Besides not using plastic throw-aways, we can reduce waste everywhere by responsible recycling. Surprisingly, landfill capacity has increased at the same time the number of landfills has drastically decreased. The EPA reports that the number of landfills in the United States has fallen 77 percent since 1988. In its 2006 MSW study, the EPA reports that while the number of U.S. landfills has steadily declined over the years, the average landfill size has increased. It goes on to report that in 2006, compared to 1990, the total volume of waste going to landfills dropped by 4 million tons, at the same time that the U.S. population increased by more than 50 million people.
During the past five decades American attitudes toward recycling and ecology radically changed. Environmental concerns also influenced landfill policies and materials recovery. The newer landfills are better controlled and protected, and considerably larger with more efficient compacting. We not only have much larger landfills and are putting less in them, we also use them more efficiently. A given amount of landfill space will hold about 30 percent more content today than in the past. The three main waste hauling companies in the U.S. say they have a long-term capacity of 26-38 years.
Bottom Line: Despite a vast population increase, nationwide landfill use is down and materials recovery is up. Our larger population is sending less to landfills. Efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle are paying off.
Some examples of the trends between 1960 and 2006 include:
• Recovery and reuse of trash has gone from 5.6 to 81.1 million tons.
• Discards going to landfills as a percentage, has gone from 93.6% to 54.9%.
• Population in the millions has gone from 179,979 to 299,398.
Source: Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in
the United States: Facts and Figures for 2006, EPA, page 9
How do we contribute to making this trend even better?
• Reduce the type and numbers of disposables we use: plastic bags, bottled water, paper plates, food baggies
• Download the recycling guidelines for your community and make sure you are recycling everything they take.
• If your community doesn’t recycle something you use a lot of, like glass, then find another source for those.
• Take the time when cooking dinner or doing dishes to wash out those disposable containers and put them in the recycling bin
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
Tis the Season-To Think About the Environment
Well, here we are approaching the holidays again—and shopping. What’s it going to be? More plastic bags for your purchases, or have you really reformed and carry your reusable bags everywhere?
In earlier blogs, I’ve given good reasons for eschewing plastic bags. At this time of year, when we are searching our databanks for cool, yet inexpensive gift ideas, think about giving the gift that keeps on giving—to our environment: give all your friends and relatives good quality reusable, washable bags. I have a pile of bags in every car that I’ve accumulated over the years at conferences, trade shows, and ecology events. My favorite ones came as gifts:
• My friend Kathy made me two large cloth bags with sturdy handles. She stenciled flowers on them and they are darling; plus, they hold a lot! I just throw them in the washing machine.
• My sister Beth bought each of us a sturdy canvas tote on which she had stenciled a big peace symbol (yep, we’re Baby Boomers, all right).
• I bought string bags for my nieces and nephews to get them on the road to reusables.
Cloth bags are a palette to unleash your artistic talents. You can put anything memorable on them, even family pictures. How’s this: give your younger brother a big tote bag with his naked baby picture on it. His kids will think it’s hilarious.
If you’d rather branch out, you can go to www.Reusablebags.com and pick out any number of environmentally friendly products for kids, adults, athletes, seniors. Some of their really neat things include:
• Fun-print nylon-lined Velcro lunch baggies (Do you know how many of those throw-away lunch baggies a family goes through in a year? Trailer-loads)
• Nalgene water bottles
• Big totes and string bags
• Thermal coffee mugs that go in the dishwasher and microwave (I love mine)
• Sippy cups for the tots
• Camping cookware
• Silverware
• Christmas drawstring wrapping bags.
If you are going to make tote bags, get some Christmas fabric, some bias tape or ribbon, and make your own drawstring package wrapping. Your gift recipients will love them and are guaranteed to regift at least the wrapping. They are so simple to make.
There are so many ways we can reduce waste and increase personal connections with a little thought. Let me know if you use any of these ideas.
In earlier blogs, I’ve given good reasons for eschewing plastic bags. At this time of year, when we are searching our databanks for cool, yet inexpensive gift ideas, think about giving the gift that keeps on giving—to our environment: give all your friends and relatives good quality reusable, washable bags. I have a pile of bags in every car that I’ve accumulated over the years at conferences, trade shows, and ecology events. My favorite ones came as gifts:
• My friend Kathy made me two large cloth bags with sturdy handles. She stenciled flowers on them and they are darling; plus, they hold a lot! I just throw them in the washing machine.
• My sister Beth bought each of us a sturdy canvas tote on which she had stenciled a big peace symbol (yep, we’re Baby Boomers, all right).
• I bought string bags for my nieces and nephews to get them on the road to reusables.
Cloth bags are a palette to unleash your artistic talents. You can put anything memorable on them, even family pictures. How’s this: give your younger brother a big tote bag with his naked baby picture on it. His kids will think it’s hilarious.
If you’d rather branch out, you can go to www.Reusablebags.com and pick out any number of environmentally friendly products for kids, adults, athletes, seniors. Some of their really neat things include:
• Fun-print nylon-lined Velcro lunch baggies (Do you know how many of those throw-away lunch baggies a family goes through in a year? Trailer-loads)
• Nalgene water bottles
• Big totes and string bags
• Thermal coffee mugs that go in the dishwasher and microwave (I love mine)
• Sippy cups for the tots
• Camping cookware
• Silverware
• Christmas drawstring wrapping bags.
If you are going to make tote bags, get some Christmas fabric, some bias tape or ribbon, and make your own drawstring package wrapping. Your gift recipients will love them and are guaranteed to regift at least the wrapping. They are so simple to make.
