Living Plastic Free

Progress Report: Year Two

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:49:00 +0000

Hello little blog. Have you been lonesome without me?

I’ve been busy…but still living the NoNewPlastic Pledge. In fact I’ve just finished YearTwo of the Pledge. My 2008 plastic consumption weighs in at meager .42 kg, that’s less than 1 pound. About the same as my Year One usage.

I’m proof positive it can be done. And if I can do it, so can everyone else.

Choosing to not choose plastic is just a part of everyday life for me now. No different than my choice to be a vegetarian. Sure, you have to deny yourself some stuff and your choices are more limited. But what’s good for the planet is more important than what’s good for you or me.

Afterall, it's good to limit your choices in life. Dieting gurus say if you want to stay skinny and healthy then ‘only shop the outer perimeter of a supermarket’ – because all the crap that’s bad for you are in the aisles. Choosing to not buy plastic is just another way for you to limit your choices and keep the planet healthy. And surprisingly, you tend to shop the outer perimeter of the supermarket – in my case the produce, bread and bulk food sections, because all the plastic packaged stuff that's bad for the planet is in the aisles.

I think we’ve just got too many choices. And that’s why we want so much stuff. When I walk into MegaStores it irritates me that there is that much crap out there in the world for people to buy. All that choice and all that stuff means Nature has been pillaged because EVERYTHING COMES FROM NATURE.

Now this next part is going to be a UberHypocritical so prepare yourself….there are so many choices out there…that you can usually find a plastic-free choice. (Choice is bad. Choice is good...see told you I'm a hypocrite) Oh sure, you'll have to don your hunting vest and go on a quest for plastic-free alternatives...but trust me, they are there. And once you know where they are, shopping gets easier. Taking the NoNewPlastic Pledge has opened my life up to new choices. Choices that are better for the planet. And they’ve even been better for me too.

Oh sure, I really miss some things, like nail polish, pantyhose, Cadbury chocolate bars, Cadbury mint chocolate bars, fake-chicken nuggets, potato chips, rice cakes, frozen pizza….hell…all frozen food, oh yeah, and especially tofu. (Yeah, it’s a weird list..but it’s MY list).

But I’ve discovered other wonderful things…like Plant Love Lipstick, and Piaffe Horse Chestnut Body Cream, and Ellis Design shopping bags. Oh, and definitely fruits and veggies. I eat much healthier then I ever did when plastic was in my life. I cook more and have become a food channel and Rouxbe.com groupie. Gotta love that.

The only day to day stuff I haven’t been able to find good quality plastic-free alternatives for are: a toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, hair conditioner. I’ve been using a toothbrush I bought back in 2005 and it’s on the point of disintegration. And my hair is rattier and drier than I’d like. And of course its impossible to find plastic-free alternatives for computers, and phones, and electrical cords. Oh, I miss scotch tape too.

I had 2 big challenges during YearTwo. The first was I had to give up my car. After 19 years of dutiful service, MyLittleCar blew her transmission in the summer and the World’sBestMechanic said ‘EnviroWoman, she ain’t worth fixing’. (Ya gotta love a mechanic who puts YOUR pocket book before theirs). So MyLittleCar was retired to the parkade morgue and I’ve been taking transit ever since. Buying a new car would require buying a big hunk of plastic, and EnviroWoman can’t have that. Once every month and a half or so I rent a car and have a mega-errand day, but I take transit for everything else. This was just a natural progression from my ActofGreen made long ago to take transit to work each day. Adding weekends was just a way to take that ActofGreen to the next level. In 2009 I’ll probably try a car cooperative and see how that works.

The second big challenge was having to postpone renovations on MyLittleAbode. Renos would require buying things made of or packaged in tons of plastic – like light fixtures, flooring, glues and appliances. I’ve put renovations off for two years now while living the NoNewPlasticPledge…but have to take the plunge, bite the bullet and start them in 2009. EnviroWoman’s inner EcoFreak has ruled for the past two years, but now her inner DesignFreak wants to come out and play.

So what plastic did come into my life in 2008. Three kinds:

Conscious plastic (bought stuff I knew had plastic) – tampon wrappers, deodorant, mascara, clothing tags, produce labels, surgical gloves at the dentist and doctors office, hypodermic syringe/needles for a sick cat, buttons and zippers on clothes, jar caps
Unconscious plastic (forgot to be plastic vigilant) – drink cup from poolside at the Wynn during a trip to Vegas, plastic air-packing bags from an Amazon book order, foam packing from new bathroom sink taps
Friendly plastic (stuff other people gave to me which I couldn’t re-gift to others) – birthday balloons, birthday cake platter, gift cards

I have to thank my friends and family for being so supportive. Most have really jumped on the EnviroWoman bandwagon, put up with my EcoEccentricies (no plastic, no leather/fur, no meat..and now no car) and played along. And I especially want to thank all the retailers I've dealt with who very happily catered to my 'No Plastic Please' requests. Everyone has been grand. EnviroWoman sends big kisses out to all of them. It would have been much harder if they hadn’t been willing to honour the pledge.

So am I gonna take the NoNewPlasticPledge for a third year. You bet. But, I’m calling a moratorium for all of January 2009 so I can buy some of the stuff for renovations and so I can finally buy a decent toothbrush and toothpaste.

I can hardly wait to have minty fresh breath and bleeding gums again.

Top 10 Tips to Reduce Plastic: Tip #2

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 05:28:00 +0000

For those of you who made a New Year’s Resolution to reduce the amount of plastic in your life here's the second of my Top 10 ways to reduce plastic, based on a year’s worth of experience.

Don’t use plastic produce bags.

If you’re committed to Tip #1 (bringing your own bag), which more and more people are, then isn’t it ironic (and counter productive) to put your oranges, and bananas and other produce in plastic produce bags, then stick your plastic bags in a cotton or canvas bag – especially one emblazoned with the words ‘Stop using plastic bags’.

Think about it…How many people have touched that apple on its journey from the tree to the shelf before YOU pick it up. Lots!!! So of course you’re only going to wash it when you get home, aren’t you? So just plunk it in your shopping cart and say no to the plastic produce bag.

Now some of you are probably protesting…'Yuck, but there are germs on the checkout conveyer belt!' Hey – guess what – there are germs EVERYWHERE!!!! Wash your stuff when you're home and get over it!

Take it from someone who knows - if you like to flaunt your green lifestyle (as a way to lead by example) this is a great plastic to give up.

Because people will notice.

When you’re at the checkout counter and your apples, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, celery and potatoes are sitting on the conveyer belt, exposed for all to see, instead of shrouded in plastic produce bags – people can’t help notice that what you’re doing is different.

And it makes them think.

Bonus points - If you have a handy wire basket like mine, and carry all the stuff out of the store bare to the world, sans plastic, people notice even more and sometimes will ask 'Where'd you get the basket?’

And when they look at you, it’s with that look that says ‘Great idea’ not with the look that says ‘WhackedOutEcoFreak’.

