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Learning Outcomes

1.9 and 2.5

Learning Intentions

I will learn about consumer responsibilities

I will reflect on the impact of my shopping.

I will learn about the impact businesses have on the environment through the production of clothes.

How might you use this stimulus material in class?

This video provides a great introduction to Fast Fashion - defining the problem and outlining the role of social and financial organisations in the industry.

Support resources: the question quadrant provides open and closed questions to support student discussion.

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How much food is wasted globally | Global food crisis | Pandemic | UN Environment Programme

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Learning Outcomes  2.5 & 3.6

Learning Outcomes
- Learn about choices
- I will learn about the impacts that businesses can have on social, environmental and economic factors
I will examine the use of scare materials in a sustainable environment

Use of this stimulus:
Read the article as an introduction to company providing as little waste as possible
Have students fill in a SWOT analysis of the benefits of this approach within the food industry
Coudl they see it being replicated in other industries

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As sustainability takes an increasing focus for brands and consumers, food waste is a growing concern. Around a third of food is wasted, according to the United Nations, with about half of that occurring between harvest and retail.

When producing food, there is often a portion left over that is unsuitable for consumption, such as stalks and peelings and finished products not suitable for sale. More brands are setting goals around combatting food waste at a manufacturing level, but there's not a one-size fits all solution.

Instead, there is a hierarchy of food waste strategies which can be applied in tandem and addressed through both standard practices as well as creative solutions.

Active prevention and reduction strategies are the best strategies for limiting food waste. By changing practices in ways that will eliminate or lessen the volume of spent and unusable materials, companies are best positioned to meet waste usage goals and may also reduce cost while improving profits.

When waste prevention isn't possible, and attempts at waste reduction have been optimised, valorisation is the next step. By reusing, recycling or composting waste materials and turning them into products such as human or animal food, bio-chemicals or plant fertilizer or converting waste to methane to create energy, the amount of food waste and landfill matter is ultimately reduced while simultaneously benefitting other products.

Disposing of waste in a landfill sits squarely at the bottom of the food waste hierarchy. Although food products can break down in a landfill, the spent nutrients won't be captured in the soil and bacteria in food waste produces greenhouse gases which contribute to global warming. Disposal should be viewed as a last resort, after all other avenues of food waste reduction have been explored.

Creating a successful food waste reduction strategy

Food waste has a significant impact on both the food system and climatic conditions. Sustainability and food waste reduction is achieved by focusing on the optimum use of resources.

By exploring the various strategies across the hierarchy of food waste reduction and prevention, brands will be better able to provide environmental benefits and added value to their products, optimising efficiencies and gaining market share.

To help prevent or reduce food waste during manufacturing, brands can consider the following updates:

Process improvements, such as changing manufacturing conditions that are contributing to products not meeting quality standards. For example, we've been able to reduce food waste at our plants by automating manufacturing steps that are more subject to human error, such as measuring ingredients. Our production and manufacturing experts are also trained to investigate other process-related solutions, like lowering cooking temperatures or using different equipment to achieve more consistent results.

Recipe improvements, such as modifying ingredient lists to produce products that are less subject to breakage, over-cooking, sticking or other negative outcomes during manufacturing. For instance, our teams recently added enzymes from our Biobake™ range to a cracker recipe to help a brand create a higher quality product less subject to breakage. A similar enzyme was used by a QSR when reformulating its hamburger buns-in this case, the enzyme helped create a more durable product, making for fewer squished and unsellable buns.

To create a more circular system, where food waste is made useful through the reuse of leftover materials and unusable products, strategies can include:

Material recycling and upcycling, in which food resources are kept within the food supply chain as food or animal feed. For example, in the production of orange juice, orange peels-which are valued for their flavourful zest-can be utilized as a natural orange taste ingredient, adding back in orange flavour to the final juice. Whey, which is a common by-product in some dairy production processes, can be upcycled into high value nutritional dairy protein ingredients. Other creative examples are being adopted by the industry, such as the use of spent grains from beer brewing in bakery products and nutritional bars.

Material reuse and composting, such as the conversion of unusable food waste and by-products into fertilizer or compost which can be used in the production of other food products. This strategy recently helped a customer achieve a more sustainable bone broth. The broth was made using bones from the customer's chicken processing plant. When the bones were spent, our facility sent them to a fertilizer company, which was able to turn them into a garden fertilizer. While a food-based solution may be investigated first, opportunities to reuse food waste can exist outside of food, too.

Back to KerryDigest
Food waste is just one of several sustainability concerns in food production. To learn more about our commitment to sustainability, explore Beyond the Horizon, our sustainability strategy. For help investigating ways to make a more sustainable product, contact us.

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Improving Sustainability and Reducing Food Waste During Manufacturing

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As sustainability takes an increasing focus for brands and consumers, food waste is a growing concern. Around a third of food is wasted, according to the United Nations, with about half of that occurring between harvest and retail.

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Learning outcome 3.6
Learning intentions: Economic growth and impacts on the environment.
Discussing positive, negative impacts of the growth in this sector and how to meet the environmental challenges of production and waste.

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Learning Outcomes 1.9, 1.10, 2.5, 3.1, 3.6

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Learning Outcomes
1.9 and 3.3

Learning Intentions
- I will learn about consumer choice and responsibilities
- I will learn about the effects on price in terms of packaging & consumer trends
- I will examine the demand and supply curves of sustainable products

How will I use this material in class?
- The video will be used to introduce the price and impacts of packaging to the students.
- Following on, students will work together to research the difference in sustainable packaging and 'normal' plastic packaging.
- Consumer choice will be identified, influences, habbits that lead to choice.
- Identifying what can be done by businesses and consumers to change choice and habbits.
- Comparing and contrasting demand adn supply curves or unsustainable and sustainable products.
Support Resources: Diamond 9, Mentimeter, walking debate.

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News in-depth Waste management & recycling

The consumer movement against plastic food and beverage packaging is gathering momentum, and companies are beginning to respond. The FT's Anna Gross takes a closer look at some of the more innovative products available, including reusable takeaway cups and compostable packaging

Transcript

See our accessibility page for more information about transcripts

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Can we turn the tide of plastic packaging?

