Starbucks met many of its global responsibility goals, but fell short with recycling. Only 399 of its 7,529 company-operated stores in the U.S. and Canada offer recycling for customers. Only 1.5 percent of its drinks were served in reusable mugs or tumblers in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. And it faces challenges in the various communities it serves, which do not all offer recycling.

Read the full article, “Starbucks stops reporting price it pays for coffee beans, but releases other numbers“. Posted 4/19/10.

The company also said that if customers are unable to make it to a Starbucks store on World Aids Day, they can still be a part of the fight against AIDS in Africa by visiting http://www.starbucksloveproject.com. There they can contribute a drawing to the aEUR~Love Gallery’ and for each drawing Starbucks will make a USD0.05 contribution to the Global Fund, up to 1 million drawings.”

You can also find brief a description at the Starbucks event page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=184910581805.

Read the full article, “Starbucks to contribute USD0.05 from every hand-crafted beverage for World AIDS Day,” at TradingMarkets.com. Posted 11/30/09.

A very entertaining video posted on YouTube by katz20two talking about “the three sizes for unnamed coffee shop: tall, grande, venti.”

See also: Coffee Cup Sizes

I spent five years in the Navy, and as numerous people could tell you, sometimes we almost lived on coffee. I could be more toned, but I sure wouldn’t consider myself fat. I haven’t read anything else outside of this article on the topic, but I find it hard to believe coffee alone will make you fat. The article quotes Alisha Kearns, owner of Seven Sisters Coffee House, as saying, “I do believe if you’re mixing coffee with milks, and half-and-halves, and creams, and you’re having one every day, I’m sure that would contribute to it.” I would be inclined to go along with her and think this “fat-ness” is coming from the stuff people are putting in their coffee. Creamer, milk, – I even know of people that add ice cream in place of creamer (I can be guilty of this at times) – and all these fancy drinks people get at coffee shops can’t be that good for you. Ever had a White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks? I’m not a big fan of their regular coffee, but that white chocolate drink is really good. Nutrition information directly from Starbucks on a small (tall in Starbucks terms) White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino, with no whipped cream; basically as healthy as this drink gets:

This isn’t a shot at Starbucks, simply an illustration; many specialty coffee drinks are just as bad. While you may take pleasure in drinking coffee because of its calorie or fat content, you should probably add up all the stuff you’re putting in it before you start talking about how healthy your morning drink is. I used to work with a guy who would get two of these large-size frappuccino-type drinks from Seattle’s Best every day. He would always say, “it’s just coffee, it’s not that bad.”

Starbucks began making Via available in September in all its cafes in the U.S. and Canada, as well as in other locations, such as hotels and bookstores. The company created Via, which sells for $2.95 for a pack of three, in an attempt to reach consumers who aren’t inclined to splurge on a regular coffee purchase.”

Read the full article, “Starbucks CEO: Via Instant Coffee Besting Expectations“, at CNNMoney.com.