Ya Gotta Love That!

And now, it's time for another EnviroWoman RANT!
It really bugs me when I walk into our local organic food stores and see people putting their produce in plastic bags.

I'm assuming these people buy organic because they are health conscious and don't want to fill their bodies with chemicals/hormones. Maybe even some of them also don't want to support farmers/factory farms that fill the environment with chemicals/hormones.

Then why oh why are they putting their stuff into plastic produce bags, that eventually make there way to a landfill or worse yet wild places or the ocean – and there - fill the environment with chemicals and hormones.

Oh I know, none of us are perfect. Especially not EnviroWoman. And it’s easy to microscopically criticize the behaviour of others while holding ourselves up on some chaste EcoPedestal, turning a blind eye to our own transgressions.

But it still bugs me!

Top 10 Tips to Reduce Plastic: Tip#1

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 06:08:00 +0000

Bravo if you’ve made a New Year’s Resolution to reduce the amount of plastic in your life. Now that I'm in YearTwo of Living Plastic Free I thought I'd share EnviroWoman’s Top 10 ways to reduce plastic, based on a year’s worth of experience. So here's Tip#1...

Bring your own bag.

When shopping (not just grocery shopping, but for any shopping) take along your own packing bag.

Just make sure it’s made of cotton, canvas or a natural fiber (like these cheeky ones from BringYourOwnBag). A bag made out of nylon (which is plastic) or recycled plastic is still plastic, so in a way, you’re kinda defeating your good intentions.

And if you’re shopping for a big family – bring a box instead of a bag. Hey if it’s okay at Costco, why isn’t it okay for Safeway and IGA?

When grocery shopping EnviroWoman takes her handy wire basket along and uses it to pack her groceries in and out of the store. I LOVE my wire basket. I'm the only person in the supermarket who has one...so it makes me feel like an UberEnviroTrendSetter. (Dillusionary, aren't I?)

She also uses a big canvas bag from Ellis Designs (no plastic handles, or buttons, but alas, a plastic inside pocket zipper), which does double duty as a purse for regular shopping.

There are lots of options to choose from nowadays. Just google 'cloth shopping bag' or 'reusable shopping bag'. Or, attend a local craft sale.

And now it’s time for an EnviroWomanRANT
You may have noticed it's becoming more ‘fashionable’ to bring your own bag. And that’s a great thing.

Big chain stores like Ikea, and SuperStore are even charging for bags or not even offering them, or at least selling a reusable alternative (alas, many of which are nylon-plastic). All good things.

But at the same time, it bugs EnviroWoman. Here’s why...

People think that if they bring their own bag they are doing their part to save the planet. They pat themselves on the back for being ‘green’.

But then they walk into the supermarket and fill their shopping carts with plastic packaged food, buy plastic wrapped coconuts (SpockIllogical), put fruits and veggies in plastic bags, buy bottled water, opt for stuff in a plastic bottles versus glass because 'it’s so much more convenient and safe' (maybe for them, but not for Mother Earth, which in the long means it’s not for them either). And so on, and so on.

Where is the 'green' action in that?

They do not see the irony.

Now, EnviroWoman ain’t no eco-Saint. She admits she didn’t see the irony in this either before taking the NoNewPlasticPledge.

But now EnviroWoman does.

And if you stand really close to her in the checkout line, looking at all those plastic filled shopping carts….you can hear her screaming inside. There is no hope. We humans are a lost cause. The planet is on a FastTrackToDisaster.

Sorry if I burst your EcoBubble here. But let's face it, Tip #1 is not enough.

Bringing your own shopping bag is only a wee baby step on the path that takes you to 'living green'. Truth is....you still have a long, long, long way to go. Lots more behaviours to change. Scary. Sad. But necessary.

Now, don't go give up. Instead, cheer up. 'Cuz chicky-poos you're in good company. EnviroWoman still has a long, long way to go too.

Tip #1 may be a baby step, but it’s still a baby step worth taking.

2007 vs 2006 Plastic

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 21:12:00 +0000

How do I know I’m a WhackedOutEcoFreak?There’s a pile of plastic garbage in my living room.

And that’s because not only did I keep all the plastic I let into my life during 2007 (the wee pile on the right, also known as The2007PlasticShrine, 1 lb 3 oz, also shown here in greater detail), but I also kept all the plastic that was in my life as of Dec 31st 2006 which I continued to use and which is now ready for recycling (the huge pile on the left, also known as 2006Plastic, 24 lbs, 9 oz, ).

My rules allow the continued use of 2006 plastic because to just toss out ALL the plastic I owned when I took the NoNewPlastic pledge would have been extremely wasteful, disrespectful to MotherNature, and quite honestly made homebase a desolate place on Jan 1 2007 – cuz plastic is in everything!!! If I had to find non-plastic replacements for EVERYTHING in my life on Jan 1st I would have never been able to keep my NoNewPlasticPledge until Jan 31st, let alone Dec 31st.

Not quite an apples to apples comparison. Oh well.

If I'd really been planning ahead, I would have started my project January 1st 2006 and spent that year living a normal PlasticAddictedLife and collecting all the plastic I brought into my life. That way I could do an apples to apples comparison of a 2006 plastic lifestyle versus a 2007 NoNewPlastic lifestyle.

But life ain’t ideal. Fabulous. But not ideal. So I thought the next best thing, and most useful comparison was to collect 2006Plastic. A lot of it is plastic bought in 2006, but some of it is from earlier years.

Anyway. Isn’t the difference pretty spectacular!

The PlasticShrine Continues

During YearTwo of the NoNewPlasticPledge I’ll continue to add to the 2006Plastic pile since there’s still lots of 2006Plastic in my life that I’m gradually using up, or just deciding to give up, because I’ve found non-plastic replacements.

I’ll also add a bit to the 2007 pile as plastic I brought into my life during 2007 (like paint and deodorant) gets used up.

And I’ll start a new 2008 pile.

It will be interesting to see how the three piles look on Dec 31, 2008. I’m hoping the transition to a NoNewPlastic lifestyle will be even more evident by then.

The PlasticShrines in an Ideal World

If life were ideal, on Dec 31 2008 the 2006 pile would be huge (demonstrating how successfully I am transitioning my life to completely plastic free), the 2007 pile would stay puny, and the 2008 pile would be even smaller than the 2007 pile.

But quite honestly, with all the home renovations I’ve got planned during 2008, that’s gonna be really, really tough.

PROGRESS REPORT: Year One

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 04:55:00 +0000

I’ve finished YearOne of living the NoNewPlastic pledge. Here’s a picture of the plastic shrine which represents all the new plastic I let into my life during 2007 which is now all used up and ready for recycling or the trash.

To be honest, it’s way, way more than I thought I’d accumulate. I naively thought I’d slam the gates shut on new plastic during 2007, and there would be ZERO plastic in the Shrine. Alas, it was amazing how much snuck into my life. And even more surprising was discovering how many things include plastic which you never really think about - like polyester, nylon and spandex in clothing, and those nasty plastic liners in tin cans.

