Kill the Cup

Specialties

Kill the Cup (KTC) is based on the idea that consumers face insufficient incentives for eco-​friendly behavior. If we are serious about environmental behavior change, the process needs to be fun and engaging. By sharing photos and winning prizes, we can reach a tipping point where it becomes a social norm to carry a reusable cup.

Kill the Cup is a nationwide environmental initiative on college campuses. The inaugural Kill the Cup University Challenge launched at eight universities across the country in the fall of 2014.

Kill the Cup is developing «campaign in-​a-​box» solutions for independent coffee shops and corporate offices that want to reduce waste and implement a culture of resource efficiency.

History

Established in 2013.

KillThe​Cup​.com is a project of Social Ventures for Sustainability, a 501©(3) nonprofit that partners with campuses and communities to encourage environmentally responsible consumer behavior. KillTheCup.com’s campaigns offer prizes and rewards to consumers for behaving in ways that will save them money, reduce waste, and improve sponsoring organizations’ bottom lines.

The inaugural Kill the Cup University Challenge launched at eight universities across the country in the fall of 2014. During the 20-​day campaign, 1,260 students uploaded more than 2,200 photos to KillThe​Cup​.com. The percentage of coffees sold in reusable containers rose by 65.4 percent. The campaign saved an estimated 15,440 cups, equivalent to 244 pounds of landfill waste, 3,860 gallons of water and 1.93 tons of CO2 emissions associated with the manufacturing process.

Meet the Business Owner

Drew B.

Business Owner

Drew is the CEO (Chief Environmental Optimist) and co-​founder of Kill the Cup. Over the past two years, he has overseen 15 campus-​based waste reduction campaigns, including eight concurrent programs during the 2014 University Challenge.

Drew received an MBA in entrepreneurship from UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management. Prior to starting Kill the Cup, he spent 18+ months gaining a variety of experiences at the intersection of entrepreneurship and sustainability. He held positions with four San Diego startups — Profits4Purpose, Barc, Electrozyme, and VirBELA — working in the areas of Customer Development, Entrepreneurial Marketing, New Business Development, and Social Media Strategy.

Drew’s leadership skills have been further developed by the Points of Light Civic Accelerator and Equinox Center’s BoardNEXT program. He is also a LEED Green Associate.