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The consumer movement against plastic food and beverage packaging is gathering momentum, and companies are beginning to respond. The FT's Anna Gross takes a closer look at some of the more innovative products available, including reusable takeaway cups and compostable packaging

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Learning outcomes:
1.7,1.9 and 2.4

Learning intentions:
I will learn about the impact of the real cost of fast fashion to the lives of individuals
I will learn about how globalisation has impacted fast fashion
I will learn about the sustainability of fast fashion

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The Problem With Fast Fashion | Teen Vogue

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Learning Outcomes 1.1, 1.9 1.13
Learning Intentions
I will learn about monitoring and calculating income and expenditure
I will reflect on the impact of my expenditure on transport specifically
I will recommend appropriate action on an individual's transport expenditures
Learning Experience
Define needs and wants
Explore impact of personal decisions on society
Calculate income and expenditure data, determine financial position and recommend appropriate action on the purchase or not of an electrice car for a family of 4

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Electric vs Gas Vehicles: The Long Term Cost Comparison

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Learning Outcomes:
1.9 3.1 3.11

Learning Intentions:

I will learn about renewable energy in Ireland .

I will appreciate the relationship between sustainable development and sustainable consumption.

I will examine policys the government have in place to encourage renewable energy.

I will suggest policies the governmnet could introduce to help meet our climate targets

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Ireland's Energy Challenge EE18 EP3 (Part 1)

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Learning Outcomes

1.9 and 2.5

Learning Intentions

I will learn about consumer responsibilities

I will reflect on the impact of my choice of products and their packaging

I will learn about the impact businesses have on the environment through their use of packaging on their products

How might you use this stimulus material in class?

This video provides an introduction into  how we can make packaging sustainable

Support resources: A question quadrant could be created to support the activity

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1.9 and 3.1

Learning Intentions

I will learn about the impact of my choices when purchasing goods/services

I will learn about the consequences of my choices and how to minimise this.

Stimulus material
This video shows students the effects of fast fashion and the consequences it has on the environment.

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The price of fast fashion? Chile’s desert dumping ground for unwanted clothes • FRANCE 24

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Learning Outcomes
2.5 Investigate the positive and negative impacts on a community of an organisation from an economic, social and environmental perspective
.6 Explain how economic growth can impact positively and negatively on society and the environment and justify the promotion of sustainable development
Learning Intentions:

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Few clouds on horizon for wind energy in the west

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Learning Intentions:
-I will learn about consumers responsibilities and choices made
-I will predict consequences of our choices
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoCVrkcaH6Q

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The True Cost: Who Pays the Real Price for YOUR Clothes | Investigative Documentary

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Rana Plaza Collapse: “The Worst Garment-Factory Disaster Ever Recorded” | Disasters Engineered

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Learning outcomes
- 1.7 Distinguish between and appreciate their rights and responsibilities as consumers
- 2.8 Devise and apply a marketing mix in order to promote a new or existing product or service
1.9 Debate the ethical and sustainability issues that arise from their consumption of goods
and services and evaluate how they can contribute to sustainable development
through consumer behaviour

Learning Intentions
- i will learn about trends seen in product packaging (i.e more sustainable, less plastic, cardboard packaging etc)
- i will learn what packaging should consider (protection, image, convenience)
-  i will examine different examples of sustainable improvements that businesses have made in terms or their packaging

How might you use this stimulus material in class?
- Support resources: provide the students with one example of unsustainable packaging each and ask them how the business could improve their level of sustainability
- support resources: show students a timeline of a product that has evolved in a sustainable way (e.g. coca cola's evolving from glass bottles to reduced plastic on multipack packaging) and ask the students to reband the product to be even more sustainable

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The Most Evil Packaging Designs That Were Created To Deceive People

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Fast Fashion: The Cycle Destroying the Planet and How to Break it

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Fashion is one of the most wasteful industries in the world, with the cycle of fast fashion destroying the planet. So, how you do stop it?

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Role of Social entrepreneurs in society
Supports for social entrepreneurs

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FoodCloud is an Irish social enterprise with a vision for a world where no good food goes to waste. They connect food businesses with surplus food to charities and community groups around Ireland and the UK who can use it, reducing both the environmental and social impact of food waste.

Lidl began working with FoodCloud in 2017 and we now operate a national food redistribution programme that sees all of our stores connected with local charities via the FoodCloud technology platform. We also donate to FoodCloud directly through our three regional distribution centres and FoodCloud then redistributes this surplus stock to their network of 500+ charity partners and community groups in Ireland through their warehouse Hubs solution.

Through our partnership with FoodCloud we have redistributed the equivalent of over 2 million meals to charities across Ireland and each day we are building on this impact. In Ireland over 1 million tonnes of food is wasted each year and globally food waste accounts for 8% of greenhouse gas emissions. Through our work with FoodCloud we are not only supporting our communities but we are also having a positive impact on the environment through food waste reduction. See what one of our charity partners are saying about the partnership below:

" St. Vincent de Paul Society, Ballina, Co. Mayo has been in existence in Ireland since the 1840's and was started in Ballina in the 1880's. We started our Food Project six years ago. We have created a Food Bank and people come to our Resource Centre five days per week. Lidl food donations are distributed to these families. It is brilliant to have loads of fruit & veg to add to our food hampers. We always love to receive any ambient goods as we distribute these also. It has saved us money as we now purchase less vouchers. "

- St.Vincent de Paul Society, Ballina, Co. Mayo

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FoodCloud is an Irish social enterprise with a vision for a world where no good food goes to waste. They connect food businesses with surplus food to charities and community groups around Ireland and the UK who can use it, reducing both the environmental and social impact of food waste.

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Learing Outcomes
1.9 and 2.5

Learning Intentions
I will reflect on the impact of my shopping choices.
I will explore the impact enterprises have on the environment through their business model.

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Support for enhanced interconnection is emphasised in the National Policy Statement on Electricity Interconnection, published by DECC in July 2018. There is currently one electricity interconnector between Ireland and Great Britain, the East West Interconnector (EWIC). There are two further proposed interconnectors at an advanced stage of pre-construction development, which are, the Celtic Interconnector, between Ireland and France, and the Greenlink Interconnector, between Wexford and Wales. In recognition of the important contribution that enhanced electricity interconnection will make towards achieving Ireland's future climate and energy objectives, the Climate Action Plan has committed to updating Government's existing interconnector policy to account for Brexit, the rise of hybrid interconnectors and the amended EU TEN-E Regulation.

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Support for enhanced interconnection is emphasised in the National Policy Statement on Electricity Interconnection, published by DECC in July 2018. There is currently one electricity interconnector between Ireland and Great Britain, the East West Interconnector (EWIC).

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Learning Outcomes:
1.7 and 2.5
Learning intentions:
I will learn about the environmental responsibilities of a business
I will learn about the positive and negative impacts of an organisation
I will learn about the responsibilities of consumers

Use the article to create a discussion point about reducing plastic waste (no plastic lids) and if this solution is an improvement. What further steps (reusable cups etc) could be taken?