There are so many ways we can reduce waste and increase personal connections with a little thought. Let me know if you use any of these ideas.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Around the World in Discarded Plastic Bags
Africa has some wonderfully strange smells, sights, cultures, and customs. It also has some very familiar sights such as plastic bag litter. We visited a bustling market in Mindelo, Cape Verde Islands. Here, people shop for food daily and plan meals around what is fresh and readily available. We didn’t see one person there with reusable bags. They all got the cheap plastic bags from the vendors, and they are doing this daily. Where do you think all these bags end up? There and everywhere else we visited in West Africa, they ended up on the ground, in pits, and in waterways, wending their way out to sea. There they end up in the craws of sea turtles, birds, and fish, eventually strangling them.
Other plastic debris is just as ubiquitous. Bottle caps, rings off bottles, even disposable lighters have ended up in the stomachs of birds that died. Our love affair with plastics and disposables in general is killing wildlife and trashing our world. Plastics have become the babies of the third world where money is scarce and the per capita annual income is around $200. Plastic is cheap to produce and so more readily available for the indigent.
This is an issue that deserves some attention. Plastic bags can be easily replaced by cloth bags for shopping in these cultures where they make their own cloth, if they had a reason to do so. But plastic bags are handy and free. We’re making great headway with plastic bag litter, and some with other disposables in the United States, but hardly any in these forgotten parts of the world we come so far to visit. How do we choose between malaria eradication and plastic bag litter? It’s not even a contest.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Plastics Decompose Faster in the Sea, But Not in a Good Way
Something else to think about when you think of throwing your Styrofoam coffee cup or other plastic debris out the car window. It may well find its way into storm drains, down waterways, and out to the sea.
While common lore tells us that plastic is fairly indestructible in nature, a new study shows that bodies of salt water are an exception. In oceans, plastics seem to decompose fairly rapidly and release toxic by-products into the water, or the sea creatures that ingest them. This is the first study to look at what happens over the years to billions of pounds of plastic waste floating in our oceans, like the two-Texas-sized “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” floating between California and Hawaii.
Study lead researcher Katsuhiko Saido, Ph.D., reported at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) this month, and was met with surprise from scientists who always believed that plastics in the oceans were mostly a hazard to marine animals that eat or become ensnared in them. Saido reported that in Japan alone, as much as 150,000 tons of plastic debris, mostly Styrofoam, wash up on their shores each year.
Saido, a chemist with the College of Pharmacy, Nihon University, Chiba, Japan, and his team found that when plastic decomposes, it releases bisphenol A (BPA) and PS oligomer into the water. BPA and PS oligomer are of concern because they can disrupt the functioning of hormones in animals and can seriously affect reproductive systems.
Saido described a new method to simulate the breakdown of plastic products at low temperatures, such as those found in the oceans. The process involves modeling plastic decomposition at room temperature, removing heat from the plastic and then using a liquid to extract the BPA and PS oligomer. The study team was able to degrade the Styrofoam in the lab, mimicking conditions in the sea, and discovered that three new compounds not found in nature formed: styrene monomer (SM), styrene dimer (SD) and styrene trimer (ST). SM is a known carcinogen and SD and ST are suspected in causing cancer.
SOURCE: American Chemical Society (ACS)
While common lore tells us that plastic is fairly indestructible in nature, a new study shows that bodies of salt water are an exception. In oceans, plastics seem to decompose fairly rapidly and release toxic by-products into the water, or the sea creatures that ingest them. This is the first study to look at what happens over the years to billions of pounds of plastic waste floating in our oceans, like the two-Texas-sized “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” floating between California and Hawaii.
Study lead researcher Katsuhiko Saido, Ph.D., reported at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) this month, and was met with surprise from scientists who always believed that plastics in the oceans were mostly a hazard to marine animals that eat or become ensnared in them. Saido reported that in Japan alone, as much as 150,000 tons of plastic debris, mostly Styrofoam, wash up on their shores each year.
Saido, a chemist with the College of Pharmacy, Nihon University, Chiba, Japan, and his team found that when plastic decomposes, it releases bisphenol A (BPA) and PS oligomer into the water. BPA and PS oligomer are of concern because they can disrupt the functioning of hormones in animals and can seriously affect reproductive systems.
Saido described a new method to simulate the breakdown of plastic products at low temperatures, such as those found in the oceans. The process involves modeling plastic decomposition at room temperature, removing heat from the plastic and then using a liquid to extract the BPA and PS oligomer. The study team was able to degrade the Styrofoam in the lab, mimicking conditions in the sea, and discovered that three new compounds not found in nature formed: styrene monomer (SM), styrene dimer (SD) and styrene trimer (ST). SM is a known carcinogen and SD and ST are suspected in causing cancer.
SOURCE: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Plastic Bags Around the World
Nothing much has happened lately in the struggle to reduce plastic bag litter. When I walk into the grocery store and pass someone coming out with a shopping basket piled high with plastic bag-wrapped groceries, I groan inwardly. What I want to do is to stop them, slap them around a little, and tell them to wake up and look at the pictures of what they are creating! But because I was not brought up like that, I don't. It helps just to think about it.
Soon, I will be leaving on a trip to 16 countries, 12 of them in Africa. I will be keeping track of all the plastic bag litter we encounter and bringing back pictures illustrating this problem. Sometimes, a picture is worth 1000 words. What I would ask is for everyone who reads this to really look at what litter is doing to this country, but even worse underdeveloped countries of the world. Perhaps it will sour our taste for convenience and disposables. I truly hope so.
