Those "Disposable" Coffee Cups

Starbucks Offers Cash for Your Eco-Friendly Cup SolutionsSubmitted by jgeeslin on 2 April, 2010 - 05:27


Betacup has just launched an online contest to engage creative thinkers in solving the disposable cup waste problem through open collaboration. Starbucks Coffee Company is sponsoring the contest as part of its aim to serve 100% of its hand-crafted beverages in reusable or recyclable cups by 2015.

Anyone can submit an idea on how to reduce paper cup consumption and promote adoption of environmentally-friendly alternatives. Ideas will be open to the public for discussion, and community members and jurors will be able to provide feedback, allowing collaborators to refine and update their submissions through June 15, when the contest comes to a close.

Starbucks has provided $20,000 in cash prizes to be awarded for the most innovative ideas. The participant who submits the best idea, determined by an expert panel, will receive a $10,000 cash prize. In addition, participants whose ideas are among the top five selected by the community of collaborators will each be awarded a $2,000 cash prize.

"Finding effective solutions to the disposable cup waste problem will be a challenge – a good solution will need to include product design, communications and incentives to change consumer behavior, and work within service and recycling infrastructures," said Shaun Abrahamson from Colaboratorie Mutopo, a group of mass collaboration specialists who co-founded the betacup. "We think this is an ideal task to present to a large global community of coffee drinkers, many of whom have likely thought about this issue and possible solutions."

Visit http://www.thebetacup.com to learn more and be part of the solution.