I, Ruth decided to stop by a well known coffee shop the other day. I had not given myself this indulgence in a quite a while. I parked my car, with my to- go mug in hand, and went into the shop to wait in line. It finally became my turn and I requested the flavor of the day. I, Ruth then presented my to-go mug to the person. I, Ruth am excited because I remembered my to-go mug from home earlier and didn’t have to debate the whole Styrofoam issue in my head (see previous blog). I watched as this person began to sterilize my to-go mug – by using very hot water before pouring my coffee. Now, wait a minute (in my head again)! This person is taking my good deed for the day by not using Styrofoam to do something equally horrific – which is wasting water sterilizing my mug! I, Ruth rinsed my to-go mug before I left home – now I am wasting more water by watching the person re-clean my mug! I survey the area. There is a long line behind me. Do I scream “Stop cleaning my mug”! Do I just let the water waste and know next time to provide specific instructions not to clean my mug? Then my thought pattern changes – Do I look like a dirt bag that my mug needs to be cleaned? Is this done for all the customers? How much water is wasted anyway here? As I am debating this issue, the mug had been cleaned and my coffee pour completed. I sheepishly said thank you, paid and left with my tail between my legs. So there you go. For my best intentions to make a choice to save the world one little task at a time – was completely overridden! This is a big zero for the environment and a zero for I, Ruth especially for being a big wimp!