EnviroWoman’s 2007 Plastic Consumption Stats:

1 lb, 3 oz: total weight of new plastic added to the plastic shrine in 2007. Let's make an 'apples to apples' comparison...every man, woman and child on the planet consumes ~200 pds each year.. And that’s probably much higher if you consider just us plastic-addicted FirstWorld consumers. My guess is that average stat doesn’t include things like paint, and clothing (polyester, nylon, etc). So, I wasn't really sure how to factor in the paint I used. Afterall, it's on the walls, so I can't really add it to the shrine. So I added (but didn't weigh) the paint cans all used up to date (about 19 liters, with another 42 liters still to use in 2008)

0: number of plastic bags EnviroWoman consumed in 2007. Average earthling – 150 bags, average Australian 326, average American 552 to 1267 (depending on the stat you find). EnviroWoman discovered and used only earth-friendly compostable bioplastic bags in 2007.

0: number of plastic bottles EnviroWoman let into her life in 2007. Average person 260 (1999 stat).

~4 oz: weight of plastic film EnviroWoman used. Compared to 3.85 pounds per person per year.

37%: decrease in dollars spent on groceries from Jan-Oct 2007 compared to same period in 2006. Wasn't expecting that. But ooeee....that’s pretty spectacular.

Plastic Perils Between Oct-Dec 2007
Alot of plastic was added in the final quarter of 2007. And that’s because EnviroWoman has been dealing with a lot of DEATH and NearDEATH. And, as with LIFE…DEATH seems to have an affinity for plastic.

NearDeath#1 – MyLittleCar. In an effort to keep the plastic shrine as miniscule as possible, EnviroWoman has postponed painting MyLittleCar after it was a victim of a HitAndLeaveANote, 'cuz car painting requires plastic sheeting. She's even put off buying much needed new tires to replace balding ones, because tires are plastic. But when the 19 year old MyLittleCar failed LaLaLand’s annual AirCareTest, which checks cars for pollutants, she absolutely had to take action. No matter how much plastic it added to the PlasticShrine. MyLittleCar’s dismal report card, was a direct result of KarmicJustice because as EnviroWoman waited in the AirCare line-up, she reviewed her 2006 test results and blatantly and flagrantly boasted aloud ‘LittleCar you ROCK! Look how low last year’s scores were – so way, way below the DangerZone. 6 A+s…and you were 18 years old then. You are SO going to SMOKE this year’s test.” And smoke it did…but not in the way all good environmentalists would hope!!! 4 Fs outta 5. Yes…1…2…3…4 Fs. The shock was enough, but oy vay, there was a big heaping of EnviroGuilt too. Just how many months had MyLittleCar been mega-contributing to Carbonageddon? Bad MyLittleCar – making the icebergs melt. Bad EnviroWoman - being boastful rather than modestly humble. Thankfully, EnviroWoman’s BestEverMechanic (who no kidding, used the words 'catastrophic system failure' when he saw the test results) was able to restore MyLittleCar back to good clean-air health with a new O2 sensor (which thankfully only has a bit of rubber/plastic) and EGR valve (which yipee, has no plastic). ThankGawd, because the big hunk of plastic associated with a new car is something EnviroWoman is not willing to consider while she’s living the NoNewPlasticPledge.
Death #2 – HunkaPoohHardDrive. Most of the pet names I bestow on things are terms of endearment but not so when it comes to my computer. I gotta say, my HP Pavilion is a huge piece of SH_T. So friggin slow. And then to boot, the hard drive and the CD Rom drive go totally kapoot after a little over a year. And, you know what’s coming…..I lost everything!!!! All my blog notes, all my pre-written future blog entries (and these little suckers take 5-20 hours to write), all my financial records, all my emails (including from blog readers), all my files, all my blog passwords, all my pictures….everything. Now you might say ‘EnviroWoman, why didn’t you back up!” Lovies…because that would require buying CD Roms, which are plastic! Or a backup drive…which is plastic. I knew the NoNewPlasticPledge was putting me on the precipice of technological disaster, and wouldn’t ya know, my HunkaPoohHardDrive took great pleasure in jumping off the edge. I lived as long as I could without a computer, but it sure puts a damper on blogging! I felt like I had fallen off the planet. I debated, should I just toss the HunkaPooh out - but a new computer would be such a big hunk of plastic. So instead, in December, I opted for a new hard drive (which alas, is just as slow and problematic). Much less plastic, but it did come with one of those nasty foily plastic envelopes. Lesson learned…Never, Ever buy another HP. And find an ftp site to back up to. If anyone knows of a good data recovery place in Vancouver (with a 'clean' room), let me know.

Death #3 – Television UHF/VHS Thingymebob Back in March I reported how the little DoHickey that allows my ancient TV to connect to cable tried to commit HariKari. But EnviroWoman, who is also a HandyWoman, whipped out her trusty soddering gun and copper wiring and welded a band-aid fix. This was repeated several times over the course of the next 9 months until finally the DoHickey did a HumptyDumptyCouldn’t BePutBackTogetherAgain. It was dead, dead, dead. I lived without TV while I shopped for a new Thingymebob. But found none that didn't come encased in a huge gob of blister pak. Couldn't have that. It looked like we had seen the death of TV in our home. But thankfully, when the CableGuy visited to make us InternetWired in the new abode, he had an extra one handy (without any packaging) which he graciously offered at no cost. TV was resurrected from the dead.
Death #4 – Chocolate Brown Walls. In July, EnviroWoman moved to a new home which required renovations. The chocolate brown and forest green walls (in a north facing home!?!!!) were particularly ghastly and gloomy. EnviroWoman may be an introvert, but she ain’t no troll. For many months she resisted the temptation to paint, thinking she'd put it off until 2008 (my mantra is 'Remember the PlasticShrine. Remember the PlasticShrine'). But, by September EnviroWoman was seriously contemplating extending her NoNewPlasticPledge for another year. So she took the paint plunge, opting for low/no-VOC paint where she could...which is slightly more environmentally friendly, but is still plastic.
Death #5 - TheBeast. EnviroWoman has foregone much needed dental work in 2007 because dentists mean plastic. She even put off a blood test (plastic syringe, surgical gloves, rubber tube-stoppers) to check if the ridges that appeared on her toenails a few months into the year were symptomatic of a protein deficiency brought on because her usual meat substitutes (which are ALL plastic packaged) were now off limits in 2007. But when the Vet said 'We have to get subcutaneous fluids in TheBeast first, if we want to administer pain killers' EnviroWoman's NoNewPlastic resolve evaporated like morning dew. After 18 years of furry companionship, TheBeast was suffering a slow and agonizing death. She deserved help even though it meant lots of new plastic. Who woulda thunk that TheBeast would have ended up commemorated in the PlasticShrine… but there’s her contribution…in the form of a big bag of Ringers Lactate, needles, and tubing. But, in true form EnviroWoman looks on the bright side of life (and even death)…..at least the crematorium was willing to put her ashes in a paper bag instead of a plastic one!!!

