Our super easy, step-by-step guide to save energy and reduce your carbon footprint of your daily cuppa.
1. Get out your favourite mug. If you are a tea lover and often get tea to takeaway in disposable cups, consider getting yourself a reusable, portable cup. We have a huge range, including the light and handy BPA-free Keep Cup, and other reusable coffee cups including insulated ones for those who need their drink to stay hotter longer (i.e. for times when you are out and about, or if you are a sip and forget type).
2. Fill your jug with just the water needed for the cups you are making. It will boil faster, saving energy (and time).
3. While you are waiting, choose your organic and fair trade loose leaf tea. At Biome, we love Toby's Estate certified organic chamomile. We have other teas for your taste buds in our organic tea and accessories section. Choosing certified organic and fair trade means you can rest easy knowing that you have a healthy cuppa that the farmer has been paid a fair price for.
4. We then use a reusable loose leaf tea ball, reusable muslin bouquet garni bags or a tea pot. Not using a disposable tea bag saves the resources used to make bagged tea, plus means that you can easily compost the tea leaves once you have brewed (did you know that most tea bags are only up to 70-80% biodegradable, made from wood pulp and 20-30% heat-resistant polypropylene and often staples, and some fancier teas come packaged in fully synthetic bags with no chance of even partial degradation).
5. Place your tea in your cup or pot. Pour hot water over and steep to your preference or to the instructions on the pack and remove the tea leaves. Pop the leaves in your compost bin if you have one (they are great for the compost or your worm farm).
6. Sit back, relax and enjoy you cuppa with a friend or a good book.
Do you have any other tips to the perfect eco cuppa? Let us know in the comments below.
Sources: www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2010/jun/17/carbon-footprint-of-tea-coffee, www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/02/teabags-biodegradeable
