About

We partner with campuses and communities to inspire social change, providing individuals with tools and resources to run effective waste reduction campaigns. Our unique approach towards environmental behavior change, using positive reinforcement, has resulted in triple bottom-line improvements.

The Kill the Cup University Challenge has a direct positive impact on the environment. In all of our campaigns to-date, we have seen statistically significant increases in the use of reusable coffee cups, and therefore reductions in disposable cups destined for waste receptacles.

Many people associate paper cups with landfill waste. A smaller majority, however, takes into consideration the full lifecycle assessment of paper cups -- which includes resources that are used in manufacturing and transporting paper cups. By increasing the percentage of consumers that bring a reusable cup to get coffee, we will reduce the carbon footprint at each participating university.

Furthermore, the program institutes a culture of resource efficiency that can lead to waste reduction in other areas. The Kill the Cup University Challenge educates the next generation of consumers about other behaviors (in addition to reusable cups) that can help reduce impact on the environment. Examples of other behaviors include reusable bags, composting, and alternative transportation. A successful Kill the Cup campaign may lead to future initiatives to promote sustainability in these other areas.