Other plastic added in the last quarter of 2007

4 pastry cups, which deceptively appeared to be 100% paper in the bakery display case, but rudely revealed their plastic lining once brought home. Plastic really is sneaky!
6 inch roll of nylon fabric
Tampon wrappers & one casing
2 pairs of surgical gloves and 6 plastic xray covers from dental checkup
Toothpaste lid and tube (the latter, although metal, probably has a plastic liner)
2 Nestea tea bag packages, although paper, seemed to be plastic-coated
Plastic protective seal on a cosmetics bottle
Deodorant container
Vinyl label from a pair of jeans
T-shaped clothing price tags thingys
Food labels, produce stickers, 2 plastic lids
Laundry detergent measuring cup…sneaky little bugger – hidden in the detergent box. One must be ever vigilant.
Caramel Apple Wrapper

There was also 24 buttons, 2 zippers and a 100% polyester blouse - none of which are ready to be recycled yet. And of course, there were some plastic packaged, plastic containing Xmas gifts, but as per TheRules, these will all be re-gifted.

Will there be a YearTwo of the NoNewPlasticPledge?
Of course! YearOne was just the warm-up. The real challenge begins when all the plastic EnviroWoman had in her life as of Dec 31, 2006 gets used up, and that's gonna take a couple of years. Besides, I have yet to find a plastic-free toothbrush…but I'm determined...and it better happen soon, because my current toothbrush is totally falling apart.

And, in a weird, perverse way, I really enjoy discovering how this extreme lifestyle has changed my life. Oh sure, the combination of living with Cruelty-free, Vegetarian, and Plastic-free rules makes this all a TripleChallenge that probably no one else on Earth has taken on. But thankfully I’m also a Chocoholic – and eating chocolate makes it seem all worthwhile, and so much easier.

The RULES

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 07:00:00 +0000

I’ve been living the NoNewPlasticPledge for 8 1/2 months now. Some of you wonderful readers were there from the start, and others have discovered EnviroWoman along the way. From the emails I get and the comments you great folks posts, I thought it would be helpful to restate my rules.

Although originally posted way back on New Year’s eve, I was so plastic naive way back then, the rules weren’t that detailed so I’ve provided you with some clarification. And all the amendments to the rules I've invoked as I learn more about plastic.

Okay here we go:

Original Rule #1: I CAN NOT buy or accept products containing or packaged in plastic for the first 90 days of 2007

Clarification: This INCLUDES recyclable and recycled plastic. Hey, it’s still plastic, so it’s a no no.
Clarification: This DOES NOT INCLUDE any and all petroleum-based products. The magic word in my pledge is ‘plastic’ not ‘petroleum’. Yes, I know you can’t have plastic without petroleum. (But you can have petroleum without plastic.) Remember, I’ve taken the NoNewPlasticPledge, not the NoNewPetroleumPledge. My beef with plastic is that it’s everywhere, and it doesn’t degrade.
Clarification: This INCLUDES plastic other people bring into my life. When my female kinfolk sent me a package covered in plastic tape, I had to accept that as my personal consumption and add it to my plastic shrine. If someone brings plastic packaged chocolates to work and offers me one, I have to say no. At restaurants I can't order something I know someone will serve to me in plastic which will be thrown out after I’ve finished with it, like water in a plastic bottle or a plastic glass or with a plastic straw. However, this leads into a gray area….because how far do you really take it…. If I eat at a restaurant or a friend’s place and they serve food that was once packaged in plastic, but not served to me in plastic then that’s okay because it’s their plastic consumption, not mine. Like I said, it’s a gray area…and I’m not always consistent in my logic but hey, they are MY rules, so I can do what I want.
Clarification: I CAN touch plastic. Some people assume my pledge means I can’t even touch plastic. Now come on folks…let’s GET REAL.
Clarification: I CANNOT get others to buy plastic for me. Several wonderful souls have offered “I’ll buy this plastic then give it to you, then it won’t count”. It DOES COUNT and it would be cheating. Even if you’rwe're talking chocolate….it’s still cheating. EnviroWoman doesn’t cheat.
Amendment: The resolution was extended to the entire 2007 year
Amendment: This INCLUDES not buying or accepting biodegradable plastic (which I didn’t even know existed before Jan 1st)
Amendment: This INCLUDES anything which qualifies as plastic according to wikipedia like nylon, polyester, Teflon, synthetic rubber, acrylic, styrofoam ad plasticizers (though this last one is a hard one ‘cuz it’s hard to really know what has plasticizers in it). Let’s just say, it blew my mind when I read this wikipedia page back in February, ‘cuz that’s when it really hit me how much stuff I had actually sworn off. Like nail polish. Ignorance is bliss. Reality sucks.
Amendment: I CAN purchase compostable bioplastic – because it’s not petroleum-based plastic (as with biodegradable plastics, I didn’t even know this existed before Jan 1st). I am well aware that this counters the logic of the second clarification point above. Here’s what I like about compostable plastics – they degrade way faster than petroleum-based plastics and into earth-friendly benign matter. Regular, degradable, and biodegradable plastics don’t.
Amendment: This INCLUDES papers which obviously have plastic in them, like sticky labels and that foily shiny plasticy stuff all my fav chocolate bars come in. This amendment eventually leads into a gray area…because how can you really tell if some paper has plastic in it…
Amendment to the amendment: This DOES NOT INCLUDE magazines and books. It did for the first 6 months, but now I just can’t live without them.
Amendment: I DO NOT have to be uber-extreme at work. Work presents challenges. ButI have to admit I stick to my NoNewPlasticPledge guns about 99% of the time. Here are some examples…

A coworker noticed I didn’t have scissors and took it upon themselves to order me a new pair….which came packaged in plastic and had plastic handles. I graciously thanked my coworker for their thoughtfulness, accepted the scissors, but quietly returned them to the supplies cupboard so another coworker would claim them.
At a work sponsored conference I received a plastic binder full of wonderful paper stuff and accepted it graciously. Later, I returned the binder to the conference organizer but kept the wonderful paper stuff.
I don’t order office supplies for myself that I know contain plastic.
If I must order plastic stuff for others, I delegate it to a team member so I don’t have to break my NoNewPlasticPledge. It’s kinda cheating, but kinda not.
Here’s the 1% where I have to ease up on the NoNewPlasticPledge... when I order print materials which contain varnishes (that contain plasticizers).