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A one-piece cup that eliminates the need for plastic lids.

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Learning Intention is highlighting that while we do care about sustainability and the environment that sometimes it all comes down to cost
Use videos to highlight the waste and landfills

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Access to school on the same terms for everyone is not always enough. Students living in direct provision or crowded accommodation need extra support to fully access education i.e. the loan of school devices, WiFi tokens, access to a place that is quiet and where they can work. Low / no interference from family to undertake chores during learning.

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1.9 Debate the ethical and sustainability issues that arise from their consumption of goods and services and evaluate how they can contribute to sustainable development through consumer behaviour
1.10 Discuss and evaluate how globalisation and developments in technology impact on consumer choice and behaviour
2.4 Distinguish between the rights and responsibilities of employer and employee from a legal, social, environmental and ethical perspective
2.5 Investigate the positive and negative impacts on a community of an organisation from an economic, social and environmental perspective
3.7 Debate the implications of globalisation of trade, including the benefits and challenges of international trade

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The Story of Chocolate: Unwrapping the Bar

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Plastic packaging problem: Five innovative ideas

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Consumers want action on plastic waste. Here's how some designers and manufacturers are answering the call.

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Learning Outcomes:
2.4 and 1.9

Learning Intentions:
- I will understand the rights of employees in Ireland and requesting the work from home option
- I will assess the impact that working from home will have on sustainability and the environment
- I will analyse the laws in Ireland that regulate the working from home option

How might you use this stimulus material in class?
- Class discussion/debate (Should all employees be given the option to work from home? What would the impacts (pos and neg) be on the economy, employees, employers, government, environment?)
- Provide open and closed questions to stimulate discussion (use a discussion web to encourage all students to participate)

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Working from home law explained: What the new bill proposes for employees

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Cabinet ministers yesterday signed off on a bill brought by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar which would mean that employees would have a right to request to work from home.

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Nestlé to pay cocoa growers to keep children in school

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Nestlé to pay cocoa growers to keep children in school

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More to follow….on learning outcome
3.6 & 3.8. As they help students understand the challenges for new citizens and the support provided by gov.

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How realising our needs and wants affect others

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How realising our needs and wants affect others

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Learning Outcomes
1.1 and 1.9

Learning Intentions
-Distinguish the difference between a want and a need
-Identify wants and needs that people have at different stages of life
-Identify and elaborate on how realising our needs and wants impact on individuals, animals, the environment

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Learning Outcomes 1.1, 1.9, 3.10
Learn about benefits to the environment if more people cycle
Learn about sustainability of traveling by car
Learn about key skill in staying well
Learn to engage with media

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Sign up for alerts from The Irish Times

Just click on "Allow Notifications" on the message appearing on your browser to activate them.

We will send you a quick reminder in the future, in case you change your mind.

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Why are so few teenage girls cycling to school?

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Sign up for alerts from The Irish Times Just click on "Allow Notifications" on the message appearing on your browser to activate them. We will send you a quick reminder in the future, in case you change your mind.

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LOs:
1.9 / 3.11

LIs:
I will learn about governments policy on renewable energy

I will evaluate the impact on of the renewable energy policy on the local and national community

I will suggest and justify future renewable energy policy actions/directions

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Learning Outcomes:
1.9 Debate the ethical and sustainability issues that arise from their consumption of goods
and services and evaluate how they can contribute to sustainable development
through consumer behaviour
2.5 Investigate the positive and negative impacts on a community of an organisation from
an economic, social and environmental perspective

I would summarise the article into a PowerPoint format asking many open style questions to push a class debate on sustainable issues including manufacturing of a whole fleet of buses and the creation of jobs.

I would then have pupils research how damaging the creating of new buses will be including the production of batteries against the positive impacts that the new buses will have on the environment.

Pupils will also compare the Irish sustainable economic issues such as this against a county with excellent sustainability history and another one with poor sustainability history and present their findings.

This could also slightly play into the theme of self-driving vehicles and what means for a sustainable economy.

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Athlone looks set to be part of a major transport first later this year after it was confirmed that the town bus will go fully electric - the first in the country to do so.

The news comes hot on the heels of a newly lodged planning application for charging equipment needed for the vehicles at Bus Éireann's Athlone depot and maintenance centre along Southern Station Road.

Lodged on January 17 last, Bus Éireann is seeking approval from Westmeath County Council to press ahead with the construction of a new ESB substation and Bus Éireann electrical building and associated ductwork to facilitate the charging of new electric buses on a 0.8482 hectare site.

A spokesperson for Bus Éireann said this project is being funded and the vehicles procured by the National Transport Authority (NTA), in collaboration with Bus Éireann, which operates the Athlone town bus service

"Bus Éireann recently lodged planning applications with Westmeath County Council as part of preparations to install the necessary charging equipment in our Athlone depot for the electrification of the town bus service.

"The Athlone town bus fleet will transition to fully electric later this year and will be Ireland's first fully electric town bus service," the spokesperson added.

Athlone's bus fleet going fully electric by the end of 2022 was first revealed in the government's Climate Action Plan, published last year. The electric fleet makes up one of the plan's 2022 deliverables, which has an overall aim of achieving a 51% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030.

Last November, the National Transport Authority confirmed that the design of eleven battery-electric single-deck buses destined for Athlone town services were well advanced.

It said the interior of the bus with 27 seats and a capacity for 75 people, has been configured to maximise passenger flow and accessibility, while also incorporating both a wheelchair space and a dedicated area for the accommodation of at least one unfolded pram/pushchairs/buggy.

Planners in Westmeath County Council are expected to give their verdict on the proposal for the charging infrastructure to enable a fully electric town bus fleet in Athlone by February 20 next.

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A nationwide first for town bus service as it goes electric later this year | Westmeath Independent

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Athlone looks set to be part of a major transport first later this year after it was confirmed that the town bus will go fully electric - the first in the country to do so.

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Learning outcome 1.7: Distinguish between and appreciate workers rights and responsibilities as consumers.

https://youtu.be/eSSQOaYkiik

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The astonishing amount of water used to make a pair of jeans! | Fashion Conscious - BBC

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Learning outcomes 1.1, 1.7, 1.9, 2.5, 3.1

Learning intentions
I will realise how my needs and wants affect individuals and society.
I will realise that with consumer rights comes consumer responsbilities.
I will understand ethics and sustainability and how they are linked to consumer bebaviour.
I will investigate the positive and negative impact of organisations.
I will understand that economic resources are scarce and realise my choices now will have consequences for future generations.

