They said they’d do it, and now Urban Village Farmers Markets has finally banned plastic bags! Originally scheduled to go into effect on October 1, the ban was pushed to January of this year to give vendors time to research their options and prepare for the change over. Beginning this month, a sign greets patrons as they […]
As you know, I avoid buying plastic products. Plastics contribute to the degradation of the world’s oceans, harm wildlife, and threaten human health. But in certain situations, I think that durable plastics can actually be the better alternative to biodegradable materials like cardboard. No, I didn’t suddenly take a job lobbying for the American Chemistry […]
Valentine’s Day is almost here! We’ve only got about a month to finish our shopping, as Walgreen’s and other drug stores remind us, their aisles suddenly lined in red and pink, overflowing with hearts and bears and sweet treats. On this official day of love, how will Michael know how I feel if I don’t […]
I’m not a big gum chewer. I can keep a stick of gum in my mouth for about five minutes, just enough time to suck all the flavor out, before I’m tired of chewing and starting to get that chewing gum headache. So it was no hardship to let go of chewing gum when I […]
As I mentioned last week, Thursday was my birthday, and my office mates threw me the traditional birthday lunch, complete with take-out food, some living plant-type thing, ice cream, and presents. I love this celebration but I’m also wary of the amount of plastic I might accumulate. So let’s see how we did this year.
It’s my birthday! So how will I celebrate? Well, first with a birthday lunch at work. Group lunches at the office are always challenging because of the packaging associated with take-out food. But fortunately, there’s a new lunch place in San Francisco I’ve been dying to try: Mixt Greens. Mixt Greens is certified green under […]
Many of you have seen Chris Jordan’s recent heartbreaking photos of dead albatross chicks on Midway Atoll with bellies full of plastic. And perhaps you have seen, or at least heard how sea turtles eat plastic (PDF), mistaking it for the jelly fish upon which they usually dine. (Photo courtesy of Seaturtle.org.) Most recently, beached whales […]
The following is a guest post from Katy Wolk-Stanley, author of The Non-Consumer Advocate blog. In keeping with last week’s posts about clutter and stuff, Katy’s post illustrates the relationship between plastic consumption and consumerism. Enjoy! My name is Katy Wolk-Stanley and I am a die-hard member of The Compact, (a worldwide buy nothing new […]
Do you have a cough right now or know someone who does? Then I want to talk to you. Earlier this month, I caught a cold and towards the end of it was hacking pretty badly. Now, I realize that you don’t want to suppress a productive cough. But this cough was bad enough to […]
What I Used to Love When I was a child, Christmas really was the best time of the year. It meant four kinds of treats from Mom Mom: sand tarts, Mexican tea cookies, seven layer cookies, and chocolate fudge with walnuts. It meant driving around to see the colored lights. Singing holiday songs at school […]