Reusing Your Coffee Cup to Help the Environment

If you are passionate about the environment, you may decide to give up disposable coffee cups and instead bring a reusable cup when you frequent your favorite coffee shop. Seems like an obvious and easy way to do your part. But if you think about it, this is a somewhat effortful behavior including remembering to take the cup with you, washing the cup, and the awkwardness that can occur giving it to the barista in a busy coffee shop. Though if it helps the environment, you might be willing to do all that.

Unfortunately, whether reusable coffee cups are actually better for the environment is complicated. That’s because you have to consider the energy used in making the cups, the type of cup used, and the amount of soap and hot water you will use to clean your reusable cup. Depending on the details, it may be more environmentally friendly to use the disposable cup.

In my view, this type of analysis is something we should all think about whenever we try to make a behavior change. If this behavior change is successful, will it make a difference in the long run? Like trying to help the environment by using reusable cups, many BCBAs, parents, teachers, and others help children with autism make behavior changes that are likely to have very little long-term impact.

This can occur in a variety of ways:

Behavior changes are made, but not generalized to the point where they have any practical impact on the person’s life.
Behavior changes are made, but not sufficiently learned, so they do not maintain over time.
Behavior changes are made without significant thought over whether the change is going to be useful to the client in the long run.

In my view, the way to think about this is to avoid changes that are likely to have a very small impact. We all have very limited time and attention. If you focus on a bunch of small changes, you likely will miss the big things that will have a major long-term impact. Select behavior changes that are likely to have a big long-term impact on the client’s life.

As for my coffee cup, I drink tea.

Behavior analytic services should only be delivered in the context of a professional relationship. Nothing written in this blog should be considered advice for any specific individual. The purpose of the blog is to share my experience, not to provide treatment. Please get advice from a professional before making changes to behavior analytic services being delivered. Nothing in this blog including comments or correspondence should be considered an agreement for Dr. Barry D. Morgenstern to provide services or establish a professional relationship outside of a formal agreement to do so. I attempt to write this blog in “plain English” and avoid technical jargon whenever possible. But all statements are meant to be consistent with behavior analytic literature, practice, and the professional code of ethics. If, for whatever reason, you think I’ve failed in the endeavor, let me know and I’ll consider your comments and make revisions, if appropriate. Feedback is always appreciated as I’m always trying to Poogi.