Dunkin’ Donuts Is Ditching Its Iconic (But Environmentally Unfriendly) Styrofoam Cups

A lot of people are probably excited that Dunkin’ Donuts is getting rid of styrofoam cups at its locations.

The successful chain announced the move in 2018, and it is getting moving. The implementation of these changes will be 100% complete by April 2020.

This is a step in the right direction. The chain’s new vessels of choice will be double-walled paper cups that have a plastic lining to keep hot drinks warm. Dunkin’ Donuts is even going to make sure local governments have a say in how these cups will be recycled.

Customers have shared mixed opinions because the chain’s old cups really were iconic. But the environment is a good reason to give up something you don’t really need, even though you may have an emotional attachment to it.

The famed donut company worked hard for 10 years to come up with a way to solve its styrofoam problem. Dunkin’ has reported using more than a billion styrofoam cups annually.

That’s really too many.

In addition to the revamped cups, the company has ended “double-cupping.” This is when customers are given a styrofoam cup they can wrap around their cold drinks, so they won’t get warm.

Dunkin’ even coordinated a campaign that tried to make this transition fun. Needless to say, many New England customers aren’t happy about these changes, but the company knows and has anticipated people’s reactions for some time now. Kelly Katapodis, a spokeswoman for the company says,

“Our goal was to satisfy all our customers with a cup that is more environmentally friendly, has the insulation properties of foam and has the lid that our customers know and love. It took us a while to find the answer, but we believe the double-walled paper cup will please all our guests.”

Dunkin’ Donuts joins a slew of other companies that are changing their practices to preserve the environment.

And it’s about time!

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Releasing Balloons May Look Pretty, but It’s an Environmental Disaster

Releasing balloons has been a staple of many celebratory events, from graduation ceremonies to funerals. They may have been inspired by the Chinese tradition of sky lantern ceremonies, but while sky lanterns are usually made of paper and bamboo and float down in a short time, helium balloons sail high and far away.

A gazillion balloons carried in the wind are pretty to watch and certainly can add buoyancy to the spirit…

But unfortunately, this cheerful sight portends an oncoming disaster for the environment.

Balloons waste is especially hard on wildlife. Sea animals, like turtles, pelicans, whales, as well as forest-dwellers, frequently come in contact with deflated balloons and string. Turtles may think a deflated balloon is a tasty jellyfish, while a seabird might see it as a fish to be snatched up.

Either way, they’re both wrong – and their errors can be deadly.

Not too long ago, a sperm whale corpse washed up on the beach of a resort town in Spain. An autopsy showed the whale had ingested 64 pounds of garbage, including plastic. This incident highlighted how polluted the earth’s waterways are, how clogged with waste. Though it may not seem an obvious effect of joyously sending some balloons soaring, marine life is dying because of what we do without considering the consequences.

People who patrol beaches and shoreline report finding sea turtles and birds tangled in balloons and ribbons. Some of these animals are rescued and cleaned up for rehabilitation and eventual release. Others are already dead.

Photo Credit: Pam Bedsole

Along with plastic bags and fishing nets, balloon are classed by the Ocean Conservancy as one of the three deadliest litter types.

Nick Mallos, Trash Free Seas’ program director for Ocean Conservancy, told The Dodo, “It’s not uncommon for sea turtles to be found emaciated, sick or dead, only to find out later after X-rays or a necropsy that they’ve ingested a balloon.”

His team often finds balloon fragments and string inside the GI tracts of turtles.

Even if the balloons are released many miles inland, they are often carried out over water where they burst or float down. Mallos said balloons released in the U.K. have reportedly been found as far away as Hong Kong and Australia.

But, like the balloons, information about how celebrations that literally call for releasing garbage into the environment has traveled to faraway places. Cities and towns all over the U.S. and other countries are banning balloon releases in favor of less impactful commemorations. Colorful streamers or paper spheres can be released and cleaned up afterward. And even if they floated away and out of reach, they would biodegrade fairly quickly.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Other alternatives are banners, kites or bunting.

To learn more about keeping balloons and other trash out of the sky, forests and waters, visit Ocean Conservancy and South Florida-based Balloons Blow.

Maybe do something a little more environmentally friendly for your kid’s next birthday party? Just a thought.

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Photographer and His Wife Restore Life to a Dead Ecosystem by Planting 4 Million Trees

Earth Day has come and gone, but as humans, we should consider doing something for our environment more than once a year. Of all the myriads ecological disasters befalling us, deforestation is one of the biggest issues we face. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations states that the growth of the global population from 7.6 billion to 10 billion in 2050 (estimated) will vastly effect how we use our land, likely including further deforestation:

“Land-use changes result in a loss of valuable habitats, land degradation, soil erosion, a decrease in clean water and the release of carbon into the atmosphere. How to increase agricultural production and improve food security without reducing forest area is one of the great challenges of our times.”

So what can we do? As we continue to expand into forested areas, deforestation can seem overwhelming.

Photo Credit: Instituto Terra

But not to Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado and his wife Lélia. Two decades ago, he took over the land he grew up on and was devastated by what he saw: deforestation at its most severe. The land no longer held the tropical paradise he remembered. Rather, it was desolate, and all the wildlife from his youth was gone.

Over the last 20 years, he and his family made it a mission to plant one tree at a time to restore his once beautiful homeland. The results are incredible.

An aerial view of the land.

Photo Credit: Instituto Terra

In an interview with The Guardian, Salgado said:

“The land was as sick as I was – everything was destroyed. Only about 0.5% of the land was covered in trees. Then my wife had a fabulous idea to replant this forest. And when we began to do that, then all the insects and birds and fish returned and, thanks to this increase of the trees I, too, was reborn – this was the most important moment.”

In April of 1998, they started an organization called Instituto Terra or “Earth Institute” and raised enough funds to plant 4 million saplings native to that land and surrounding areas.

Photo Credit: Instituto Terra

“Perhaps we have a solution,” Salgado said. “There is a single being which can transform CO2 to oxygen, which is the tree. We need to replant the forest. You need forest with native trees, and you need to gather the seeds in the same region you plant them or the serpents and the termites won’t come. And if you plant forests that don’t belong, the animals don’t come there and the forest is silent.”

The results of his restorative efforts are extremely impressive: 172 species of birds have returned, 33 kinds of mammals, nearly 300 species of plants, and 30 species of reptiles and amphibians. His institute managed to rebuild an entire ecosystem from literally the ground up.

It just goes to show, if you have passion and commitment, you can achieve anything. And when it comes to our environment, that is priceless. I’ll give Salgado the last word:

“We need to listen to the words of the people on the land. Nature is the earth and it is other beings and if we don’t have some kind of spiritual return to our planet, I fear that we will be compromised.”

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