Boycott Trader Joe's

Is it really necessary to package produce in #5 plastic containers, styrofoam, and saran wrap? The plastic bags at your "average joe" grocery store are bad enough, but at least you can choose not to use them. Trader Joe's not only deprives you that choice, but also decides for you just how many endives you'd like to throw in that petroleum-based receptacle. I'd rather think for myself, Trader Joe's, but thanks for the bad suggestion.

un-boycott Cafe Mujo

Cafe Mujo at the Duderstadt Center has long been in the running for a proclamation for boycott, for several reasons--monopolization of coffee on North Campus, unsustainable container practices (mentioned in an earlier post), and simply poor service and product quality. However, Mujo has turned over a new leaf this year, offering only fairly-traded coffees and encouraging reuse of coffee cups and bring-your-own cup through offering a small discount. Well done.

Boycott Pizza House

While biking to school, I was passed by a gas-guzzling-moving-billboard for Pizza House. You know what I'm talking about--large box trucks that have been stripped of their actual usefulness by removing the back of the truck and replacing it with a skinny, 10-ft billboard. The truck drives around aimlessly, spreading some lame marketing message and spewing pollution into our already-crippled environment. Way to go, Pizza House!

Boycott Sweetwaters

This morning I walked into Sweetwaters on Washington St. to get an iced coffee "for here." It comes in a plastic cup. In fact, I don't even see any glass beverage cups there, save for a few mugs for hot coffee. This is unreasonable and supports a waste culture that is unconscionable, even for behemoth corporate powerhouses like Starbucks. I thought the local chains operated a little more ethically and sustainably. I guess I was wrong.