You are sick of being told that your morning cup of coffee is made from turtles. That’s understandable.
Nearly every step of coffee production and distribution has cut corners at the expense of the planet. As that planet’s people have no intention of drinking less coffee, it’s important to find little wins where possible, and attempt to blunt some of the impact that our caffeinated love affair is having on the environment.
What should we start? If you don’t make the operating decisions on any of the five million football fields, how can you play a role?
Consider a different approach to coffee grounds. If you make coffee at home, there is a good chance that you will leave with a small pile of coarse grounds. Coffee grounds have a natural look and texture to them, like dirt, which is why it is easy to toss them in the trash. What harm can they cause?
It was a large one. Landfills emit methane when trash is dumped there. Methane has a greenhouse effect 28 times higher than carbon dioxide, according to University College London. 40% of the warming since the Industrial Revolution was due to methane.
Over the last decade, initiatives like bio-bean have sprung up and started recycling hundreds of thousands of metric ton of leftover grounds. They were able to convert the grounds to renewable fuel.
You do not have to build a reactor in your backyard. You could sprinkle your coffee grounds in the garden or make a compost batches. Coffee grounds are free to revive soil as opposed to being polluted by the sky. You can thank them for their rich supply ofbio active micronutrients. Coffee grounds can be used to grow mushrooms, clean fireplaces, tenderize meat, rid pets of fleas, and so on.
Some chores are more fulfilling than others. When considering individual willingness to do something for the planet, fulfillment is an unavoidable factor. The Mother Earth relationship is at least somewhat transactional. Considering that it takes six gallons of water to create a single roll of toilet paper, it’s dramatic that the recent rise in bidet use has cut toilet paper waste by 75%. It’s possible that those who swear by them took the time to install their unit for another reason. They want their butt cleaned.
Who can blame them for that? If a habit adjustment or addition helps the planet and makes you feel better, that should be celebrated.
Coffee skincare scrubs fit perfectly into this happy medium, as yet another alternative way to dispose of the earth’s refuse, without hurting it. If you are wary of making your own remedies around the house, don’t worry. When they are deployed in moderation, they give the skin an energetic, all-natural boost.
What does a coffee scrub do? In order to keep it simple, mix a half cup of your spent grounds with a quarter cup of olive oil and some water. The formula blends into a paste that clings to the skin. It’s up to you, too, but a natural place to start is your arms, so you can get a feel for how the mixture interacts with your skin
Adding brown sugar or rock salt to the formula will create a rougher exfoliant, while mixing yogurt, coconut milk or honey into the formula will provide the basis for a ready-made mask. Make sure to wash all the gunk off with warm water when you are done.
You might wonder why coffee grounds are included in the environmental mission. Wouldn’t it be great if you could make a mixture with all of these ingredients without java?
You would miss out on a number of coffee-specific skincare benefits, like the chlorogenic acid that helps unclog pores, the polyphenols that fight back against redness and sun spots, and theCaffeine that reduces cellulite.
Coffee is an odd workhorse for the skin. Most cosmetics brands worth their Himalayan pink salt now offer some sort of coffee scrub or skincare product. If you just stick to your morning routine, then there is no shame in going that route.
If you want to keep your grounds fresh, try to keep them in an air tight container. They don’t have Preservative and will grow mold eventually. Don’t make it a daily habit. If you use coarse coffee in the shower or over the sink, it will upset your pipes. That is a problem that Drano can’t fix. This is an inane opportunity, however inconsequential it may seem, to garner an appreciation for reuse and recycling while making your skin a bit better and brighter.
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