Protect your table from annoying drink rings with these felt coasters.

Made from soft, strong, double-layer, chemical-free wool felt, these little mats from Desinature are a fun way to look after your tabletop while you sip your morning coffee or tea.

Environmental worthiness is further confirmed by use of eco-friendly inks to dye the felt, as well as their ability to ensure that your table’s lease on life is extended to the full by avoiding unsightly stains.

The “Shadow”coasters come in two shades of grey (smirk) – ash or charcoal (light or dark). £22 ($34) for a set of four.

The post Helping Your Morning Coffee Find Its Shadow appeared first on EcoSalon.

“What size cup would you like? Small, Medium, Large, Super, Tall, Grande, Venti, Super-Venti, Hungover or perhaps Recession Special?”

“None of the above, please.”

It’s a dream I have. Follow me on a choose-your-own-post journey into the What If.

It’s the future, a greener, more enlightened time. You drop in on your local coffee vendor – let’s call it McStarMart – ready for a cup of exquisitely roasted bean-juice to kick start your day. You’re standing quietly in the queue, and – something odd is going on.

People are reaching into their pockets and bags and briefcases, and they’re pulling out mugs of all shapes and kinds. When they reach the counter, they pass them to the barista, who fills them up with their beverage of choice.

There are no disposable cups.

All the machines have counters on them, the numbers whirling when the taps are opened, and you realise that people are being charged for how much liquid goes into their own mugs.

When they’ve finished their drink, they bring the mug to the counter where the barista washes it for them and hands it back. Everyone’s cup is daubed in fun colors and has their name.

This was all sparked by reading Shawna Coronado’s Great Coffee Cup Challenge last week. Then I read the same thing at WiseBread and elsewhere. And it got me thinking.

Isn’t using recycled material for disposable cups still ducking the real issue – that we’re throwing things away? We all have our favorite mugs at work so why not take them out into the street? Take-outs are more fun, and drinking in-house becomes more homey.

How to start?

Coffeehouses should reward people who bring their own, such as knocking $0.50 off the price. They already sell mugs, for Peet’s sake.

In the meantime, I’m going to take a mug into ye olde Starbucks and ask them to fill it. I used to work there in my student days and they already know I’m eccentric, so I’m sure they’ll oblige my green bean yen.

Image: Sarah Jane

The post In the Future, We All Carry Mugs appeared first on EcoSalon.

So you’re not a mug-toter. You find those large, billy-club like coffee containers to be bulky and awkward, not to mention that you have to carry them around or they sit in your car all day leaving a foul scent of retribution for having been abandoned. But there are other options – which also make thoughtful and unique gifts.

First is the I Am Not a Paper Cup created by artist James Burgess. The white porcelain cup comes with a white silicone lid for sipping while driving, or better yet, taking public transportation or walking. It’s small, always in fashion, and can be rinsed and tucked in a messenger bag and reused during your lunch break.

Another perfect size design is modeled after the iconic 1963 Greek New York City Coffee Cup which boasts “We Are Happy to Serve You” for $9.99. You, too, can have an item that is also being sold in New York City’s  Museum of Modern Art. Made of lead-free earthenware, the 10-ounce cup is microwave and dishwasher safe.

Last on my list is Michel Harvey’s reproduction of the paper cup with corrugated heat insulator for $15.00.

Now there’s no excuse for having a smelly car, or contributing to the landfill.

The post To-Go Cups That Keep on Going appeared first on EcoSalon.