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RTÉ - IRELAND’S NATIONAL PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA

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The high cost of Fast Fashion  | RTÉ Brainstorm

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Ran out of time for the outcomes!

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Beyond COVID-19: A Feminist Plan for Sustainability and Social Justice*

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https://learn.eartheasy.com/guides/how-to-have-a-green-christmas/

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Use ingenuity and imagination to reduce the impact of the holiday season.

Christmas doesn't have to be a burden on the planet. With a little effort and imagination, we can reduce the environmental impact of the holiday season. Here are some ideas to help celebrate the season while caring for the earth.

Buy less

Some holiday gifts fill a practical need and need to be bought new. But many gifts are really gestures of thoughtfulness. You can give more while spending less.

Not all gifts have to be store-bought

You can give more while spending less by giving gifts that are personal and unique. While young children may favor the bright, shiny store-bought item, most adults appreciate anything that shows thoughtfulness. Here's a page with some great ideas for meaningful holiday gifts that aren't found on store shelves: Tips for Sustainable Giving.

Simplify the 'gift-go-round'

Feeling overwhelmed by a gift list that's just too long? Here's an idea to help shorten your list and simplify the family gift-giving ritual. We tried this in our own family last year and it was appreciated by all.

Before the holiday season begins (Thanksgiving is a good time because the extended family is often together), put the names of all adult family members on separate slips of paper and put the slips in a hat.

Take turns picking one name per adult: the name you pick is your gift recipient. Keep your chosen pick a secret, to help maintain an element of surprise.

Your gift list for the adults in your family has just been shortened to one! You can now focus on a special gift for the person whose name you picked, without the difficulty and expense of finding just the right gift for everyone.

If the family's not together on Thanksgiving, ask Grandma or someone else in the family to pick the names from the hat for everyone, by proxy. It works just as well. An agreed on spending limit will also help everyone from feeling they have to go overboard with a fabulous gift for the person whose name they chose.

Buy smart: think 'green'

Look for locally made gifts

Many gifts in today's marketplace come from halfway around the world, and the impact of transportation contributes significantly to greenhouse emissions and global warming. Local craft fairs and artisan shops are a good source for gifts that come without the added costs of transportation. And gifts made locally often have a story which goes with the gift, since the artisan and the origin of the gift are known.

"A great way to teach children the spirit of giving (and simplifying) during the holidays is to ask them to pick three toys that they don't play with very much, and donate them to a homeless shelter, domestic violence shelter, etc. I saw children bring toys into the shelter I worked at year after year - it was a wonderful experience for everyone!" - Lauren, New Hampshire

Choose gifts made from recycled sources

Many individuals and small businesses have developed great products using recycled materials. Supporting these businesses helps reduce the waste stream while promoting the concept of making best use of available materials. Here are some examples for you to consider: Gifts from recycled materials

Give 'battery-free' gifts

According to the EPA, about 40% of all battery sales occur during the holiday season. Discarded batteries are an environmental hazard. Even rechargeable batteries find their way into the waste stream eventually. Here are a few examples of gifts that have less of an impact on the environment: Naturally-powered toys

Avoid children's toys that promote violence

There is too much violence in the world, and the new wave of video games for children is disturbing. Remember the theme of Christmas is "Peace on Earth." There are many toys and games that are fun, and nurture children's' creativity and sense of active play. Here are some examples: Educational toys and games

'Re-gifting' is okay

There's always discussion about the etiquette behind the trend to 're-gift', that is, to pass on a gift you received but do not need. What's to discuss? Re-gifting makes perfect sense. If you receive something you really don't need, look for ways you can reuse this gift by passing it on to someone who can use it. Of course, re-gifting needs to be done with care so as not to offend the original giver, but keeping a gift you don't need is wasteful.

Connect with nature

Christmas is a time for giving and a time for family. What a great opportunity to start a family tradition of giving back to the earth and instilling the values of sustainable living to your children, friends, and community. Start an annual, earth-friendly, Christmas family tradition from the list below. It will also get you outdoors for a few hours to build an appetite for the big dinner.

Annual Christmas day bird count

Take your binoculars, a field guide to local birds, a small pad or journal for each participant and walk a course through your neighborhood, local park or countryside. Try to identify and count every bird you see, and make a note of it in your journal. At the end of the hike, list the species seen and number of birds per species. There's always a surprising discovery, and the activity highlights the presence and value of our feathered friends.

Compare the results from former years and you'll become experts on your local bird population and migration habits. This is a great family activity because even the youngest eyes are just as good at spotting the birds and contributing to the event.

For more information, see our page Annual Bird Count

Family nature hike

A peaceful walk through nature on Christmas day will be remembered and valued more than the score of the football game. Plan your walk before the holiday meal while everyone still has lots of energy. The walk will also pique appetites and provide a shared topic for conversation during mealtime.

"This year our family is planning a "Merry Christmas to Nature" day. We found some "decoration recipes" in library books and plan to decorate the outdoors with edible ornaments for the birds, chipmunks, rabbits, etc.. Another thought is to visit a local animal shelter or sanctuary..." -Jo and Amelia Guelph, ON

Nature restoration activity

Planting a small tree together symbolizes the value of nature and offsets the 'taking' of the Christmas tree. An hour spent cleaning up or enhancing a natural area also enriches the giver and acknowledges nature as the source of our well-being.

Decorate a tree for the birds

Place seed bells, suet, pine cones with peanut butter, and seed trays on any tree in your yard, preferably a tree in the open where cats can be seen easily by the birds. To attract a wide variety of birds, use varied seed types such as black oil sunflower seed, wild bird mixed seed and nyjer seed bells. This is a great activity for kids, and offers an important food source for birds during the winter.

"Another way to make the Holidays more sustainable is to use a living tree as your Christmas tree. For many years, my family has used a potted Norfolk Pine as our Christmas tree.
While not as large or full as the traditional trees, Norfolk Pines can grow to be quite large and in my opinion, they make quite an attractive Christmas tree.

These trees are a great addition to a house year round and they simply need to be decorated come Christmas time, saving much time and effort. They also eliminate the need to cut a tree each year or to buy a fake plastic tree, saving valuable resources.

The use of our Norfolk Pine has become a Christmas tradition in our house and I would like to see more people adopt it as their tradition as well." - Jeff H. Aurora, MN

Lower the impact of holiday lighting

In the past, the house with the most decorative holiday lights used to be considered the 'best'. Times have changed. The cost of electricity goes way beyond the utility bill. Electricity drains natural resources.