Soon, I will be leaving on a trip to 16 countries, 12 of them in Africa. I will be keeping track of all the plastic bag litter we encounter and bringing back pictures illustrating this problem. Sometimes, a picture is worth 1000 words. What I would ask is for everyone who reads this to really look at what litter is doing to this country, but even worse underdeveloped countries of the world. Perhaps it will sour our taste for convenience and disposables. I truly hope so.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Plastic Bags: Popular Myths and Their Truths
Myth: Bag fees don’t change human behavior
Truth: They don’t if they are too small. A nickel a bag doesn’t change behavior but $0.20 or $0.25 a bag does. While smaller bag fees provide funds for municipalities, they don’t cause enough pain to get people to mend their ways.
Myth: Our city doesn’t have a litter problem
Truth: Wake up! You just aren’t seeing it, or your residents are dumping them in someone else’s back yard. Through storm sewers and waterways, they find their way to the coast and beyond, impacting large numbers of wildlife.
Myth: Charging for something previously free is unconstitutional.
Truth: You are paying for them in higher prices at the checkout and in the petroleum products used to make them.
Myth: We reuse our plastic bags for other things like pet litter and lining wastebaskets, so they make sense.
Truth: They have their uses, but if you buy pet litter bags, they are biodegradable and you only buy what you will use.
Myth: Recycling makes more sense than charging for bags.
Truth: Do the math. It costs $34/ton to make them, and $4,000 to recycle them. At most, only 3% of bags are recycled.
Myth: Why single out plastic bags with fees? Paper bags are resource-intensive, too.
Truth: Plastic bag tax laws also include paper bags. The behavior we’re seeking is bringing your own sturdy reusable bags.
Myth: Reusable bags are so unsanitary, they will spread disease.
Truth: Yeah, right. Obviously anything reusable (like our clothes) has to be washed periodically. Throw them in with a load of towels or whatever.
Myth: It’s uncool to bring your own bags. You look miserly.
Truth: In Ireland, as soon as the plastic bag tax passed, anyone carrying plastic bags became socially unacceptable. If carrying around old tote bags with company logos on them bothers you, make some of your own and design your statement, or flowers, or whatever. If you have your own business, put YOUR logo on your bags and get free press.
- (excerpted from Reusablebags.com)
Truth: They don’t if they are too small. A nickel a bag doesn’t change behavior but $0.20 or $0.25 a bag does. While smaller bag fees provide funds for municipalities, they don’t cause enough pain to get people to mend their ways.
Myth: Our city doesn’t have a litter problem
Truth: Wake up! You just aren’t seeing it, or your residents are dumping them in someone else’s back yard. Through storm sewers and waterways, they find their way to the coast and beyond, impacting large numbers of wildlife.
Myth: Charging for something previously free is unconstitutional.
Truth: You are paying for them in higher prices at the checkout and in the petroleum products used to make them.
Myth: We reuse our plastic bags for other things like pet litter and lining wastebaskets, so they make sense.
Truth: They have their uses, but if you buy pet litter bags, they are biodegradable and you only buy what you will use.
Myth: Recycling makes more sense than charging for bags.
Truth: Do the math. It costs $34/ton to make them, and $4,000 to recycle them. At most, only 3% of bags are recycled.
Myth: Why single out plastic bags with fees? Paper bags are resource-intensive, too.
Truth: Plastic bag tax laws also include paper bags. The behavior we’re seeking is bringing your own sturdy reusable bags.
Myth: Reusable bags are so unsanitary, they will spread disease.
Truth: Yeah, right. Obviously anything reusable (like our clothes) has to be washed periodically. Throw them in with a load of towels or whatever.
Myth: It’s uncool to bring your own bags. You look miserly.
Truth: In Ireland, as soon as the plastic bag tax passed, anyone carrying plastic bags became socially unacceptable. If carrying around old tote bags with company logos on them bothers you, make some of your own and design your statement, or flowers, or whatever. If you have your own business, put YOUR logo on your bags and get free press.
- (excerpted from Reusablebags.com)
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Filling the World with Trash
Each year, I come out to our place in the high plains in Colorado and pick up the trash dumped in this pristine environment. Next season I come back, and it’s back. Our country is pretty enlightened about trash disposal. When people toss their trash from their cars, it’s not because they don’t have anywhere else to put it. It’s because they don’t care that they are taking away from the scenic beauty and putting wildlife at risk. That’s both an educational and penalty issue.
In developing parts of the world, more often the problem is the lack of safe disposal sites for trash. In some villages in Africa we’ve visited, a hole is dug to get clay for pottery, and it becomes the new town landfill. But also in the most remote areas, there is no plastic trash to dispose of. They have no access to it.
In other areas, particularly near waterways, access to plastic bags is plentiful, but access to trash disposal is not. People are trying to subsist and are not thinking about trashing their world. They are thinking about surviving it. Where in our priorities is reduction of non-biodegradable trash and containment of vermin-attracting dumps? My friend Sue took this picture of plastic bag litter in Siem Reap, Cambodia, jumping-off place for the famed Angkor Wat. People travel from all over the world to see these fabled temples, but they don’t come to see this. More to the point, the people living there should have a better, healthier environment. How do we make that happen, and become catalysts for change—all over the world?
Become informed. Visit some of the following websites and get involved:
www.commondreams.org
www.bagsmart.com.au
http://plasticbags.planetark.org
In developing parts of the world, more often the problem is the lack of safe disposal sites for trash. In some villages in Africa we’ve visited, a hole is dug to get clay for pottery, and it becomes the new town landfill. But also in the most remote areas, there is no plastic trash to dispose of. They have no access to it.