Amendment: I CAN purchase plastic on behalf of someone else if it’s for them and I’m reimbursed. DesignGuru at work asked me to stop by the local ArtEmporium and pick him up some art portfolios, which I was reimbursed for. That was okay. But when I needed a white sheet for a backdrop at a work photo shoot I was spearheading, I couldn't buy it because the sheet was packaged in plastic – so we used white paper instead.
Amendment: I MUST re-gift plastic gifts. When a person gives me something, like a gift, which contains plastic or is packaged in plastic I accept it graciously, then re-gift it to someone else. (Hey, hang with me and you get lots of great plastic cast offs.) In some cases I return it to the giver. For example, the local phone company dropped off a new plastic-packaged phone book (which I didn’t request). By my rules, I have to return it to them, or accept the plastic as a MINOR SIN and add it to my shrine – I chose to return it.
Amendment: I can only plead ignorance once. If I had been buying something which I honestly didn’t know had plastic in it, then I don’t count those purchases as SINS. But once I realize it contains plastic, I can’t continue to buy it without committing a MINOR or MAJOR SIN. This has occurred with soda pop, and tin cans, for example.
Amendment: Food for TheBeast is an exception. When I started the no new plastic pledge I didn’t know most tin cans contain plastic. Once I did know, I stopped buying tin cans for myself. But I still buy them for TheBeast. Shes 18, has gum and tooth decay and can’t chew or stomach crunchies. So she’s on a diet of soft canned food. It woudn’t be right for her to suffer because of my pledge.

Original Rule #2: I CAN borrow or rent products that have plastic. So for example, I can rent DVDs, but I can’t buy DVDs.

Original Rule #3: I CAN continue to use or re-use any plastic in my possession as of Dec 31 2006.

Clarification: When stuff gets used up, that’s when I replace it with non-plastic alternatives. Some people assume on January 1st, I threw out all my plastic stuff, and that I never use plastic. Again, let’s GET REAL. Plastic is everywhere, and in everything – I’d have to throw out most of worldly possessions. That would be totally disrespectful to Mother Earth, and would mean I’d consume a whole pile of new resources replacing stuff unnecessarily.

However, I will admit, moving to a new abode gave me a great opportunity to send alot of plastic to the Thrift Shop, or to storage. And I have given things up, or replaced things, like highlighters, and pens, and kitchen utensils before completely using up my non-plastic supply. All in an attempt to accelerate my transition to a NoPlasticAtAll existence. But, it’s gonna take a couple of years to get there.

In retrospect, this is a smart rule for anyone attempting to make such a big change in their life. It’s made the transition more bearable. If I had had to shop for non-plastic alternatives for ALL MY STUFF during the first couple of weeks, I’d have given up on this resolution way back in January.
Most of you are familiar with my plastic shrine which includes ALL the new plastic I’ve let into my life during 2007 which is now ready to be trashed or recycled. But I have a second plastic shrine, which graced these pages for the first time in January’s PROGRESS REPORT and will again in December’s PROGRESS REPORT. It includes all the plastic I had on hand as of Dec 31, 2006 which I have continued to use, and which is now ready to be trashed or recycled. I’m keeping it so at year end we can all get a good comparison of how much I’ve been able to reduce my consumption during 2007, in comparison to 2006. It’s not an exact comparison…but it’s still a good one.

Original Rule #4: CRUELTY-FREE takes precedence over plastic-free. If alternative products contain animal byproducts or have been tested on animals I'll choose the cruelty-free option over plastic-free. For example, since I don't wear leather, I'll always choose plastic 'man-made material' shoes over leather.

Clarification: Shoes are an exemption. And it’s not because I’m one of those women who lives for shoes, which I’m not. It’s just that I knew I wasn’t going to find plastic-free shoes and I absolutely refuse to wear dead animals.

So I think that pretty much covers it. Let me know if you’ve got any questions and if you think I’m UberExtreme, or UberEasy on myself.

Plastic free: Motor Oil

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 06:25:00 +0000

Last year I took the pledge to take transit to work so MyLittleCar and I could reduce our CO2 emissions. From my new home, the commute to work takes 45-60 minutes via skytrain and bus, one way. But that’s okay, ‘cuz it’s better for the environment.

Secretly, I’m also hoping, that by taking transit I might be able to prolong the life of MyLittleCar who in car years, is quite ancient.

Oh, I know, it would be even better for the environment if I traded in my 18-year old car for a ‘good-for-the-environment’ Prius or a SmartCar, but I’m also very conscious that a whole lot of Mother Earth’s resources go into producing a car. Is it ethical to get rid of a perfectly good car (that only has 150,000 kilometers on it) and use more of Earth’s resources just to have the ‘newer better’ model? One of my pet enviropeeves is the whole ‘trade up to a newer model every 2 years’ mentality. To me, it’s the ultimate symbol of excessive consumerism and our disposable society mentality that’s causing the devastation of the planet.

And truthfully, (hold onto your shorts, ‘cuz this is where, instead of sounding like a WhackedOutEcoFreak who has grown balls, as EnviroWoman often does, I sound like a WhackedOutCrazyLady who’s lost her marbles…) I LOVE MyLittleCar. I just couldn’t bear the thought of it ever ending up in the hands of some TestosteroneTwit who might use it for one of those crash-em-up car derbys.

MyLittleCar deserves better. It’s been a faithful companion through life’s adventures and transitions. Loyal. True Blue. Trustworthy. Dependable. So like an old race-horse, it deserves a nice quiet retirement in the parkade pasture, only being taken out for a ride on the weekends.

EnviroWoman is also hoping that MyLittleCar will last long enough that it can be replaced with an electric car when those become widely available and affordable.

In the meantime, I need to take good care of MyLittleCar. And I do. Every year it passes the AirCare Test with a wide margin so I must be doing something right.

Last weekend, when MyLittleCar accompanied me on an errand, it had a nasty knock in the engine. When I checked under the hood I discovered, not only did it need oil, but also a new oil cap. EnviroWoman had a FewFriesShortOfAHappyMeal moment and not returned the oil cap to it’s locked position the last time she checked the oil. Now it was gonzo.

This proved to be a blessing in disguise.

For months now EnviroWoman has been searching for plastic-free motor oil. All to no avail. I remember metal cans of STP motor oil years ago, but nowadays, all motor oil comes in plastic containers. Instead of continuing my futile oil search, it was now time to take action.

So, I phoned my trusted mechanic Jerry, and scheduled MyLittleCar for an oil change, oil filter, and new oil cap.

Now you might recall, when I took MyLittleCar to the autobody shop to get the dent from a HitAndLeaveANote repaired, I was told the repair and repaint wasn’t possible without using plastic. So I had to cancel MyLittleCar’s visit to the auto spa. It’s just gonna have to wait until 2008 to get beautified.

But, ya gotta love my mechanic Jerry, because when I told him of EnviroWoman’s NoNewPlasticPledge, and asked if there was any way he could do an oil change without using plastic he said ‘Sure, we have a big underground tank of oil, and that’s what we’ll use.’ (Ya gotta love people who get on board with a crazy chick’s New Year’s Resolution, don’t ya?)

And the HorseshoesUpTheAss good luck continued. Because Jerry even was able to find an all metal oil cap.

So now, MyLittleCar is all gassed up. And oiled up. With no place to go.