Choose a live tree

Although plastic Christmas trees are reusable from year to year, real trees are the more sustainable choice. Plastic trees are made of petroleum products (PVC), and use up resources in both the manufacture and shipping. While artificial trees theoretically last forever, research shows that they are typically discarded when repeated use makes them less attractive. Discarded artificial trees are then sent to landfills, where their plastic content makes them last forever.

Live trees, on the other hand, are a renewable resource grown on tree farms, that are replanted regularly. They contribute to air quality while growing, and almost ninety percent are recycled into mulch. Live trees are usually locally grown and sold, saving both transportation costs and added air pollution. Live trees also smell like Christmas!

When buying a live tree, consider:

Live potted trees can be used for years: If you buy a small tree in a large pot, you may be able to reuse the tree for 2- 3 years without having to plant or repot the tree.

Re-pot the tree for longer use: If your tree becomes root-bound, you can replant it in a larger pot for several years extended use.

Replant the tree when it becomes too large for your holiday tree: If you have the space, of course, replanting the tree outdoors is an option. Be sure to anticipate the full-grown size of the tree, and avoid planting near foundations or underground services.

Chip and mulch the tree: Many communities now have free chipping service for trees. This is useful since the chips are used as mulch for municipal landscaping or sold at low cost to gardeners. This chipped material makes an excellent mulch for your shrub beds and garden pathways.

Make homemade cards

Store-bought Christmas cards are rich, elegant, and expensive. They also consume a huge amount of natural resources for a throw-away item. The amount of cards sold in the US during the holiday season would fill a football field 10 stories high, and requires the harvesting of nearly 300,000 trees. Homemade cards may not be as professional, but they are more personal and just as appreciated. Making the cards is also a fun activity for the family during the weeks before Christmas.

Last year's calendar is a good place to start when making homemade cards, since the images are large, colorful and printed on heavy paper similar in weight to card stock. Cut out sections of pictures and 'glue-stick' them to a folded-over piece of paper. Size the paper to fit your envelopes, or have the card and message on one side and fold over to put the address on the other side. Staple at the bottom and no envelope is needed.

Children's art work is another good source for Christmas card pictures. Even the 'scribblings' of the wee-ones are interesting, fun and especially appropriate for the season. Parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles will probably appreciate a 'child's art' card even more than a store-bought card. Simply cut out sections of the artwork which look best, and glue-stick it to a card of the required size.

Making your own cards is easy if you have the material to work with. Try to get in the habit of saving pieces of heavy paper (good one side) to use as the backing for your glued-on pictures. "Card stock" is the ideal weight, and even small pieces are worth saving.

Find alternatives to wrapping paper

Half of the paper America consumes each year is used to wrap and decorate consumer products. (Source: The Recycler's Handbook, 1990)

In the US, the annual trash from gift wrap and shopping bags totals over 4 million tons. In Canada, the annual waste from gift wrap and shopping bags equals about 595,000 tons. If everyone wrapped just three gifts in reused paper or fabric gift bags, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 hockey rinks.

Use environmentally friendly wrapping paper

Choose wrapping paper made using fibers such as hemp, or paper using recycled content.

Reuse/recycle

Each year, 50 million Christmas trees are purchased in the U.S. Of those, about 30 million go to the landfill. And added to this is the carbon cost in transporting all these trees to the landfill. Much of the environmental costs associated with the holidays can be reduced by simple awareness and some pre-planning.

Note: Never burn Christmas tree branches in your fireplace. It can cause the buildup of creosote, which is a highly flammable compound.

Share this article:
Do you have ideas which can help make Christmas a more earth-friendly celebration?
Let us know, and we'll help spread the word!

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Use ingenuity and imagination to reduce the impact of the holiday season. Christmas doesn't have to be a burden on the planet. With a little effort and imagination, we can reduce the environmental impact of the holiday season. Here are some ideas to help celebrate the season while caring for the earth.

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Learning Outcomes
1.9 and 2.5

Learning Intentions

1. Discuss how a variety of stakeholders are responsible for child labour

2. Understand a variety of consequences of our purchasing habits

3. Identify how making informed choices can influence the world

Stimulus Material
Watch short clip from the BBC on child labour and read news article on the impact of child labour in India

How to use stimulus material in your class

Show students the short clip on child labour and allow them time to read the news article that comes with video

Split students into 5 groups and give them a stakeholder involved in child labour in India

Give each group one stakeholder, i.e. the Indian government, the child workers, the companies that order the products, the owner of the factory, or conusmers who buy the products

Take a class vote on who is most responsible for the presence of child labour in India and get students to elaborate on their decision, teacher prompts if needed

Get students to debate these issues by using the stakeholder they were given and the reasons they have discussed with their groups as a basis for their argument

Take a class vote on who holds the greatest power in reducing child labour in India and get students to elaborate on their decision, teacher prompts if needed

Discuss the impact of consumers choices and how alternative choices may benefit social, environmental and economic pillars

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Rescued from forced employment, 13-year-old Lakshmi is frail and frightened.

Two child protection officers hold her on either side as she walks into the police station.

She was abducted four years ago from her village in north-east India.

Until her rescue, she had been working in people's homes across West Delhi - cooking, cleaning and taking care of children.

"I was not allowed to rest," she says. "If I did something wrong or it was not what they wanted, they hit me.

"If I wanted to sit down for a bit because I was so tired, they would scream at me.

"I was never allowed to leave the house, so I didn't realise that I'm in Delhi. My employers told me that we are in Madras in South India."

As the police and counsellors question her, Lakshmi breaks down. She tells the police that she was sexually assaulted by the men who kidnapped her.

She was threatened that if she told anyone about it, they would tell everyone back home in her village and her honour would be destroyed.

And then, when she started working the agent who arranged her work withheld all her wages leaving her with nothing.

'Lured with clothes and sweets'

Her uncle is just relieved to have found her. A tea garden worker from Assam, he says her parents died when she was young and her grandmother is worried sick about the young girl. He is also angry about the abduction.

"What can we really do? We are poor people - I didn't have enough money to come to Delhi to look for my missing niece.

"Unscrupulous agents and middlemen just come into our homes when parents are away working at the tea gardens and lure young girls with new clothes and sweets. Before they know it, they are on a train to a big city at the mercy of these greedy men."

He is not alone. One child goes missing every eight minutes in India and nearly half of them are never found.

Kidnapped children are often forced into the sex trade. But many here feel that children are increasingly pushed into domestic labour - hidden from public view within the four walls of a home.

The government estimates half a million children are in this position.