In other areas, particularly near waterways, access to plastic bags is plentiful, but access to trash disposal is not. People are trying to subsist and are not thinking about trashing their world. They are thinking about surviving it. Where in our priorities is reduction of non-biodegradable trash and containment of vermin-attracting dumps? My friend Sue took this picture of plastic bag litter in Siem Reap, Cambodia, jumping-off place for the famed Angkor Wat. People travel from all over the world to see these fabled temples, but they don’t come to see this. More to the point, the people living there should have a better, healthier environment. How do we make that happen, and become catalysts for change—all over the world?
Become informed. Visit some of the following websites and get involved:
www.commondreams.org
www.bagsmart.com.au
http://plasticbags.planetark.org
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Why I Bother
Last week was Operation Brightside in our area of the city. A day for armies of volunteers to clean up, spruce up, and flower up our urban landscape. Because it also coincided with the University of Michigan Alumni Association's Community Day of Service, we "volunteered" the St. Louis Chapter to be our clean-up crew. With 16 hardy souls, we picked up trash from blocks and blocks of our neighborhood. The next day, when we walked to the park along one of our routes, it was all back. Trash sprouts like grass in our corner of the world.
The St. Louis County Executive says he spends $5 million a year on crews and equipment to pick up roadside trash. What's wrong with this picture? Why are so many people so oblivious of the environmental and emotional harm they cause by trashing our neighborhoods? It's hard to feel at home or in love with a place when you are skirting plastic bags, MacDonald's wrappers, and dirty diapers.
And so we clean, day in and day out, to do something for the home we have adopted in the city. It matters to me. It should matter to every individual who calls this city home. We should all fiercely defend it and take care of it. So far, it's the only planet we have.
The St. Louis County Executive says he spends $5 million a year on crews and equipment to pick up roadside trash. What's wrong with this picture? Why are so many people so oblivious of the environmental and emotional harm they cause by trashing our neighborhoods? It's hard to feel at home or in love with a place when you are skirting plastic bags, MacDonald's wrappers, and dirty diapers.
And so we clean, day in and day out, to do something for the home we have adopted in the city. It matters to me. It should matter to every individual who calls this city home. We should all fiercely defend it and take care of it. So far, it's the only planet we have.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
World Water Day
Just in from ReusableBags.com:
This Sunday, March 22, is World Water Day - Established by the UN in 1993, it's an international day of observance and action to make safe, clean water available to all. In the developed world, our addiction to single-serving water bottles undermines responsible use of water and diverts our attention from investing in public tap water systems and home filtration.
If we each committed to making a difference today, by purchasing a high-quality, safe reusable water bottle for each member of our families, we can save both money and natural resources. I bought two 16-oz nalgene bottles that are made from safe plastics and can be used over and over. They fit into a car cup holder and have a cap on a tether that can be looped around a backpack or belt.
1.5 million barrels of oil is used annually to produce plastic water bottles for America alone - enough to fuel some 100,000 U.S. cars for a year.
Americans will buy an estimated 25 billion single-serving, plastic water bottles this year. Eight out of 10 (22 billion) will end up in a landfill, according to the Container Recycling Institute
Bottled water is a rip off – American consumers spend an estimated $7 billion on bottled water each year. And the bottles may leach DEHA, a known carcinogen, if used more than once.
Like plastic bags, these bottles will be with us forever since plastic does not biodegrade; rather, it breaks down into smaller and smaller toxic bits that contaminate our soil and waterways.
This Sunday, March 22, is World Water Day - Established by the UN in 1993, it's an international day of observance and action to make safe, clean water available to all. In the developed world, our addiction to single-serving water bottles undermines responsible use of water and diverts our attention from investing in public tap water systems and home filtration.
If we each committed to making a difference today, by purchasing a high-quality, safe reusable water bottle for each member of our families, we can save both money and natural resources. I bought two 16-oz nalgene bottles that are made from safe plastics and can be used over and over. They fit into a car cup holder and have a cap on a tether that can be looped around a backpack or belt.
1.5 million barrels of oil is used annually to produce plastic water bottles for America alone - enough to fuel some 100,000 U.S. cars for a year.
Americans will buy an estimated 25 billion single-serving, plastic water bottles this year. Eight out of 10 (22 billion) will end up in a landfill, according to the Container Recycling Institute
Bottled water is a rip off – American consumers spend an estimated $7 billion on bottled water each year. And the bottles may leach DEHA, a known carcinogen, if used more than once.
Like plastic bags, these bottles will be with us forever since plastic does not biodegrade; rather, it breaks down into smaller and smaller toxic bits that contaminate our soil and waterways.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Saving Money--What's the Downside?
Let’s face it. We’re strapped. Every penny counts. Wise saving extends our efforts from the home front to the globe. Here are some practical statistics from Reusablebags.com about cost savings.
Thermal coffee mugs:
By buying and using a reusable coffee/beverage mg, we can really make a difference. Americans discard 130 billion paper cups every year. By using my own cup, I can take coffee to go on my walks to clients and save. One estimate for those who need their lattes, is a savings of $400/year. At $4 a latte, if I were to stop every day, that would be a savings of $20 a week. For the four months a year, I’m close to a Starbucks, that’s a savings of $320. So for the hardcore coffee drinker who lives in one place, that’s almost $1,000 a year! For those times I want to treat myself to a grande latte, Starbucks gives me $0.10 off my order for bringing your own cup. I just bought two thermal mugs made out of recycled material. They are dishwasher and microwave safe, with no harmful chemicals to leach. I can brew my coffee at home, heat it up in the microwave, and dump the cup into the dishwasher when I get home.
Reusable water bottles:
Whether it’s aluminum or BPA-free polymer, a reusable water bottle, washing and reusing make so much more sense for the environment and for us. Again, I think Reusbablebags.com is low in its savings estimate of $200/year. Ever seen those yuppies wheeling big shrink-wrapped cubes of bottled water out of Costco or Sam’s?