So here’s how things add up:

Category: Motor Oil
SAINT: Jerry at Granville & Avery Autobody, here in LaLaLand. Not just a wonderfully honest and excellent mechanic, but a guy whose willing to cater to a WhackedOutEcoFreak. If you ever need to shop for a new mechanic, call Jerry. I've been going to him for 13 years
Price: More expensive than changing or topping up the oil yourself
Quality: The same
SINNERs: Shell Nautilus/Formula, Motor Master, PJ1, Troy Bilt, Quaker State, Mobil, Havoline, Autolab, Pennzoil, Castrol, Valvoline

Lessons Learned:

The real problem isn’t the car. We like to blame others for the muck our planet is in. We point the finger at cars and say ‘There’s too many cars, it’s their fault.' We point the finger at car makers and say ‘They don’t make green cars, it’s their fault.’ We point the finger at cows and say ‘There are too many COWS, that fart, it’s their fault.' Some whackos even say ‘There’s too many people making and using plastic, it’s their fault.' Silly us…the real cause of global warming, and disappearing ocean life, and pine-park beetle ravaged forests, and endangered species and probably almost all the other ailments in the world….is that there are too many humans. And that’s our fault. What we really need to do, each and every one of us… is just stop breeding.

Plastic free: Grapes

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 07:22:00 +0000

When EnviroWoman first decided on her New Year’s Resolution back in December 2006, she intentionally didn’t give a whole lot of thought to what she’d have to give up. In a way, she wanted it to be a surprise. She limited her forethought to those things she really loved and didn’t think she could live without.

But for most everything else, it’s been a year of surprises. Chocolate – hmmm, big cramp in that addiction. Meat substitutes – a no go for all of 2007. Crackers – fewer carb binges in her future. C’est la vie.

One day in February, as she was hunting Safeway for one of her all time favorite foods, globe grapes, she came to another sad realization. Globe grapes were gonna be off limits.

Yeah, it’s freaky isn’t it? It’s fruit. The brain synapses don’t naturally link ‘grapes’ with ‘plastic’ do they? But the grape growers and supermarket produce guys sure do. Green grapes, red grapes, black grapes, and globe grapes….all come nestled in plastic packaging.

In a way, EnviroWoman can see the rationale of this. Unless tethered, those wee little fruit beauties have a tendency to jump outta shopping carts and wire baskets and do kamakze dive bombs to the supermarket floor. But rational or not, it bummed EnviroWoman out majorly to find out those ambrosial beauties wouldn’t be part of her diet for 2007.

And then, one day in August, as she was scoping out the produce market in her new ‘hood’ she came across red globe grapes - completely plastic-free. Stacked carefully in green cardboard containers with not an iota of plastic in sight.

So she stockpiled. Yes indeedy, MyLittleWireShoppingBasket did runneth over.

Now, word traveled fast that EnviroWoman had an abnormally large quantity of grapes on hand. And even better - she was cruelty-free too.

Because every fruit fly in LaLaLand, (whose population has multiplied several thousandfold above normal levels because of a 7 week long city-wide garbage strike) has been paying EnviroWoman’s new realm a visit. She can practically hear them pounding on the fridge door and demanding‘Let us in, let us in’ in that same 'help me help me' voice from The Fly. All smug and bold, knowing that no harm will come their way in her household.

Yuppers, those little drosophila darlings have it made!

Lessons Learned:

Small victories and abundance must be savoured, relished, celebrated, and shared. Even with fruitflies.
Life is full of surprises. Some nice. Some not so nice.

PROGRESS REPORT: Jun/Jul/Aug

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 07:15:00 +0000

I’ve finished month #8 living the ‘no-new-plastic’ pledge. It’s been a while since I reported on my progress. Been busy holidaying, moving, then unpacking. But still living the NoNewPlasticPledge (except for those couple of days visiting kinfolk…but more on that later).

As you can see, I’ve added substantially to my plastic shrine (which contains all the new plastic I’ve let into my life during 2007 that’s ready for recycling or the trash. To give you some context, the round dark brown thing is a coffee lid from Tim Horton's).

Actually, let me rephrase that….OTHER PEOPLE have added substantially to my plastic shrine.

Here are the most notable additions:

Brown Packing tape: nope, not from moving, but from a package sent in the mail from loving female kinfolk. Now, if you’re like most people, don’t ya just love getting parcels in the mail? Alas, not if you’re EnviroWoman. ‘Cuz EnviroWoman knows that they usually contain some wonderful little object wrapped in plastic, or in the case of this particular package – swaddled in packing tape.

My heart nearly broke when I saw that package arrive. Especially since the kinfolk knew I was living the no-new-plastic-pledge. But how can I expect them to be ever-conscious of how pervasive plastic is, when EnviroWoman has her own share of plastic-blonde moments? I’d look like a total a-hole if I sent it ‘Return to Sender’ like I do with most of my plastic packaged mail. So I had to keep it and claim it as my own.

And it gets worse. Inside that package were 2 lovely little jackets, both size zero (so hard to find)….one made entirely out of plastic (well ya know, nylon, rayon, polyester) with plastic buttons (a total, yet pretty, SINNER). And one, entirely 100% cotton with metal buttons (yippee a total, and pretty SAINT). One SINNER, one SAINT. The story of my life in 2007.

So the rule is, I gotta regift the SINNER so it doesn’t count. It’s a tad too small anyhoo. I’d bust a seam in no time. So a skinny-minny friend will get be to be the happy recipient of a ‘re-gift’

Clear packing tape: two instances occurred whereby OTHERS brought clear tape into my life.

Let me set the stage...it’s the end of July, and my little plastic shrine is pretty darn sparse. I’m busting with pride. I’ve even managed to go through my whole move without using hardly any new plastic (see #2)….so I get back to work from taking some time off to move….and discover my boss and her husband have sabotaged my work area – decorating it in a moving motif – the filing cabinets were all wrapped up in kraft paper to look like beat up moving boxes. There was a beat up box marked FRAGILE and one with HANDLE WITH CARE and another with ‘THIS SIDE IS UP’ written upside down. My phone was all wrapped up, as was my chair. There were ‘BOXED UP ENERGY’, and ‘HOPE CHEST’ and OLD TAX FILES – 1965 to 2003 (Hey I’m not that old!!!)….and even CHOCOLATE fake boxes. Even pizza coupons and a MOVING TO DO LIST which included ‘Remember TheBeast!’ It was an absolute hoot. I laughed myself silly for a solid 10 minutes when I saw it. Alas, they used scads and scads of clear packing tape. Now, I know THEY used the tape. But they used it for ME, so it counts as my SIN. And there’s no way I can ‘regift’ used packing tape. So there’s a big wad of clear packing tape in my shrine now as a memorial to moving. But ya know, Gotta love the boss (She is TheBestBoss). Gotta love the bosses’ husband.
As I mentioned, I made it through the entire move without using any new plastic – almost. Admittedly, I did use packing tape and plastic I still had in my life as of Dec 31, 2006 (that’s acceptable by my rules), but when that ran out…I had to use ‘plastic-free’ alternatives. This meant instead of using boxes that folded into shape and which required taping, I had to resort to:

