If zeitgeist had a body, it would be drinking sweet, overpriced coffee in a plastic-lid cardboard coffee cup. And a Californian company called Reduce. Reuse. Grow. has a solution to coffee-cup related environmental issues: biodegradable cups that can be planted to grow into trees and flowers! The secret is in the seed embedded in the cup. The only thing that a consumer needs to do is unravel the cup, soak it in water for 5 minutes and then plant it. Or, if you’re terribly lazy, throw it away – it’s either going to grow into something, or just decompose after 180 days.

The idea has merit. Coffee cups are consumed in quantities that overshadow even the complaints about misspelled names on them. They’re obviously made from trees, and if you have not heard about the connection between deforestation and a variety of environmental issues, well, then you’re probably our only 5 year old reader. And the trees (or flowers) that will sprout from cups won’t be random, either: the cups will come with seeds native to whatever region they’re sold in. And if a cup makes its way into a RRG trashcan, the company will make sure that it is transferred into the hands of an organization which knows places in need of trees.

It might not be the decisive solution to deforestation, but it sure is deciduous.

More info: planttrash.com | kickstarter.com (h/t: laughingsquid)