Reusable Sandwich Bags:
Those little plastic sandwich bags add up, both in cost ($85/yr by some estimates) and in landfills. Here, I use a dual approach. I have hard plastic sandwich boxes for carrying sandwiches in a backpack, but I still use plastic sandwich bags for some things. When I do, I use them multiple times, unless they get really messy. When I sit down to make brightly colored cloth gift bags for Christmas presents this next holiday season, I’ll also make some cloth sandwich bags. By buying fabric remnants, I can make them very cheaply, compared to the $6.00 each they want on eco websites.
The trick is to play to your strengths. If you are a seamstress, go for it. If you have access to inexpensive reusables, that would be good, too. Stay aware of areas of your life in which you could economize and help the planet at the same time.
Thermal coffee mugs:
By buying and using a reusable coffee/beverage mg, we can really make a difference. Americans discard 130 billion paper cups every year. By using my own cup, I can take coffee to go on my walks to clients and save. One estimate for those who need their lattes, is a savings of $400/year. At $4 a latte, if I were to stop every day, that would be a savings of $20 a week. For the four months a year, I’m close to a Starbucks, that’s a savings of $320. So for the hardcore coffee drinker who lives in one place, that’s almost $1,000 a year! For those times I want to treat myself to a grande latte, Starbucks gives me $0.10 off my order for bringing your own cup. I just bought two thermal mugs made out of recycled material. They are dishwasher and microwave safe, with no harmful chemicals to leach. I can brew my coffee at home, heat it up in the microwave, and dump the cup into the dishwasher when I get home.
Reusable water bottles:
Whether it’s aluminum or BPA-free polymer, a reusable water bottle, washing and reusing make so much more sense for the environment and for us. Again, I think Reusbablebags.com is low in its savings estimate of $200/year. Ever seen those yuppies wheeling big shrink-wrapped cubes of bottled water out of Costco or Sam’s?
Reusable Sandwich Bags:
Those little plastic sandwich bags add up, both in cost ($85/yr by some estimates) and in landfills. Here, I use a dual approach. I have hard plastic sandwich boxes for carrying sandwiches in a backpack, but I still use plastic sandwich bags for some things. When I do, I use them multiple times, unless they get really messy. When I sit down to make brightly colored cloth gift bags for Christmas presents this next holiday season, I’ll also make some cloth sandwich bags. By buying fabric remnants, I can make them very cheaply, compared to the $6.00 each they want on eco websites.
The trick is to play to your strengths. If you are a seamstress, go for it. If you have access to inexpensive reusables, that would be good, too. Stay aware of areas of your life in which you could economize and help the planet at the same time.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Once Again, Colorado Rides to the Rescue
From the state that brought us bars we can actually breathe in, we have another coup. On Feb 12, a Colorado state senate committee voted 4-3 for a bill that would ban plastic bags in large retail stores within three years. To fears that the bill would drive consumers to paper bags, supporters said the idea was to get customers to tote reusables.
The bag ban was proposed by a teacher and a group of students at Kent Denver School to two Colorado lawmakers, Sen. Jennifer Veiga and Rep. Joe Miklosi, both Denver Democrats, who agreed jointly to sponsor the measure. Kent teacher Paul Gilden and his students sat through the 21/2-hour hearing, and four students testified on behalf of the measure.
A food industry spokesperson questioned why the bill only pertained to retail stores over 10,000 square feet. That made no sense to me either. Colorado lawmakers should take that out. Although large businesses produce the bulk of the plastic bag waste, each store that allows them contributes.
David Allen, of Telluride, Co reported that 26 mountain towns in the West are collaborating on a voluntary initiative to reduce consumption of plastic disposable shopping bags.
Here are the pros and cons raised about passing a plastic bag ban. Some proposed by the senators do not hold water. My comments illustrate why.
Those supporting the plastic bag ban say:
* Global consumption of plastic bags is approximately 5 trillion annually.
* 12 million barrels of oil are required to manufacture 100 billion plastic grocery bags.
* The average family accumulates 50 plastic bags in four trips to the grocery store.
* It costs $4,000 to recycle 1 ton of plastic bags (note: and only $34 to make them, making recycling a totally uneconomical decision).
* Ninety percent of all grocery bags are plastic.
* Plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to degrade.
* Millions of fish, seabirds and mammals die each year because of plastic bags.
Those against the ban say:
* Plastic bags require 40 percent to 70 percent less energy to make than paper bags (translate: cheap for the manufacturer).
* For every seven trucks needed to deliver paper bags, only one truck is needed for the same number of plastic bags (note: no disposable bags = no trucks).
* It takes 91 percent less energy to recycle a pound of plastic than a pound of paper (note: but costs beaucoup bucks).
* The manufacture and use of paper bags generates 70 percent more air emissions than plastic (And why are we making either?).
* Making plastic bags requires less than 4 percent of the water needed to make paper bags (See argument above).
* Plastic bags are fully recyclable and can be made into dozens of products, including fencing, decking and new bags (Again, the economics are against them: $34/ton to make versus $4,000/ton to recycle).
*The main point here is not to compare paper and plastic, but to compare throw-away bags to reusables. All the arguments above result from the plastic bag lobby.
Case Study for Going bag-free
Colorado-based Vitamin Cottage has long banned plastic bags in its stores. By Earth Day, April 22, 2009, all of its 29 stores will be bag-free. Starting in April, customers at all the stores in Colorado, Texas, New Mexico and Utah will have to bring their own reusable bags or take their groceries home in recycled boxes.
