At 2:00pm everyday something in my body shuts down. I need a rejuvenation and my coffee craving begins nagging me, begging me for a comforting cup. Thankfully, a coffee shop is never too far away. A few decades ago Starbucks was formed and made sure coffee was always within reach.

I always opt for a local coffee shop over the bland corporate interior of Starbucks. Sometimes though when I’m in midtown Manhattan or another city without a local place in sight I suck it up and buy a cup. Recently though I was introduced to the new Starbucks.

Starting with the cup. Starbucks’ Sustainability Manager, Jim Hanna, is making great strides to reduce the Starbucks waste stream. The goal is to have 100 percent recyclable cups by 2015, which means the company is working to reduce the amount of paper cups used each year. Last year the company held a competition to create the best incentive for using fewer paper cups. Ideas included an incentive based program and a collapsible cup design. Both were well received in the competition but now it is not seeing positive results. The challenge is changing consumer habits.

Singular unique architecture is also making its way to the corporate culture. Take a look at the fabulous ceiling installation made of 1,876 hand-cut wooden blocks in a new store in Amsterdam. Reclamation Drive-Thur is the latest design to be revealed in the US. It is constructed of four cargo containers. Very different from the hundreds of stores I’ve experienced! The company has also vowed to have all new buildings meet LEED certifications.

Even with their efforts, Starbucks has long way to go. They receive their fair amount of push-back from sites like Recyclestarbucks.com.

Today when my coffee signals go off I’ll grab my reusable cup. One more paper cup saved from the landfill.