By Erik De La Cruz

Staff Writer

Hands shaking, a drip of sweat running across the temple of your face, one eye closed, aiming at what you’re about to kill. You make a choice despite others telling you not to do it, you pull the trigger… BAM! You killed the cup.

Your body immediately relaxes from the tension. You do it anyway, despite the norm of others’ opinions that it’s too much effort and that you alone can’t create an impact. We’re a long ways away from realistically killing the (disposable) cup, but it all begins with the decision to act.

Imagine a world, where you can enjoy your coffee every morning without the guilt of being one of the 58 billion paper cups thrown away each year, the 925 million pounds of waste or contributing to the 14.5 billion pounds of CO2 emissions. KilltheCup.com, a San Diego based non-profit organization, is seeking to get 22,000 coffee drinkers to commit to their movement. To have them pledge that they will switch to a reusable cup on Earth Day, April 22. Coffee has become a huge phenomenon in our fast-paced society, a crutch to keep us going through all possible fatigue.

“The disposable cup has become an iconic and highly visible symbol of waste and negative environmental impact,” said Drew Beal, Chief Environmental Optimist at Kill the Cup.

The simple notion that KilltheCup.com is going after is changing habits from April 2 through April 22 and on to contribute positively to the planet, one cup at a time.

In this era, in order to create a lasting shift, especially at the college level, you must inspire social innovation. That is in the mission statement for KilltheCup.com, as well as educating consumers about the negative effects on the environment by using disposable cups. Their creative blend of gamification, social media marketing, as well as activities which harvest fun are what have manifested them to become “one of the most innovative civic startups in the country”.

Individuals who take part in the Kill the Cup University Challenge upload photos of themselves with a reusable cup to spread awareness in hopes that it creates a chain reaction through the influencers on different campuses. Fall of 2014 was the inaugural campaign that through 20 days was able to save an estimated 15,440 cups, which is equivalent to 244 pounds of landfill waste. Slow, but it’s progressive to the overall mission of reducing waste and as with anything, change commences with the break of habit.

Advancement begins with a choice and everyone can make an impact in the preservation of earth. We all say in one way or another that we want to change the world, but it all begins with you. You can influence others to join the movement of Kill the Cup. We all have a story, we are all looking for a purpose. Something as simple as posting a picture of a reusable cup can make a difference on campus and in the rest of the world.