February 20, 2013

The Beauty of Zero Waste: Buying Coffee

Some of you felt that I flaunted the availability of bulk in my area when I introduced this series a couple of weeks ago. "This post just seems a little out of everyone's league and for the ones that buy [packaged products] for lack of other options, it may leave them feeling guilty or at a loss", said Jolie. This blog is not meant to flaunt my ways, point the finger at yours, or make you feel guilty or bad about yourself, your way of shopping, your access to bulk or lack of it!...But maybe I did not explain the point of this series clearly enough. 

This series simply aims at demonstrating the beauty of Zero Waste and overtime, at compiling a fantasy photo album of a Zero Waste economy.  My job here is to shatter preconceptions that Zero Waste is messy and unattractive, to provide visual evidence, and to share the great alternatives that I encounter throughout my personal journey. As I said in earlier posts, before I started reducing our waste I was unaware that bulk was even available in my town. Now that I only shop this way, my eye is trained to spot the package free options and I believe it is essential that I report what's out there and what's possible. I hope to inspire manufacturers and retailers to adopt some of these ideas.

In the US, I have found coffee to be one of the products most readily available in bulk form. And I must say, the aroma that exudes out of a bulk bag on the way home does not compare with its packaged counterpart.

Which one do you think is a more beautiful way of shopping for coffee?

Packaged?


Or loose?

Mill Valley Market

Safeway

La Coppa, Mill Valley