By Heather Barton

April 13, 2010 – In a global initiative encouraging consumers to reduce their environmental impact, Starbucks has announced its new green project, The Big Picture, with a free coffee offer and a symbolic film.      

For the launch of The Big Picture campaign, Starbucks will provide free coffee on April 15^th in participating stores to consumers who bring their own reusable container.  Starbucks.com has also released a short film featuring thousands of New Yorkers trading in their paper cups for reusable travel mugs.  With each full coffee cup added to the sidewalk, a design begins to take shape.  The finale reveals an aerial mural of a sequoia tree, shaded by various levels of creamer. 

With the catch phrase “One person switching can save trees.  Together we can save forests”, Starbucks Big Picture initiative aims to communicate with consumers about how individual actions are important to collective efforts in reducing environmental impacts.  The Big Picture website features a “Make the Pledge” section, as well as a “Calculate Impact” section powered by the Environmental Defense Fund.  So far, Starbucks has acquired over 26,000 pledges.

Although the company has been offering reusable mug discounts since 1985, Starbucks’ goal is to ensure 100 percent of its cups are reusable or recyclable by 2015.  “While our cup has become an integral part of the coffeehouse experience over the years,” says VP of Global Responsibility Ben Packard “it has also become an environmental concern."