It's about cups. Sexy, sexy cups. Well, actually it's about getting college students thinking about the planet and about changing their personal habits. But the "sexy" sure doesn't hurt.
The University of Washington's Young Democrats club launched a Sustainability is Sexy campaign this month to encourage students to bring their own cups to the campus's coffee shops. And their sexy slogan is popping up all over campus on shirts, buttons, stickers, and posters -- where organizers hope it will remind students that thinking about your environmental impact is totally hott.
The posters feature a red-lipsticked mouth preparing to gulp some steamy coffee. The shirts are the well-tailored, hip American-Apparel type, with those luscious lips marking a coffee cup.
"You think of sustainability and you don't think of sexy right away," said Elliot Helmbrecht, UW Young Dems executive for legislative and political affairs. "So this catches your eye."
Sex (well, at least the idea of it) has never really hurt a campaign. And that double consonant sound helps, too.
"They're bright; they're green and yellow; it says 'sexy' on them. People look at them," said Nicholas Fusso, UW student and chief financial officer for the Young Dems. "And we're talking about a bunch of college kids here. We're talking about a very specific demographic, and something with the word 'sexy' on it catches attention."
They took on the coffee cup issue because it's something students (and professors, and all of Seattle) deal with every day. On the UW campus alone, people toss 5,000 empty coffee cups a day -- cups often made from bleached and wax-covered virgin paper that can't be recycled.
"Seattle is a coffee city. A lot of people drink coffee, and it's something relatively easy that everybody can do," said Fusso. "It's not expensive -- to buy your own cup can cost as little as $5. We're not asking [people] to drink less coffee or drink a specific kind of coffee, or do anything except just bring your own cup. And that's a really easy thing to do."
And it will actually save students money. If you bring your own cup, on-campus coffee shops offer any size drip coffee for $1.00, or $0.10 off espresso drinks. Off-campus businesses often offer similar discounts.
"They don't have to pay for as many cups. They don't have to pay for the garbage removal," said Fusso. "They're making more money than they would if they had to pass that cup out."
The students started the project on a budget of just $50, which they used to print the buttons, stickers, and shirts. Now they've sold out of the first 70 shirts and are taking orders for the next batch from as far away as Thailand. They're giving away the buttons and selling the shirts at cost -- so they're really not getting anything out of this except the glee of a successful campaign.
"It really takes away that stigma that you have to be this real radical, fringe-of-society kind of person to be an environmentalist," said Fusso. "In fact, it should be all of us. It should be on our minds at least, and we should be doing something about it all of the time."
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Comments View as Flat
Robert Delfs Posted 11:54 am
08 Mar 2007
Blast sfrom the past?
Forgive my crankiness, but what is it that makes Americans think they have done something about a problem when they buy a t-shirt or a coffee mug emblazoned with a slogan or a logo?
OK, I am getting cranky. In my (now ancient) youth, some women organized a short-lived but popular campaign around the slogan: "We say 'yes' to guys who say 'no'". For you kids who haven't taken a course in mid-20th Century American history yet, this was about resisting the draft. I don't think anyone imagined at the time that it would do much to stop the Vietnam War, but I still thought this was a great idea. I just regretted that I could only burn my draft card once.
As Kate says, coffee mugs and t-shirts linking sex and sustainability can't do any harm. And it has to be better to have the kids snogging each other in their dorms rather than out burning fossil fuels cruising. And is there any way to have more fun without burning carbon - or eating carbs?
Robert Delfs
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Shawn Posted 2:55 am
09 Mar 2007
Popular Culture
"what is it that makes Americans think they have done something about a problem when they buy a t-shirt or a coffee mug emblazoned with a slogan or a logo?"
America is a 'follower' culture. We cling desperately to our celebrity worship and only accept products and ideas that we know are popular. It's this fact that makes the stickers and t-shirts effective. On that campus when it becomes popular to have those stickers and shirts then the idea can finally be accepted.
So what Americans have done when they have magically made the stickers and shirts for a cause popular is that they have given that cause the window of opportunity to thrive. Granted, it's not a guarantee that the idea will thrive, but it sure helps.
- On a side note I am upset that I can not purchase a mug or stickers online anywhere that I see.