apple and orange boxes which came pre-glued and with a lid (very smart way to go for a plastic-free move – don’t require any tape or string, and most come with side holes for ‘save-yer-back’ picking up), or
boxes that folded into shape, and instead of taping them shut, just folding the flaps in on themselves so they kept contents safe. Or so we hoped. Alas, the frozen food (one of the last things ya pack, right?) made it into one of these boxes. And the moisture and the cold made the box flaps unstable. I had warned the moving guys ‘WackedoutEcoFreak here has a new year’s resolution I expect you to abide by…no new plastic. This means you can’t use packing tape, and you can’t use shrink wrap. Only blankets, only string.’ Great guys that they were, they abided by the rules….except for that box of frozen food, which eventually gave way, and spilled frozen goodies all over the back of the truck. This occurred at the exact moment I happened to be looking at the truck from an upstairs window…and what to my astonishing eyes did I see…but MovingMan using packing tape to rebind the box. I wrapped on the window. He looked up at me doefully, caught in the act. Sheepishly in fact…then threw the tape into the back of the truck with a ‘who me?’ look on his face. So I had to claim the plastic packing tape from that box.

Plastic clothing hooks. Those who read EnviroWoman know that she purchased a new home. Alas, new homes have plastic. The previous owner had a love-affair with Rubbermaid plastic clothes hooks – those handy-dandy ones that use double sided tape to stick to the wall. EnviroWoman loathes them. They are ‘too-too plastic’ so she’s removed them from closets and bathroom doors. Because they can’t be regifted, they must be recycled, and so now live in her plastic shrine.

Good Plastic Fortune these past couple of months

Anyway, despite all of this here has been some good plastic fortune in the past couple of months :

Moving into a new neighbourhood that has one fantastic fresh produce market (whose tellers thinks MyLittleWireBasket and plastic-free way of shopping is so eco-nouveau) and even better…two fresh produce farms (grow their own, and plastic free, gotta love that). This has lead to the discovery of plastic-free cauliflower and grapes. A cause for celebration and gluttonous feasting.
Finding mascara that’s as plastic-free as I’m gonna find. Plus cruelty-free. And that the wee beady eyes don’t seem to adversely react to.
Seeing others follow in EnviroWoman's footsteps. I think I was the first to go plastic-free, but now there are other fellow bloggers that have taken the pledge in the past couple of months. That’s kind of exciting. The start of a new wave of consumerism – begun right here in LaLaLand.
Body lotion. EnviroWench had to travel to far away lands to find it, but she finally did, after months and months of searching. Her skin was getting pretty dry, so she found it just in the nick of time.
Pileated Woodpecker. Okay, this has absolutely nothing to do with plastic. But I saw a Pileated Woodpecker in my new neighbourhood last week. I haven’t seen one since I was a kid camping in the Cariboo. I thought it was a Flicker when I first heard it calling in the forest….and then this prehistoric thing wafted out across the road. Could you hear EnviroWoman squealing with glee? What a fabulous new neighbourhood.
Plastic-free chocolate. There are 2, count ‘em 2, places in the new neighbourhood that carry Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut bars that come packaged in the old fashioned paper and foil wrapping. EnviroWoman is in her glory. Like I said....What a fabulous new neighbourhood.

Plastic Challenges these past couple of months.

Clothes. I put off buying new clothes for six months until I knew which fabrics were plastic-based (nylon, polyester, rayon, viscose, spandex, etc). And then I dove in. I managed to buy all cotton clothes except for a beautiful summer coat that was wool with an acetate lining (but no plastic buttons). I wonder if it will be as easy when winter hits.
Visiting kinfolk. EnviroWoman TheVegetarian is hard enough for kinfolk to deal with. So she keeps her cruelty-free and plastic-free way of life quite quiet. Don’t want to make it too much of a challenge to have her as a house guest. So when visiting country cousins I had to throw a moratorium on living plastic free for a couple of days. I quietly practiced my ways, avoiding bottled water, and pop, and yogurt, unbeknownst to the relatives, but wasn’t quite as a-retentive as I usually am…there was that one bag of chips which had that plasticy-foily wrapping which CountryCousin was serving up that I guiltily enjoyed.

MINOR SINS for June/July/August 2007

I can’t blame all my accumulated plastic on others. Admittedly, I’m guilty of adding some of it myself:

Soya sauce jar lid
2 toothpaste caps
a little plastic gizmo they put in the center of pizza box to prevent the lid from squishing the toppings. I learned quickly when ordering to say ‘hey, can ya do EnviroWoman a favour and not include that little plastic doodad?’ And ya know, THEY DON’T. Gotta love the Panago Pizza.
Plastic pour spout from an olive oil jar (wasn’t expecting that one, I thought I’d really lucked out when I found olive oil with a metal lid and glass jar, who knew the evil plastic was lurking under the lid)
A plastic-foily wrapper that came inside a cardboard-packaged bar of Swiss chocolate. Damn! Even chocolate is turning against me!
One little plastic cello doodad from a sandwich’s fancy toothpick
Five little plastic t-thingys that attach sales tags to clothes
Tampon wrappers - now some of you ladies don't understand this one....but I bought them way back in January and I gotta use 'em up before shopping for non-plastic alteratives.

MAJOR SINs for July, August, September 2007

A new home and the crap-lode of plastic appliances, light switches, floorboard trim, shelving etc which comes with it. And those nasty clothing hooks.
Paint scraper blades, packaged in plastic. Hey, I’m still desparate to get that fireplace glass clean. Nothing’s working. Not even the steamer.

Challenges ahead:

Telephone batteries. My little portable phone is nearly dead. I can talk for about 10 seconds, then it craps out. Replacement batteries come packaged in plastic. I may have to become a recluse.
Protein. My place for bulk tofu-buying has let me down. I discovered it’s not so ‘bulk’ after all. All they do is take a 5-pack, packaged in plastic, and break it apart. I’m not really saving any plastic buying it this way. I rebounded quickly from this disappointment and thought I had found an alterative - a fab fab FAB fresh edamame salad from the local mega-store deli that would fill up my corn-based-bio-plastic container from home, rather than using one of their plastic ones. They were cooperative several times, but turned me down ‘for health reasons’ the last time I made a protein pit stop there. I suspect I’m starting to get protein deficient now. I’ve been suffering with a cold and a lot of jaw pain (do I hear ‘root canals’) for the past two weeks, and don’t seem to be able to overcome either. But, I'm positive I'll survive another 4 months.

Plastic free: Body Lotion - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 05:53:00 +0000

The Knight of the EcoFSC-CertifiedRoundTable
A modern take on an ancient tale

Once upon a time, long, long ago, in the faraway kingdom of LaLaLandalot there lived a mighty ruler, King McDreamy. He was a handsome man with the bluest sky blue eyes, and the softest skin - velvety smooth like a new born rabbit’s. Just like his Mother’s.

