Every day, billions of coffees are poured, carried, and consumed — a comforting ritual woven into modern life. But behind this small daily pleasure lies a much larger challenge: the cost of convenience.
Single-use coffee cups, designed to be thrown away within minutes, often end up in landfills or oceans, where they take decades to break down. The paper may seem harmless, but it’s lined with plastic to prevent leaks — a small design choice that makes recycling nearly impossible.
It’s a quiet contradiction: the same moment that grounds us — that pause for a morning coffee — often contributes to the noise of global waste.
A Shift in Habit
Choosing to reuse isn’t just an environmental act; it’s a cultural one. It challenges the rhythm of speed and disposability that defines so much of daily life. Carrying something with you, again and again, turns a simple drink into a small act of mindfulness — a reminder that care and convenience can coexist.
Portability is part of what makes our routines so human — the need to take comfort with us wherever we go. But perhaps the future of portability lies not in how easily things can be thrown away, but in how meaningfully they can be carried forward.
A New Kind of Ritual
The coffee cup, once a symbol of quick consumption, can become something slower — more intentional. It’s not just about what we drink, but how we choose to move through the world.
When we pause to consider these moments — to hold onto something, to use it well, to use it again — we begin to design a quieter, more connected way of living.
At BU, we believe small changes create space for calm — and for better ways of living.
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