Meet The Families / The Fritzs

As this challenge comes to an end, I find myself looking back at how I felt four weeks ago. Not only was I apprehensive but pessimistic about making the use of a reusable coffe cup a habit. I couldn't have been more wrong.

It has been much easier then I expected and I feel like it has really become our family's new way of life in regards to reusables. I leave the house with my favorite beverage and avoid at least one stop to the coffe shop everyday. I am more aware of people around me that seem to be oblivious to their use of so many diposable cups and find that coffee shops are inconsistent when it comes to policies about patrons bringing their own container. I hope with a little education more people will stop and think about the waste and go to reusables. I have managed to convert not only my husband but my sisters and mother. I am still working on my dad.

I feel like this was a benificial change that I can pass on to my kids and that it will be second nature for them, and I am proud of myself for making an honest effort and coming out of it with a new attitude towards disposable coffee cups.

This past week has been split between Paris and Golden, Colorado. As I mentioned Paris was an environment in which one doesn't really need a reusable coffee cup. Sipping cafe in a quaint sidewalk brasserie is common place for the everyday Parisian. It was a nice break from my fast paced, go, go, go lifestyle back in the states.

The first leg of the flight home was an entirely different story. I pleaded with the flight attendant to put my coffee in my reusable cup and was immediately turned down. This only continued with requests for water to be put in my reusable bottle. I felt so defeated. Between the four of us traveling together we went through 25 plastic cups during the 7 and a half hour flight, uhg!

Since I have been home, it has come to my attention that I take a reusable coffee cup and cold beverage cup with me when I leave the house without even thinking about it. On top of that I take two kids cups and have had the coffee shop fill them with juice as opposed to buying juice boxes. What an accomplishment!

Paris is a fast-pace, bustling, vibrant city. That is until it is time to eat a meal. Parisans don't only know how to dress with an effortless ease, they also know how to balance a busy day with a long, indulgent, meal. I found very little need for my reusable coffee cup while in Paris.

In the morning I would make my way into a small, softly lit patisserie shop where the warm, sweet smell of freshly baked breakfast pastries often overshadowed my desperate need for caffeine. I would pick up a croissant and make my way to a quaint cafe for the best espresso I have ever had. This would sustain me until my next bit of food where I would finish my meal, as most Parisans do, with an espresso. It was a wonderful way to slow down after hours of museums and sightseeing.

The Western way is slowly creeping in however with the occasional Starbucks. The first of which came to my attention in The Louvre. Impatient tourists running to priceless pieces of art with grande latte in hand.

The French have started their own version called "Tea by The." We stopped for coffee and croissant one morning before our trip to The D' orsay. I had my cup with me and tried to explain to the young man behind the counter that I would like a cafe creme in my cup. With a puzzled look on his face he simply said "no" and went ahead and handed me my beverage in a small white cup on a saucer.