Reduce. Reuse. Grow.
A California startup has put a new spin on compostable packaging. Reduce. Reuse. Grow. began by planting 1 plant in your community for every compostable cup you served. A true soldier for sustainability the founder, Alex Henige, was continuously seeking improvements and is now designing the compostable cup to contain the plant seeds, removing the middleman entirely. This seed embedded technology is going to be area specific, encouraging local flora.
Practical concerns about the functionality of the product aside, this product presents a troubling potential for encouraging littering. While it’s true that “littering” with this cup will actually grow a plant, the inspiration for this product came from seeing garbage along the side of the road. Will this new product simply perpetuate the problem it is trying to solve? Alternatively, will the added incentive of a planted tree or seed embedded cup encourage excess consumerism?
Reflecting on these questions and the product itself I realize how easy it is to be critical of new “green” products. I am not the only one either, the comment page on the company’s website is inundated with critical remarks. Why is it that as a society we are much quicker to judge the product that is actually trying to change how business is done but not the products content with the status quo? One possible answer lies at the heart of the sustainability movement. I am talking about the concepts of collective action and continuous improvement, which have been foundational to creating change. While on one hand we should be supportive of entrepreneurs willing to shake up business as we know it, it is still important that consumers reflect critically. In a way making critical comments a vehicle for empowering sustainability. I hope the start ups and existing businesses trying to create tangible change recognize these criticisms for what they are, complements. The harsher the critique, the more chance the product will succeed.
That being said I am also curious to the process that Reduce. Reuse. Grow. will be using to manufacture their seed embedded cups. Will the process itself be sustainable enough to make the product worth it?
I am always excited to see new developments like this one, and hope that people continue to be critical, as it is only through being critical that we have begun to create changes in the way we consume as a society.
I think this is an absolutely fascinating idea to encourage some good to come out of the act of littering, I do feel like it’s utilization might not be as effective in first world nations.
The companies that would take advantage of the cup most likely exist in an atmosphere with a large amount of trash cans, with more conscientious consumers who are less likely to litter.
I would be very curious about the implementation of such a cup in South or Central America, however. There, there’s almost a culture of litter with limited trash cans, and especially in smaller villages, trash simply strewn across the street. I think a compostable cup that contains plant seeds could lead to either a discussion of litter in these countries, or at the very least allow some good to come about from an act that’s all too common.
This is a super innovative idea, thank you for sharing! I think this idea is comparable to the first “hybrid” car – it takes us on the right track. It isn’t a full solution to the problem, as we know no product is completely sustainable but it is on the way there. I do think it could have a reverse effect on some consumption patterns – however, I do think the net effect will be positive.
Its great that people are coming up with ideas like this truly driven by a desire for change. This particular initiative of reduce.reuse.grow though seems to be restricted by scale due to possible costs the need for every participant to be engage at quite a high level to want to use it. It’s quite a commitment for the everyday person to make that change and the cost of education will be high. Still a novel idea, but execution for the entire process in a sustainable way from creating to sharing is a concern I would definitely have.