It's not much, but the main point is sustainability. Starting this Monday, students get a 5 cent discount on a cup of coffee if they drink out of the sustainable 'Zamzam' cup or their own mug.

Radboud University needs to be more sustainable. That’s why Facility Services, in cooperation with AKKUraatd and students, will start a campaign on Monday 27th. The ‘Zamzam’ coffee cup will become available then, for 4,95. By using the cup, or your own mug, you get a 5 cent discount on hot drinks at several places on campus.

Sustainable cup
‘The use of a Zamzam cup is a lot more sustainable than the current policy of throw-away-cups’, says Raoul Luijten, Aquatic Ecology & Environmental Biology student. Together with his fellow students, he studied the CO2 emission and the oil use of disposable cups and of the Zamzam cup. ‘In our research, we included as many facets as possible, from production process to waste management. Our results showed that using a ceramic mug (like the ones used in the Refter, ed.) is not more sustainable than a disposable cup until you drank 250 cups of coffee. The Zamzam proves its green value after 25 cups.’

According to David Niessen, manager Retail and Catering, the students’ research matches the view of Facility Services. ‘We want to reduce the use of disposable cups as much as possible. That’s why we have decided to cooperate with the students in this project.’

Cup from home
Student faction AKKUraatd is also involved in spreading the sustainable cups. ‘Sustainability is one of the four cornerstones of our election programme. That’s why we have decided to support this project’, says chairman Dinja de Vries. ‘However, we also thought that people who bring their own mug or cup from home should also get a discount. We addressed this and Facility Services agreed.’

The Zamzam coffee cup is available for the special price from Monday to the 1st of May. After that, it will cost 6,95 in the campus shop again. You can get your drinks cheaper at the Refter, Grotius building, the canteen at the Science faculty, the cafes on campus and the coffee corners with staff. AKKUraatd will also celebrate its seventh lustrum by giving away 35 cups to people with the best reactions on Facebook.