Heather Isely, executive vice president for Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, stated: "Grocery bags in general are a huge burden on the environment. We tried incentives. Unfortunately that didn't work. It seems like people respond to the negative. Imposing a bag tax (in Ireland and elsewhere) has produced significant results." During each of two walks yesterday in the city, I can home to find a (different) plastic bag on my front lawn. Naturally, I used it to pick up the other trash. Is that an argument for having them? We can use them to hold all the other trash discarded along our sidewalks and streets?
The bag ban was proposed by a teacher and a group of students at Kent Denver School to two Colorado lawmakers, Sen. Jennifer Veiga and Rep. Joe Miklosi, both Denver Democrats, who agreed jointly to sponsor the measure. Kent teacher Paul Gilden and his students sat through the 21/2-hour hearing, and four students testified on behalf of the measure.
A food industry spokesperson questioned why the bill only pertained to retail stores over 10,000 square feet. That made no sense to me either. Colorado lawmakers should take that out. Although large businesses produce the bulk of the plastic bag waste, each store that allows them contributes.
David Allen, of Telluride, Co reported that 26 mountain towns in the West are collaborating on a voluntary initiative to reduce consumption of plastic disposable shopping bags.
Here are the pros and cons raised about passing a plastic bag ban. Some proposed by the senators do not hold water. My comments illustrate why.
Those supporting the plastic bag ban say:
* Global consumption of plastic bags is approximately 5 trillion annually.
* 12 million barrels of oil are required to manufacture 100 billion plastic grocery bags.
* The average family accumulates 50 plastic bags in four trips to the grocery store.
* It costs $4,000 to recycle 1 ton of plastic bags (note: and only $34 to make them, making recycling a totally uneconomical decision).
* Ninety percent of all grocery bags are plastic.
* Plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to degrade.
* Millions of fish, seabirds and mammals die each year because of plastic bags.
Those against the ban say:
* Plastic bags require 40 percent to 70 percent less energy to make than paper bags (translate: cheap for the manufacturer).
* For every seven trucks needed to deliver paper bags, only one truck is needed for the same number of plastic bags (note: no disposable bags = no trucks).
* It takes 91 percent less energy to recycle a pound of plastic than a pound of paper (note: but costs beaucoup bucks).
* The manufacture and use of paper bags generates 70 percent more air emissions than plastic (And why are we making either?).
* Making plastic bags requires less than 4 percent of the water needed to make paper bags (See argument above).
* Plastic bags are fully recyclable and can be made into dozens of products, including fencing, decking and new bags (Again, the economics are against them: $34/ton to make versus $4,000/ton to recycle).
*The main point here is not to compare paper and plastic, but to compare throw-away bags to reusables. All the arguments above result from the plastic bag lobby.
Case Study for Going bag-free
Colorado-based Vitamin Cottage has long banned plastic bags in its stores. By Earth Day, April 22, 2009, all of its 29 stores will be bag-free. Starting in April, customers at all the stores in Colorado, Texas, New Mexico and Utah will have to bring their own reusable bags or take their groceries home in recycled boxes.
Heather Isely, executive vice president for Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, stated: "Grocery bags in general are a huge burden on the environment. We tried incentives. Unfortunately that didn't work. It seems like people respond to the negative. Imposing a bag tax (in Ireland and elsewhere) has produced significant results." During each of two walks yesterday in the city, I can home to find a (different) plastic bag on my front lawn. Naturally, I used it to pick up the other trash. Is that an argument for having them? We can use them to hold all the other trash discarded along our sidewalks and streets?
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Top 10 Tips for a Less Wasteful 2009 from ReusableBags.com
Top 10 Tips for A Less Wasteful 2009 From ReusableBags.com:
One of our resolutions should always be to create less waste. The ReusableBags.com site has their top ten wasters we can improve on. They have some great products. I will probably make my own on some of these. The added benefit is saving money!
#10: Ditch the dryer sheets. Sure they are easy but they clog up lint filters over time, and add chemicals many people have allergies to. They have a product called dryer balls that can be used over and over to soften clothes and remove static cling without chemicals. These-I will get!
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/nellies-allnatural-dryerballs-p-1433.html
#9: Bring your own cup. Most coffee places, even truck stops will refill your cup. Then you aren’t thowing away more Styrofoam or paper. I do this on long road trips because it keeps my coffee hot longer (or a cold drink colder).
#8: Use a reusable utensil. Instead of throwing away plastic silverware along the way, consider having your own knife, fork, and spoon in your bag. It may end up being more sanitary in some eating venues. Small sets are available at camping stores, and ReusableBags.com has some of their own: http://www.reusablebags.com/store/lunch-bags-utensils-more-c-4_28.html
#7: Bag the sandwich baggie: We throw tons of plastic sandwich and snack bags away every year. Cloth bags can be washed and reused. Again, you can get some ideas from here:
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/lunch-bags-sandwich-snack-bags-c-4_13.html
#6: Kick the water bottle habit. Save money and natural resources by saying 'no' to disposable juice bottles and sport drinks, by filtering and flavoring your own and using reusable bottles.
#5: Say “No” to gift wrap. Says ReusableBags.com: Reusable gift bags are a smart, sustainable alternative to disposable paper gift wrap. From production to consumption and disposal, paper gift wrap generates enormous waste (each year a staggering $5 billion worth of gift wrap is tossed in the trash.) Reusable gift bags save natural resources and money, too. When you restore the tradition of using cloth gift bags, you inspire others to do the same. You can make your own with fun cottons or some of theirs:
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/gift-bags-c-29.html
#4: Reuse the plastic bags you do have, by rinsing out, turning inside out, and drying.
#3: BYO Bottle: Carry a BPA-free reusable water bottle with you to refill.
