Must Love Coffee.

A great post from the lovely Heartbreaker totally called me out today.

She said I "know (my) shit about saving the planet."

You wouldn't think so looking at my pathetic blog lately. I've been all about my clothes, my crappy work ethic, my itchy disease poison ivy, my move, and my marriage. Me, me, meeeeeee.

Time to get out of my selfish little bubble and talk about some other stuff, mmmkay?

Like, how about summertime iced coffee and iced tea? And yet another way we can be as green as possible when it comes to our beverage choices.

We've talked before about some ways to -

• Bring your own travel mug, avoid waste!
• Buy fair trade, sustainably grown, organic coffee or tea
• Brew coffee using a french press, use less electricity!

We're in the throes of summer, and who doesn't enjoy a big glass of iced tea? Or stopping by the coffee shop for a refreshing iced coffee? Yummy.

You can cheaply and easily make either of those yourself - which means:

• Saving money!
• Using your own coffee - many coffee shops don't always offer fair-trade, shade grown, organic coffees.
• Less packaging for iced tea mixes and prepackaged iced coffees.
• Avoiding the mystery chemicals, like silicon dioxide or artificial colors.

Iced Tea

1. Brew a tea bag or two in half a cup of water [chai or herbal teas are my favorite].
2. Sweeten the hot tea if desired. [I always desire sugar.]
3. Fill a glass with ice, then pour the hot tea in the glass. [Add milk if making iced chai or black tea.]
4. Stir and enjoy!

Iced Coffee {Using a french press}

1. Grind (coarsely) 1 cup of coffee and pour in bottom of french press.
2. Pour 2 cups of water and mix with wooden spoon.
3. Place plunger on top, but don't press down too far.
4. Put in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
5. Plunge/strain the coffee. It's now a sort of coffee syrup that you can pour over ice and add milk, water, and/or sugar to. I usually use a third coffee, a third water, some half & half, and a heap of sugar. [I always love sugar.]
6. Stir and enjoy. Better than McDonald's or Starbucks, for sure!

I make a pot of the iced coffee once or twice a week and drink it every morning, and love to enjoy a glass of Tazo Passion iced tea while I'm reading on the porch at night.

Here's to summer!