Demand from middle classes

At a rehabilitation home in northern Delhi run by a charity for children, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, many families have gathered.

They are all tea workers from the north-east state of Assam and have come here searching for their missing daughters.

They estimate that just from one particular area - Rangpura in Assam - 16 girls have been lost in the last three to four years.

Helping these families find their daughters is Kailash Satyarti, the head of Bachpan Bacchao Andolan.

"This is the most ironical part of India's growth. The middle classes are demanding cheap, docile labour," he says.

"The cheapest and most vulnerable workforce is children - girls in particular. So the demand for cheap labour is contributing to trafficking of children from remote parts of India to big cities."

Offering them a ray of hope is the case of 18-year-old Sumila Munda, who was rescued earlier this month. The information she provided led to police arresting a couple of alleged traffickers.

She says she still has nightmares about her employers.

"I don't want anyone to go through what I did. I often wondered if I will ever escape from the hellish life I was stuck in. I had dreams of being in school, studying. Now I will get back to my studies."

India is estimated to have more child labourers than anywhere else in the world.

But while abducting children is illegal, the law is vague on when they can legally work. Child labour law does not allow children under the age of 14 to be employed, but anyone under 18 is legally considered a child.

And the government body in charge of children's rights admits they are helpless.

"Unfortunately our child labour prohibition and regulation act is totally outdated," says Kushal Singh, head of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

"It says children below the age of 14 cannot be employed in hazardous occupations. Does that mean in non-hazardous occupations a two-year-old child can be employed?

"So obviously it's a very regressive act. This issue has been raised and now an amendment is pending in the parliament. However, it has been pending for a very long time."

If the law changes, it will make the fight against child exploitation a little easier.

But that's no relief for families like these. Many here fear that their daughters may be lost forever.

*Some names in this report have been changed to protect the identities of victims.

More on this story

Related Internet Links

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Rescued from forced employment, 13-year-old Lakshmi is frail and frightened. Two child protection officers hold her on either side as she walks into the police station. She was abducted four years ago from her village in north-east India. Until her rescue, she had been working in people's homes across West Delhi - cooking, cleaning and taking care of children.

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https://www.unicef.ie/our-work/schools/global-issues/sustainable-living/#activity2

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The aim of this activity is to open the discussion around our own impact on the planet and how we measure our needs versus our wants.
Discussion: Over the last 50 years the earth's population has doubled, this has led to a 10 fold increase in global demand for energy, food, water and other resources. As a result, the world is facing rapid resource depletion, pollution, environmental degradation and climate change. We are pushing the earth towards its environmental limits. Humans are now consuming more resources than ever before and this is unsustainable. We overshoot our planetary limits in April, meaning we have used up our allocation of natural resources.

If you were to guess how much of the earth's resources are extracted to meet each persons individual needs each year, what would you guess? Answer- 12 tons of natural resources were extracted per person in 2015. Do you think you would personally exceed this amount?

60% more clothing items are bought today than were bought 15 years ago.

3 billion tonnes of food is wasted each year, a third of all food produced, more than enough food to feed every undernourished person on the planet.

1.5 billion smartphones on average are sold worldwide each year, in 2020 1.56 billion were sold by July

3 planets would be needed to provide the natural resources to sustain current lifestyles if the global population reaches 9.6 billion by 2050.

To turn this around people need to learn to live sustainably, consuming what meets their basic needs for a good quality of life while minimising harm to the planet from pollution, waste and toxic emissions. They need to ensure their consumption does not prevent future generations from meeting their own needs, by ensuring the planet can regenerate.

People must also buy responsibly ensuring that the choices we make do not harm other people and their way of life. Economic globalisation has enabled producers to move manufacturing to places with cheaper labour and lower environmental standards. Which in turn makes their product cheaper to make and more affordable to buy. Consumers need to be aware that the price does not always equal the true cost to people and the planet in producing it.
Responsible consumption means, that what we choose to buy or use is good for the planet, the economy and for society.
How do individuals become responsible consumers? We can start by asking ourselves are we buying what we need or what we want. Take for example your mobile phone, is it a need or a want?
Activity: Walking debate "Is our mobile/smartphone a need or a want?"
Step 1: Divide the room into two halves. One half is defined as "I need this" the other half is defined as "I want this". Ask participants to go to the side that represents their view and take turns debating why. Remind the group to be respectful and listen with the intent to understand the other's point of view.

Step 2: After the debate, ask participants, "If the phone is a need, as a responsible consumer have you taken into account how it was produced?" What materials went into the product, what waste was generated and how were people affected by its production (both through the supply of goods and in the manufacturing of the product). Can you lessen the impact in any way?

What is the environmental impact? In the EU, around 211 million smartphones are sold annually. A 2019 study stated that the annual climate impact of all EU phone stock was 14.12 million tonnes of CO2. Is your phone modular, do you repair it instead of replacing it? Do you recycle your phone at the end of its life?

Are they ethically made? Cobalt is used in the rechargeable battery of your phone and or laptop. It likely comes for the Democratic Republic of Congo (60% of supply) where children living in poverty are exploited and forced to work in harsh conditions to mine the cobalt. What is the companies supply chain management like? Check out your phones ratings with this guide or use it for your next purchase.

Step 1: Brainstorm - Ask participants to think of all the different products/consumer goods they buy, use or consume in a month. Think: essential clothes, non-essential clothes (fashion purchases) phone, computer, take away, crisps, sweets, drinks, cosmetics, medicine, hair and beauty products, shoes, entertainment, music, paper, disposable items hygiene products. Write the list on a whiteboard or flipchart.

Step 2: Small groups- Give each group a large piece of paper and ask them to divide into four sections or equal boxes. Ask them to list the items listed into a needs (top left) wants (top right). Then ask them to list the essential items they would consume or are unable to go without p(consumer staple, bottom left) and (bottom right) things you like but could go without (luxuries).

Step 3: Reflection- Discuss the outcome of the two activities. Ask participants if needs and wants are different for people around the world? Do our needs supersede the needs of others on the planet? Do our needs exceed the planetary boundaries for a sustainable planet? What actions do or can we take to ensure our choices are more sustainable?