#2: Pack a sustainable lunch. From sandwich bags to utensils to cloth napkins (I mean, aren’t we worth it?) to insulated lunch bags, it can all be reusable. And my personal favorite:
#1: Always carry a reusable shopping bag with you. If it’s in the car in sight, you’ll remember to take it into whatever store you visit.
One of our resolutions should always be to create less waste. The ReusableBags.com site has their top ten wasters we can improve on. They have some great products. I will probably make my own on some of these. The added benefit is saving money!
#10: Ditch the dryer sheets. Sure they are easy but they clog up lint filters over time, and add chemicals many people have allergies to. They have a product called dryer balls that can be used over and over to soften clothes and remove static cling without chemicals. These-I will get!
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/nellies-allnatural-dryerballs-p-1433.html
#9: Bring your own cup. Most coffee places, even truck stops will refill your cup. Then you aren’t thowing away more Styrofoam or paper. I do this on long road trips because it keeps my coffee hot longer (or a cold drink colder).
#8: Use a reusable utensil. Instead of throwing away plastic silverware along the way, consider having your own knife, fork, and spoon in your bag. It may end up being more sanitary in some eating venues. Small sets are available at camping stores, and ReusableBags.com has some of their own: http://www.reusablebags.com/store/lunch-bags-utensils-more-c-4_28.html
#7: Bag the sandwich baggie: We throw tons of plastic sandwich and snack bags away every year. Cloth bags can be washed and reused. Again, you can get some ideas from here:
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/lunch-bags-sandwich-snack-bags-c-4_13.html
#6: Kick the water bottle habit. Save money and natural resources by saying 'no' to disposable juice bottles and sport drinks, by filtering and flavoring your own and using reusable bottles.
#5: Say “No” to gift wrap. Says ReusableBags.com: Reusable gift bags are a smart, sustainable alternative to disposable paper gift wrap. From production to consumption and disposal, paper gift wrap generates enormous waste (each year a staggering $5 billion worth of gift wrap is tossed in the trash.) Reusable gift bags save natural resources and money, too. When you restore the tradition of using cloth gift bags, you inspire others to do the same. You can make your own with fun cottons or some of theirs:
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/gift-bags-c-29.html
#4: Reuse the plastic bags you do have, by rinsing out, turning inside out, and drying.
#3: Carry a BPA-free reusable water bottle with you to refill.
#2: Pack a sustainable lunch. From sandwich bags to utensils to cloth napkins (I mean, aren’t we worth it?) to insulated lunch bags, it can all be reusable. And my personal favorite:
#1: Always carry a reusable shopping bag with you. If it’s in the car in sight, you’ll remember to take it into whatever store you visit.
One of our resolutions should always be to create less waste. The ReusableBags.com site has their top ten wasters we can improve on. They have some great products. I will probably make my own on some of these. The added benefit is saving money!
#10: Ditch the dryer sheets. Sure they are easy but they clog up lint filters over time, and add chemicals many people have allergies to. They have a product called dryer balls that can be used over and over to soften clothes and remove static cling without chemicals. These-I will get!
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/nellies-allnatural-dryerballs-p-1433.html
#9: Bring your own cup. Most coffee places, even truck stops will refill your cup. Then you aren’t thowing away more Styrofoam or paper. I do this on long road trips because it keeps my coffee hot longer (or a cold drink colder).
#8: Use a reusable utensil. Instead of throwing away plastic silverware along the way, consider having your own knife, fork, and spoon in your bag. It may end up being more sanitary in some eating venues. Small sets are available at camping stores, and ReusableBags.com has some of their own: http://www.reusablebags.com/store/lunch-bags-utensils-more-c-4_28.html
#7: Bag the sandwich baggie: We throw tons of plastic sandwich and snack bags away every year. Cloth bags can be washed and reused. Again, you can get some ideas from here:
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/lunch-bags-sandwich-snack-bags-c-4_13.html
#6: Kick the water bottle habit. Save money and natural resources by saying 'no' to disposable juice bottles and sport drinks, by filtering and flavoring your own and using reusable bottles.
#5: Say “No” to gift wrap. Says ReusableBags.com: Reusable gift bags are a smart, sustainable alternative to disposable paper gift wrap. From production to consumption and disposal, paper gift wrap generates enormous waste (each year a staggering $5 billion worth of gift wrap is tossed in the trash.) Reusable gift bags save natural resources and money, too. When you restore the tradition of using cloth gift bags, you inspire others to do the same. You can make your own with fun cottons or some of theirs:
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/gift-bags-c-29.html
#4: Reuse the plastic bags you do have, by rinsing out, turning inside out, and drying.
#3: BYO Bottle: Carry a BPA-free reusable water bottle with you to refill.
#2: Pack a sustainable lunch. From sandwich bags to utensils to cloth napkins (I mean, aren’t we worth it?) to insulated lunch bags, it can all be reusable. And my personal favorite:
#1: Always carry a reusable shopping bag with you. If it’s in the car in sight, you’ll remember to take it into whatever store you visit.
One of our resolutions should always be to create less waste. The ReusableBags.com site has their top ten wasters we can improve on. They have some great products. I will probably make my own on some of these. The added benefit is saving money!
#10: Ditch the dryer sheets. Sure they are easy but they clog up lint filters over time, and add chemicals many people have allergies to. They have a product called dryer balls that can be used over and over to soften clothes and remove static cling without chemicals. These-I will get!
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/nellies-allnatural-dryerballs-p-1433.html
#9: Bring your own cup. Most coffee places, even truck stops will refill your cup. Then you aren’t thowing away more Styrofoam or paper. I do this on long road trips because it keeps my coffee hot longer (or a cold drink colder).
