Since we’re on the topic of energy this week, I thought I would dedicate at least one blog entry to caffeine.
Commonly found in coffee and tea, caffeine can also be found in chocolate, energy drinks and soda. According to Wikipedia, 90% of North American adults consume caffeine on a daily basis.
I am one of those North American adults. I really applaud the people who can get through the day without caffeine or have renounced their former caffeine junkie lifestyles; because I definitely can’t. I love my coffee, tea and chocolate way too much!
Too much caffeine is a bad thing. However, if we approach our caffeine intake with good karma, then we can keep up our energy without destroying our health or our planet. Here are 7 tips!
1. Invest in a cute tumbler or thermos. Styrofoam makes up 25% of our landfill waste, and over 25,000,000 styrofoam cups go into landfills every year. I finally bought a cute green tumbler from Starbucks, and I regret that I did not buy it sooner! The complimentary drink that came with the purchase didn’t hurt, either.
2. White tea is the way to go. If you have to choose between black, green and white tea, choose white. White tea, made from tea leave buds very early in the spring, is the least processed tea and has the highest level of antioxidants.
3. Buy Fair Trade Coffee. You are investing just a little bit more than regular coffee—but to ensure that the workers who toiled to grow the coffee beans are paid fairly and treated with respect. If you feel that you can’t afford Fair Trade products all the time, try to at least buy Fair Trade every other purchase.
4. Recycle your coffee grounds. Coffee grounds make for great fertilizer, and can be used to enrich your worm farm or compost pile.
5. Make Your Soda Can Into Beautiful Art. For starters, check out this awesome soda bottle vase. Or this very cute soda can coin purse. If you don’t trust your own DIY skills, commission an artsy friend to do something with all your empty soda cans.
6. Brighten a loved one’s day with chai tea cookies. Many of you may have noticed by now that I am a big fan of making food for other people. Check out this chai tea cookie recipe, where you mix brewed chai tea directly into the cookie batter. Yum!
7. Cut Your Mixer Addiction. You know those tiny thin red straws or wooden popsicle sticks that are in every coffee house, where people use it for about six seconds before throwing it away? I’m seriously thinking of carrying a little spoon with me everywhere just so I can avoid using them again. They are such a stupid waste of resources! Now maybe that’s just me.
Stay jolted, everybody, but in healthy moderation and in good karma.
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