifically mean bringing a reusable cup to a coffee shop when ordering a drink out, not just using one generally. Trust me, I go through all of my reusable cups bringing coffees to work from home. But until recently, I hadn’t asked a coffee shop if I could simply… use my own cup. And it’s about time I start doing that more frequently!

I lived in Austin, Texas from 2013-2020. Those first four years I was in college at UT Austin absolutely living it up with pretty much zero money. As many college students did at the time, especially in Austin, I leaned into being something of a hipster. I started recycling for the first time, I bought reusable grocery bags, I gained a general awareness of the environment that I didn’t have before, and I generally began appreciating the items I did have more than ever.

My sophomore year of college I started working at a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (still maybe one of my fav jobs to date) and it expanded my world of coffee shops. In high school I only ever went to Starbucks and probably ordered exclusively iced caramel “macchiatos.” But in Austin, we had an absolute treasure trove of coffee shops. You could practically throw a stone in any direction and hit a local coffee shop. It was amazing. I still didn’t have much money, but I spent what little I did have visiting local shops and trying all sorts of coffee drinks. In classic college student fashion, I also “studied” and “did work” at many of these shops – AKA I goofed off with my friends and got the caffeine jitters. I got pretty good about bringing my little reusable Stanley (the old school, coffee kind!) and was proud to have remembered it. I also loved bringing it to class full of homemade coffee. It made me feel like a smart and responsible adult. L O L, am I right?

Fast forward to 2020, COVID hits and suddenly reusable coffee cups and grocery bags were potential germ-ridden, virus carriers. It became clear pretty quickly that you absolutely could not use your own cup at a coffee shop and, frankly, my frequent visits to coffee shops dropped off entirely. [Author’s note: Except for when we would spend an entire afternoon during the early lockdown period making the 4 mile round trip journey to Hank’s. Good memories.]

Many of my more eco-friendly habits dropped off pretty aggressively during COVID. At first it was because of fear of the virus, but then we moved to Arlington and I started working full time, in person, and I traded a lot of good habits for convenience and ease. I started making more money, so I didn’t mind buying dumb, wasteful things. Including coffee in cheap, plastic cups. 

Don’t get me wrong! There is absolutely a time and a place for the cup that Dunkin Donuts provides. But 9 times out of 10? I was being lazy. When I peer even deeper into myself, I think I probably thought of consumerism as a status symbol, too. 

As you may know, some of my 2025 goals revolve around getting back to the heart of these better habits: both for the environment and my wallet. This weekend we were driving through VA and stopped for gas at a Sheetz. I was fading fast during the drive and I really wanted a coffee. I almost didn’t walk back out to the car to grab my Yeti because it was all the way across the parking lot. That was truly what almost stopped me. Walking across a parking lot. 

I am training to run 100 miles. Get your shit together, Juliana!

Anyway, I made this long trek to the car, retrieved my Yeti, filled it with sort of decent Sheetz coffee, and only paid $1.25 for it. Because it counted as a refill! Hell yeah! I had decreased my impact on the environment, saved some money, and got my steps in (lol). Wins all around!

On New Year’s Day we did this too. We visited a coffee shop in Frederick, MD and I carried my cup in and asked to use it. I half expected the barista to say no. Instead, he nodded and filled our cups and we only paid $2! Refills again! I know what you’re thinking. Yes, this is great for the environment, but is $1.25 – $2 coffee really that big of a deal? Living in NOVA? Absolutely, yes. I have paid $6 for crappy coffee before. I will rejoice over $2 coffee any day.

I love how reigniting this habit makes me feel. Like many good habits, I can also already feel a snowball effect forming. What else can I do to be less of a consumer and reduce my waste? I really just need to take a page out of 2013-2019 Juliana’s book. I’m going to keep reducing my footprint and reducing wasteful costs in my life. I’d encourage you to do that same.

Where would you start?

Love,

JN