#8: Use a reusable utensil. Instead of throwing away plastic silverware along the way, consider having your own knife, fork, and spoon in your bag. It may end up being more sanitary in some eating venues. Small sets are available at camping stores, and ReusableBags.com has some of their own: http://www.reusablebags.com/store/lunch-bags-utensils-more-c-4_28.html
#7: Bag the sandwich baggie: We throw tons of plastic sandwich and snack bags away every year. Cloth bags can be washed and reused. Again, you can get some ideas from here:
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/lunch-bags-sandwich-snack-bags-c-4_13.html
#6: Kick the water bottle habit. Save money and natural resources by saying 'no' to disposable juice bottles and sport drinks, by filtering and flavoring your own and using reusable bottles.
#5: Say “No” to gift wrap. Says ReusableBags.com: Reusable gift bags are a smart, sustainable alternative to disposable paper gift wrap. From production to consumption and disposal, paper gift wrap generates enormous waste (each year a staggering $5 billion worth of gift wrap is tossed in the trash.) Reusable gift bags save natural resources and money, too. When you restore the tradition of using cloth gift bags, you inspire others to do the same. You can make your own with fun cottons or some of theirs:
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/gift-bags-c-29.html
#4: Reuse the plastic bags you do have, by rinsing out, turning inside out, and drying.
#3: Carry a BPA-free reusable water bottle with you to refill.
#2: Pack a sustainable lunch. From sandwich bags to utensils to cloth napkins (I mean, aren’t we worth it?) to insulated lunch bags, it can all be reusable. And my personal favorite:
#1: Always carry a reusable shopping bag with you. If it’s in the car in sight, you’ll remember to take it into whatever store you visit.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Something New Has Been Added
Just as the seconds of our lives are ticking away, we are amassing a huge ecological debt of disposable plastic bags. Up the in the right hand corner of the blog the number of plastic bags used (and discarded) are growing at an alarming rate. Our thanks to ReusableBags.com for their help in illustrating the magnitude of this problem.
Farther down on the right sidebar, you will see a link to their store where you can purchase a wide variety of eco-friendly reusable products. 1% of their sales goes to environmental projects, beyond the activism they have assumed to get the word out worldwide about how we are trashing the only planet we have.
Farther down on the right sidebar, you will see a link to their store where you can purchase a wide variety of eco-friendly reusable products. 1% of their sales goes to environmental projects, beyond the activism they have assumed to get the word out worldwide about how we are trashing the only planet we have.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Strategies for Improving our Planet
So now that you all have your cloth bags handy in your cars, and automatically reach for them before you go into ANY store with an intention to buy something, let’s look at the larger picture.
I live in the city where trash is as ubiquitous as flowers in the spring and snow in the winter. No matter how often I pick it up, it resprouts. Here’s an idea, whether you are walking in the neighborhood or out on a trail somewhere:
Take a bag with you. I have some really lightweight cloth bags that will crumple up and stuff into a pocket or waist pack. Stuff a bag in along with your other stuff. Then pick up trash as you go and dump it in the first available trash bin. I’ve regretted several times not having a bag with me when I was out in some pristine wilderness that some jackass thought could be improved by his (or her) empty beer cans. Pick them up, take them home to recycle, and make the walk more pleasant for the next hiker.
In the city, I don’t have a bag large enough, but since I walk almost every day, I do a little at a time. One bag full is an improvement. Sometimes I find a plastic bag along the way (big surprise here!) so I can fill two. So you look like a bag lady to passer-bys, you are also setting an example. And sometimes, examples catch on. If enough people see you picking up trash, they may think twice about throwing it. It shows someone cares enough about the neighborhood to try to improve it.
With all the other really serious problems in our world, just making it look better can make us a little happier while we’re working on those. Urban studies have consistently shown that cleaning up blighted areas, painting over graffiti, etc., reduce crime in those areas. Since I’m living in a crimeful city, I’m all over that one! Plan ahead next time you step out for a healthy walk. Take that bag along; the worse that can happen is you won’t see any trash and will just bring it back home. How bad is that?
Tip: Keep those bags separate from the ones you use for groceries and throw them in the wash more often; wash hands thoroughly after trash pick-up. Let’s spruce up our world.
I live in the city where trash is as ubiquitous as flowers in the spring and snow in the winter. No matter how often I pick it up, it resprouts. Here’s an idea, whether you are walking in the neighborhood or out on a trail somewhere:
Take a bag with you. I have some really lightweight cloth bags that will crumple up and stuff into a pocket or waist pack. Stuff a bag in along with your other stuff. Then pick up trash as you go and dump it in the first available trash bin. I’ve regretted several times not having a bag with me when I was out in some pristine wilderness that some jackass thought could be improved by his (or her) empty beer cans. Pick them up, take them home to recycle, and make the walk more pleasant for the next hiker.
In the city, I don’t have a bag large enough, but since I walk almost every day, I do a little at a time. One bag full is an improvement. Sometimes I find a plastic bag along the way (big surprise here!) so I can fill two. So you look like a bag lady to passer-bys, you are also setting an example. And sometimes, examples catch on. If enough people see you picking up trash, they may think twice about throwing it. It shows someone cares enough about the neighborhood to try to improve it.
With all the other really serious problems in our world, just making it look better can make us a little happier while we’re working on those. Urban studies have consistently shown that cleaning up blighted areas, painting over graffiti, etc., reduce crime in those areas. Since I’m living in a crimeful city, I’m all over that one! Plan ahead next time you step out for a healthy walk. Take that bag along; the worse that can happen is you won’t see any trash and will just bring it back home. How bad is that?
Tip: Keep those bags separate from the ones you use for groceries and throw them in the wash more often; wash hands thoroughly after trash pick-up. Let’s spruce up our world.
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