my green girl angst in a disposable city

I hate to say there are a few un-green things I have embraced being back in the south. One of which is a styrofoam cup. The goal here is to have ice last as long as possible. In the winter, building are over heated.  In the summer, outdoors is over heated. I need ice year round. Which is funny because in Oregon I always ordered my water with no ice.

I’ve always been the person whose house you needed to bring a sweater to because they keep it cool in the winter.  Now I’m trying very hard not to become completely addicted to air conditioning.  I keep my windows and doors open as long as I can.  Right now I’m listening to the sound of rain floating in the open window.

I shake my head and fist at the people who throw their cigarettes out their car window or drop it on the ground as they walk back in the building.  Just about everyone in my office eats out and so few people here take their lunch.  Every day, someone at work has to comment on something I am eating like I am a polar bear at the zoo snacking on a fish head.  I make my iced tea at home and bring it in a mason jar.  Clearly I am that polar bear.

I’m certainly the only person I know here who has five different ways to make coffee at home.  I rotate.  Depends on the day, the weather, the time I have in the morning, and how many people am I making for.  I have become quite fond of Community Coffee.  Regular ol’ coffee from the grocery store.  $6.99 a pound is nicer on my budget than the $12+ I was paying when I lived in Portland.  I’d support locally roasted if it were conveniently located to me.  See, now I’ve become lazier too.

This wasn’t entirely what I was going to write about, but this is what came flying out of my fingertips.  So, back to my styrofoam cup.  I get one or two a week from the cafeteria and reuse them.  I bring them home and wash them.  See, there’s the green girl.  I wash them and reuse them in the morning for my smoothies, for ice water in the car, and for iced coffee on my dog walk.  If they get lost or broken, no loss.  For 32 cents, I’ll get a new one filled with ice tomorrow.

For those who doubted my Berry Coffee Smoothie, I’ve been searching for a coffee smoothie recipe, and so far this is my favorite.  The coffee flavor isn’t too strong and if you add a little honey or agave, I think you could almost hide it.

     Berry Coffee Smoothie
     1 banana
     1/3 cup milk of your choice
     1 cup double strength coffee
     2 cups frozen berries

Add everything to blender and blend away.  This makes about a 24-26 ounce smoothie.  I find the thing that impacts the size of this most is the banana.  Some days all they have at the grocery are these ginormous bananas.

This smoothie fills my cafeteria cup perfectly.  This is where I was headed when I sat down to write, I just took that left turn at Albuquerque and took the scenic route.