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We all have a right to a healthy and sustainable planet. Learn about the impact current lifestyles are having on children's rights now and the danger it poses for their future. Explore how you can take the lead in living more sustainably and ensuring a just society for all children.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An47ybg8xrA&t=640s

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Overcoming Floods in the Philippines: A story of climate change adaptation and mitigation

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Learning Outcomes:
2.4 Rights and Responsibilities of Employees and Employers
3.2 Working together for a better future

Learning Intention:
1. I will learn about employee rights
2. I will explore employer responsibilities
3. Reflect on how Economic Growth can impact Positively and Negatively on Society

Learning Experiences:
1. Define Workers Rights
2. Draft Charter of Workers Rights
3. Invite Local Employer to discuss how workers rights are protected
4. Videos

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My Best Sustainable life - Vegan Party with Lauren and the 2 Johnnies

Learning outcomes: 1.1 1.7 1.9

Learning Intentions:
- I will learn how my needs and wants impact  on individuals and society
- I will reflect on my own responsibility as a consumer around the decisions I make
- I will learn what impact my choices have on Sustainable development

The video will introduce Sustainability around consumer choices - how our decisions impact socially, environmentally and economically. We will then discuss how we can change our habits

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Watch all your favourite TV shows Live or On Demand on your PC, smartphone or tablet for free.

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Learning Outcomes:
1.1 and 1.9

Learning Intentions

I will learn how my choices impact on society

I will learn about the environmental consequences of fast fashion.

I will understand the relationship between enterprise and sustainability.

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How a Chinese brand is disrupting fast fashion

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Learning Outcomes:
1.9 and 2.5

Learning Intentions:
-I will learn about consumer responsibilities and consumer choice.
-I will learn the impact of organisations on the environment.

How might you use this stimulus material in your class?
-The video provides an insight how businesses are trying to tackle the issue of packaging.
-Possibility of case studies or physical products/packaging to show in class to link to the topic and create a class discussion

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Tackling the Plastic Packaging Problem | Sustainable Impact | HP

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Learning Outcomes
{ 2.5 Investigate the positive and negative impacts on a community of an organisation from an economic, social and environmental perspective }
3.1
3.6

Learning Intentions
- I will learn why organisations choice on energy can impact us from an economic, social and environmental perspective
-I will learn how scarcity of energy resources impacts choice and know more about the consequences of these choices
-I will learn about the positive and negative impacts of economic growth on our environment and society, and  why sustainability should be promotoed

How to use this stimulus
- The video is a conversational stimulus.  I will ask the students do  a 3/2/1.
not enough time

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As Russia-Ukraine tension escalates, EU scrambles to secure gas supply

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Throw away coffee cups. What should we do?
Link to reduce, reuse, recycle

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Three problems: what they're made of, how many there are, and where they end up.
With more than 4 times as many takeaway coffee shops in the UK today as there were 20 years ago, the waste is at an epic scale. We're using and binning at least 2.5 billion takeaway cups a year. That's way over Albert Hall-filling proportions.

And in spite of what most people think, less than 0.25% of those cups - just one in every 400 - are recycled. Every day around half a million become street litter, and the vast bulk of them end up in landfill, where the plastic could take centuries to degrade.

Here's the most frustrating part. Even the cups that people were carefully placing into recycling bins weren't usually being recycled - sometimes even when they carried a recycling triangle symbol.

To find out why, and how we can all do our bit to fix this problem, keep reading...

Why are takeaway cups not recycled? Aren't they mostly paper?
In recent years paper cups have largely replaced those spongy white "styrofoam" (expanded polystyrene) cups for hot takeaway drinks. That may have seemed like a good move, amid both environmental and health concerns - but these paper cups are not all they seem.
Paper cups need to be waterproofed and reinforced in some way, so that they don't dissolve and scald you. Health and safety and all that.

This used to be done with a wax coating inside the cups. But in recent years that's been widely replaced by an almost invisible plastic (polyethylene) lining.

Thing is, most people aren't actually aware of the plastic lining. Even so-called single-wall paper cups (which don't have a distinct second insulating layer) have this thin, sealed-on plastic coating inside.

The component parts - the paper and plastic - are each recyclable. It's the way they're bonded together that makes these cups tricky to dismantle and recycle.

Tricky but not impossible...

Where can these cups be recycled?
There are just a couple of recycling plants in the UK that have the technology to separate and recycle these plastic-lined paper cups. So right now pretty much all the paper cups in the UK would have to be sent to one of those two places.
One is the James Cropper paper mill, which works with waste disposers Veolia. The other is run by Sonoco Alcore in conjunction with ACE UK, the drinks carton recyclers.

The good news is that some of the big coffee chains are now making efforts to send disposable cups to the right recycling plants. For instance by installing dedicated in-store cup-recycling bins.

There are a few hurdles to overcome though:

1. Cost. There's obviously an investment involved in providing these dedicated bins and sending them to specialised recycling plants. It could be argued the big coffee companies should pay, as they profit most. Smaller cafes might find this cost harder.

2. Hassle. By definition most takeaway cups will end up off the premises, so customers have to be persuaded to bring back their empties for recycling. (Some shops now generously accept rivals' cups too.) We think cup recycling should really be made as easy and accessible as possible.

3. Contamination. A lot of people don't know about this one. Paper recyclers generally don't seem to cope well with food (or messy drink) residues on waste paper. If there's too much of this in a batch, the whole lot can all end up in landfill. We'd hope developments in recycling technology could find solutions to this before too long.

Another option is to redesign those plastic-lined cups to make them easier to recycle. In fact this has already been done by companies like Frugalpac.
What about cup lids: are they recyclable?
Takeway cup lids are usually made of hard polystyrene (triangle code 6), which is not widely recycled - so they need to be removed and binned separately.
Polystyrene can be recycled, but it's generally considered too difficult and expensive to make it worthwhile.
Again, we'd like to see better technological solutions found, both in the choice of materials used and the levels of recycling nationwide. That's such a good question. The answer is probably a variation on the old chicken and egg story.
Why aren't there more places that can recycle these cups?

There aren't enough facilities because it's claimed there hasn't been enough demand. And there hasn't been enough demand because not enough people knew there was a problem. (And because regulators have allowed coffee shops to ignore the problem.) Until now anyway.

The past few months have seen a growing mood for change.
In a word, yes. If they can't be recycled, they shouldn't be allowed.
Should non-recyclable cups and containers just be banned?
We agree - and have been saying so for a while.
We know this isn't going to happen overnight. But the recent report on disposable coffee cups from the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee (the one that proposed the 25p "latte levy" charge on takeaway drinks) says it wants to see all single-use coffee cups being recycled by 2023. Otherwise, it says, "the government should ban them."

UK plastic bag use fell more than 83% within a year after the charge was brought in. There have been similar results elsewhere. Financial incentives can be effective at changing widespread behaviour - and pretty quickly too.
Is the proposed 25p "latte levy" on takeaway drinks just another government tax punishing the public?