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WWAGD?! Posted 3:04 am
09 Mar 2007
Did Your Mother Teach You This?
And they call that "sustainable"? Once the glee of "printing buttons" wears off, these kids will be back to playing Texas Hold 'em in the dorms.
Let me tell you something...you know what's sustainable? Exxon-Mobile. They'll be supplying us energy for the next millenium.
The Texeme Construct offers international text memetics construction and textcasting services.
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Mandis Posted 11:01 am
09 Mar 2007
Is it REALLY that offensive?
I fail to see why so many are up in arms over a few shirts, buttons and stickers. The Young Dems aren't on campus throwing fliers and paper all over, littering and causing extreme amounts of waste like other campus movements. In fact, only a select few have the shirts at this point, and they aren't even making any profit off of them.
And to point out the irony in your Exxon Mobile comment, (which I'm hoping is a joke), the only reason Exxon is even pathetically trying to make 'sustainable' energy is because of the vary, 'glee,' 'fad,' and 'follower' culture you are all speaking of. Do you really think an oil mogul like the Exxon Mobile Corporation actually cares enough about the environment to suddenly jump into action? Hardly. Movements, that started out just as small as this one have caused a revolution in the way that we think about our daily lives and how we impact the world around us.
In the long run, I'm sure that 20 shirts, a few stickers and buttons won't really impact the environment as much as 5000 non-recyclable cups a DAY.
So instead of sitting on your ass, logging onto the internet and criticizing a bunch of concerned college kids, maybe you should get out there and do something too.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
-Margaret Mead
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Robert Delfs Posted 11:35 am
09 Mar 2007
OK, OK, OK
I didn't really think that I was exactly "up in arms" about this, Mandis, but after reading your righteous words of criticism, I felt so guilty that all I could do was go out and buy six green-themed t-shirts. Actually, I lie - I could only find four. The other two were advertisements for Bintang beer. But, hey, beer is organic, right. And you were right - I feel so much better now.
Robert Delfs
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KCFoodCircle Posted 6:28 am
11 Mar 2007
Sexy sustainability
Maybe some have info we don't, but "millennium"??, don't bet on it... experts estimate that the oil will not last another 50 years. Exxon (et al) have had a license to print money for far too long, and the end is, like I said, already in sight. Fossil fuels are NOT replenishable, therefore the technologies dependent upon them are NOT sustainable.
Wrap your head around a lot of belt-tightening measures, kiddo. Our lifestyles (worldwide) are due for a HUGE adjustment, whether the sexiness of sustainability catches on or not - the fact is: when you take something away, you gotta put something back.
So, learn to slow down, eh? It will pay off, bigtime. The kids snogging away in the dorms (anything to avoid unnecessary travel in their SUVs) have a good idea, so long as they keep an eye on the population rate. ;}
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pamlaa Posted 11:37 pm
02 Jul 2007
Beer
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Sunshine Posted 1:38 pm
07 Nov 2007
Mr. Bailo--his mom WISHES she'd taught him that!
Well Mr. Bailo, I can tell you with great certainty, that the glee of this campaign has NOT worn off, and those kids DON'T play Texas Hold 'em, because there're too busy trying to dream up ways to make the world a better place. Frankly, coming from the generation that opposed Viet Nam, didn't trust anyone over 30, and was going to make the world a better place, I'm so embarrassed. We greedy, egocentric, consumerish Baby Boomers blew it big time. Thank God, there are kids like these who are doing something to help people think. This campaign has touched me in so many ways--I bring my coffee mug along or don't get coffee--I re-use my water bottle, I started composting....The list of things that have now entered my conscious thought is endless. The list of sustainable changes I have made continues to grow, simply because of this campaign. So Kudos to the Young Dems at UW. And, Mr. Bailo, I can tell you without a doubt, that his mother only wishes she could take credit for the great ideas that spring from those young minds--but she can't. She's just proud, damn proud!
Nicko's Mom
Sunshine
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stoptypinganddosomething Posted 2:38 am
22 Dec 2007
subject?
why not look at the laziness of our society? we drive to check the mail, to pick the kids up at the bus, we drive to events that support bicycling
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Amfora Posted 1:14 am
16 Jan 2008
wordless way
I think I've found "blank" sexy cup;) without any strong slogans
male drink straw
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