New Ways to Make Your Cup of Coffee a Little Greener

If you ever find yourself pondering your carbon footprint over your morning cup of joe, these clever new coffee-based inventions might just be for you.

Jeon Hwan Ju’s radical new printer concept named RITI would allow you to save the Earth and your wallet at the same time. Instead of traditional ink, RITI uses spent coffee or tea grounds to slash printing costs and waste. Taking eco-friendliness one step further, the printer uses human power to move the cartridge over the paper, meaning you won’t have to plug it into an outlet. While RITI is still on the drawing board at this point, if and when it comes to market people will finally have an alternative to costly and wasteful ink cartridges, not to mention delicious-smelling documents.

If you’re willing to plan out your coffee needs 12 to 24 hours in advance, the Hourglass Coffee Machine can help you cut down on both counter-space and electricity costs. Using no electricity whatsoever, the gadget brews up an environmentally-friendly coffee concentration that can be stored in the fridge for weeks and mixed with hot water when needed. As a bonus, the manufacturer claims the resulting brew tastes better than traditional coffee since the process both reduces acid content and retains essential oils lost in heating.

As for how to transport your coffee, Australian-based KeepCup has a great alternative to the endless flow of disposable take-out coffee cups. Sure, reusable cups are nothing new, but what sets the KeepCup apart is its shape. Available in three barista-standard sizes, the KeepCup is able to fit under the nozzle of an espresso machine, meaning it doesn’t have to be filled via a wasteful paper cup like its taller competition. Other green features include a recyclable and virtually indestructible Polypropylene #5 construction, low embodied energy, and a silicone band that allows owners to permanently brand their cup with their coffee preferences.