Disposable Coffee Cup Social Office Experiment

Submitted by Daniel Solorio, Project Manager and Photographer, SPARK, and Jadon Hook, Sustainability Coordinator  

The Office of Sustainability is thrilled to see SLC students taking the initiative and showing climate leadership. Project Management and Digital Marketing and Communications student, Daniel Solorio, is a great example, with his recent coffee waste-reduction project. Daniel is passionate about coffee, and environmentally conscious, and was struck by the dichotomy between choosing what we know is right, and what is easy when it comes to daily routines. Daniel shares, “I was amazed by how at the end of the day, the recycling station outside the Innovation Hub was filled with single-use coffee cups, many from our little 20-person office. I started thinking about how many cups a year that would be, and how much money is spent.” 

Daniel knew he wanted to make a difference and started planning. An office kettle and French press, and a communal coffee fund for upkeep of a coffee and tea station were some of his ideas. He wondered if the experiment would face resistance or help initiate conversations on lifestyle choices. Daniel started talking to people who supported the idea and from there, initiated the fund pool. Then to get the program off the ground, he brought in a kettle and a French press, along with a pound of organic fair-trade coffee and an assortment of teas.  

Daniel used office humour to announce the idea on the team’s communication platform, asking everyone to bring a reuseable cup, and displayed a disposable cup with the words “creative copy” on it in the office. He made a whiteboard chart with directions for using the French press, and tracking of drinks made in-office, and set up an Excel sheet to record money spent and collected.  

The project is ongoing, and Daniel continues to search for ways to move his peers away from the convenience of disposable cups. The program has sparked conversation not just among staff but also visitors. Based on the team’s estimates, three weeks into the program, 65 cups have been diverted from landfill, and the office has collectively saved $81.25.  

Daniel’s story is a great example of how our daily actions have a major impact. The Office of Sustainability would like to extend gratitude to Daniel for his exemplary climate leadership this term!