The thing is, if you're a taxpayer you're already paying for the disposal of takeaway cup waste by the local council anyway - whether you use the cups yourself or not.

And if a 25p "latte levy" reduces takeaway cup usage, there will be less waste to be landfilled or incinerated - and local authorities will have more resources (an estimate £438 million altogether) to spend on essential services. So everyone benefits.

According to a recent YouGov survey, 3 in 4 people in the UK would support a charge on disposable coffee cups. The coffee shops themselves aren't so keen, some arguing that it could deter customers.

The 25p is actually a recommended minimum. The Commons Environmental Audit report suggests a 50p differential is more likely to have an impact on people's behaviour. In theory the levy could then be reduced over time, as our coffee cup practices change for the better.

In fact we'd prefer a refundable and returnable deposit scheme, so there's more of an incentive for customers to take the cup back for recycling rather than chucking it in the bin. It would also mean companies bearing more of the financial burden.
The extra charge should ideally be used to invest in better and more accessible recycling facilities - improving what's known as the country's "binfrastructure" (what a great word that is).
Where would the latte levy fee go?
We want councils to explore the best ways to increase recycling rates, whether it's near cafes or elsewhere. Some of the levy money should also go towards a wide-reaching public awareness campaign, making sure cup recycling becomes the norm.
At the moment fewer than half of local councils provide on-the-go recycling bins in the street.

If people are being asked to pay more for a disposable cup, they should rightly expect that fee to help solve the cup waste problem.
Another good question. The principle is that the polluter pays. But who is the polluter here? The customer who bins the cup? Or the cafe who gave them the cup? Or even the manufacturer who made the hard-to-recycle cup? Or all of the above?
Who should pay the extra: coffee shops, customers, or both?

There are already government regulations intended to make producers of packaging liable for its disposal costs. But in practice that's not completely effective, so far anyway.
Again the revenue this raises should ideally be invested in more reprocessing facilities and local authority binfrastructure.
The same Environmental Audit Committee report recommends that the government rewards packagers who use recyclable, compostable or generally more sustainable packaging materials, and should impose penalties for packaging that's hard to recycle.

The report also points out that the UK government doesn't have a target for coffee cup recycling at the moment, though it does have targets for paper and plastic recycling under the EU Waste Directive (targets for 2020 are 69.5% and 51% respectively).

As the report says: "It's unclear which category disposable coffee cups fall into. Whichever one it is, we are set to miss it without radical action."
A degradable cup might sound like a good solution - surely it means the cup just safely dissolves away in the environment? Well, not necessarily. If it still contains plastic, it's more complicated.
Are degradable cups better?

There are two types of degradable plastic, neither of them perfect:

1. "Degradable" - just means normal oil-based plastic with a chemical additive that gradually breaks down the plastic into smaller particles (if exposed to enough sunlight and/or oxygen). But it never completely goes away, and can still contaminate soil or water.

2. "Biodegradable" - usually refers to bio-plastic, made from plant materials (like corn or potato starch), which in theory will be broken down/ingested by natural micro-organisms into harmless elements.

But that might only happen if the conditions are right - enough heat for example. And it might take a long time if the plastic material is hard.

Plant-based plastic could also come from genetically modified source crops, or be grown on land that should be used to produce food.

Bio-plastics can also cause contamination (and therefore more waste) if they're lumped in with regular plastic recycling.

Even the paper component in cups isn't necessarily always harmless - for instance if it's sourced from poorly managed, unsustainable forestry. Ideally the paper should have an Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification logo.
But we don't believe the public should be burdened with all these choices and responsibilities alone. The manufacturers and coffee sellers should be required to make better environmental decisions.
Tricky isn't it?

If you must use any kind of disposable cup (or plate, cutlery etc) then "compostable" is the thing to look for. Natural biodegradable products tend to be made from plant fibres (vegetables, sugars, hemp, bamboo etc). They're designed to degrade more quickly, and be safely turned into compost.
Maybe compostable cups are best? Or would they dissolve in your hand?

But hold on - before you go chucking your used "compostable" cup into the nearest flowerbed. It's only going to rot down properly in the right conditions - with suitable heat, moisture and micro-organisms. That's usually only possible at an industrial composting facility. So adding it to a home compost heap probably won't work either.

The UK-based Vegware range, for example, is advertised as "low carbon, made from renewable or recycled materials, and all can be recycled along with food waste". (If your council doesn't offer food waste collections there might be a local community composting scheme).

At the extreme "complete disposal" end of the spectrum, you can now even get edible (cereal-based) cups suitable for hot drinks. We know what you might be thinking... but apparently your coffee won't start to leak out through the cup for at least half an hour.

And if you don't want to eat your cup it can still be composted.
We think so. Preventing waste in the first place is usually the best idea. Recycling is better than landfill, but it's still an energy and water-intensive affair.
Isn't reusing better than recycling?

And besides, recycling only works if we all buy enough stuff made from recycled products - otherwise there's little financial incentive for manufacturers to make more of them, and for recycling to keep expanding.

So let's look at the two options in the reusable cup camp:

1. You bring your own cup/travel mug to the coffee shop every time.

2. The cafe provides a sturdy-ish plastic takeaway cup which you later return to them for cleaning and reuse.

Big coffee chains like Costa, Starbucks, Pret and Café Nero have been offering a 25p discount for using a reusable cup - either one of theirs or your own.

Sounds good? Well yes - except not enough people are taking up the offer. It's less than 2% of sales in fact.

That could be because it's not well enough promoted by the coffee shops - but it could also be because 25p just isn't enough of an incentive to change behaviour. (Pret recently announced it was increasing its reusable cup discount to 50p, which may have more of an impact.)

Inevitably a lot of portable cups are still made from plastic too, and will at some stage need to be recycled themselves. Other materials are available though, from stainless steel to reinforced glass. See our review of reusable coffee cups.

We need to move on several fronts. We'd like to see technological advances in recycling and wider use of compostable materials. And ideally a move away from oil-based plastics altogether.
What happens now?
You can join us in asking the government to:
In the meantime we need to do a better job of recycling existing stocks of takeaway cups.
SIGN OUR COFFEE CUP PETITION References

Force big coffee chains to provide suitable recycling bins.

Ban takeaway cups that can't be recycled.

Reward us for bringing our own mugs to a café.

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Throwaway coffee cups: what should we do? | Friends of the Earth

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Three problems: what they're made of, how many there are, and where they end up. With more than 4 times as many takeaway coffee shops in the UK today as there were 20 years ago, the waste is at an epic scale. We're using and binning at least 2.5 billion takeaway cups a year.