McDreamy was much loved by his people. He was a benevolent king. Fair-minded. Charismatic in a self-effacing way. Visionary. And wordly. He believed in peace and harmony among all living things.

McDreamy’s compassion was borne of tragedies endured in his youth. When just a boy of ten, his father died unsuspectingly. And then some years later his brother, whom McDreamy loved dearly, fell to his death from the castle tower. Some whispered the brother had not fallen, but sadly, had jumped, unable to handle the pressures of the impending throne that was surely his.

McDreamy fell into such a deep despair upon his brother’s death that, despite still being just a young man, his hair turned frost white – as if magically kissed by snow angels. His mother, TheQueen, could not console him.

So, disillusioned and confused, McDreamy left LaLaLandalot, foresaking TheQueen and all who loved him, to seek the meaning of life and death. He hoped renewed joy, happiness and a sense of purpose awaited him beyond his own kingdom’s realm.

Instead, McDreamy only found more confusion, chaos, suffering, and despair. His travels took him to war torn impoverished lands, where people foolishly victimized each other for belonging to different tribes or different gods – even though they shared the same color of skin. He witnessed terrible injustices that man made against man, against woman, against animals, and against nature. So terrible that every recess of McDreamy’s soul screamed in revulsion.

He saw barren, scalped landscapes where Natures’ bounty had been ravished by man’s gluttony. On the rare occasions when he spotted a bird or honeybee in flight, his heart leapt, overjoyed that he had been blessed with a glimpse of the phenomenal beauty of Nature. And at the same time, his heart would bleed in silent pain with the realization that these now rare creatures were ominous portends of impending doom to all.

He vowed, when he returned to his homeland, none of this would ever be allowed in LaLaLandalot. That he, McDreamy, would make LaLaLandalot an Eden, a Nirvana. Where Man and Nature lived in harmony. As it was meant to be. An example for all others lands to follow.

And so it came to pass, after many years of absence, he returned to LaLaLandalot. With a new level of appreciation for his homeland. And a devotion to protect LaLaLandalot from the outside forces of the world and the inside forces of man.

The Queen was elated. The people celebrated. Even nature rejoiced.

McDreamy’s return heralded LaLaLandalot’s GoldenGreenAge. For McDreamy set forth new laws for the land. Three simple laws in fact….that made all the difference.

FirstLaw: Equality for all.
SecondLaw: Cruelty for none.
ThirdLaw: Harmony with Nature.

And King McDreamy walked his talk. To prove the FirstLaw ‘Equality for all’ he established the Knights of the EcoFSC-CertifiedRoundTable, where all men who sat at it had an equal voice in how LaLaLand was governed. And all men had an equal opportunity to become a Knight. Maybe even a King. Bloodlines didn’t matter. Deeds did.

Sir Bono became a knight after establishing a program that raised buckets of ducats for people suffering from TheDreadedDisease. Sir Paul’s knighthood was bestowed when he convinced the entire kingdom to adopt a BeastFreeDiet. Sir Al earned his chair at the EcoFSC-CertifiedRoundTable for his brave attempts to pacify the GlobalWarmingDragons. Sir David was knighted for his heroic efforts to teach the people about TheNatureofThings….In all there were 12 Knights of the EcoFSC-Certified Round Table. All brave, noble men.

And there in lies the rub. ALL brave, noble MEN!

Now, this really was starting to stick in EnviroWench’s craw. Although she was merely a lowly kitchen maid in McDreamy’s court, she knew women were just as capable of performing brave, noble deeds that saved humankind and the planet. She believed a wench had every right to be a Knight. Maybe even a King.

But the only time EnviroWench, or any other damsel for that matter, came close to the EcoFSC-CertifiedRoundTable was when they polished it, cleaned it, and removed the dirty dishes after those brave, noble men had had a night of revelry and feasting.

In the dark recesses of EnviroWench’s wishful-thinking, TheSecret-indoctrinated mind, she had been harbouring, for quite some time, the delicious dream of becoming LaLaLandalot’s very first female Knight.

But what brave, noble deed could she perform that would earn a Knighthood?

Then, by divine inspiration, the answer came to her.

And so, one day, when McDreamy happened to be strolling through her little treasured and wild part of the kingdom she hailed to him, ‘Noble King, will thou not rest a while in my wee cottage here by the river. I can offer thee a sweet drink of lemon-ale and the loveliest of honeybreads.’

'Ah, EnviroWench, thou art a temptress….only a fool could resist sweet honeybread.' replied McDreamy

And so, the two sat on the porch, feasting on EnviroWench’s delicacies, watching the river meander by, and TheBeast chase dragonflies, and the cedar waxwings feed unfortunate mosquitoes to their voracious nestlings.

A quietness fell upon them as they both silently revered Nature in its abundance. All was right in the world.

For a fleeting moment EnviroWench eyes strayed from the river, and onto McDreamy. ‘Up close, he really is a marvel of a man. Though not handsome, he is indeed striking. His eyes art as blue as the flax flowers growing in the sheep pasture. And his hair, so white, like the snow that settles in the valley in December. And his skin…no wonder why the women in the village whisper ‘He’s so McVelvety’ when he walks by.'

And at that exact same fleeting moment, McDreamy was thinking ‘Me wonders what the CourtCook is serving for supper tonight.’

And then the time was ripe for EnviroWench to be bold.

‘King McDreamy, why art there no wenchs sitting at the EcoFSC-CertifiedRoundTable? Surely it is not because thou thinkest them incapable of worthy deeds. Afterall, thine own mother, TheQueen ruled LaLaLandalot quite capably for many years after the death of thy noble father, proving to all that the fairer sex is capable of great strength and wisdom.’

This boldness, coming from such a wee wisp of a woman, startled King McDreamy. Clearly she was leading him into dangerous territory. But he knew EnviroWench was a woman pure of heart. So decided to humour her.

'Thou asketh an excellent question EnviroWench. Me thinks of mineself as a SensitiveNewGoldenGreenAgeGuy. Afterall, did not I invoke the FirstLaw ‘Equality for All’. If any wench in LaLaLandalot, pray, thee for example, was to perform a noble enough deed, that wench would surely be considered for a Knighthood. What kind of noble deed do thou supposest a damsel could perform to earn a knighthood?'

The tables had turned. Now he lead her into dangerous territory.

‘Perhaps she could help rid LaLaLandalot of plastic. Afterall, ‘tis a blight on our kingdom. ‘Tis out of step with the ThirdLaw ‘Harmony with Nature’. The wench could seeketh out more Nature-friendly alternatives. And show the people how to live plastic-free. And cruelty-free. Surely Sir Al and Sir David would support that. Might even thee and TheQueen.’

McDreamy could not hold back his shocked laughter. This wench had balls! ‘Indeed EnviroWench that would surely be a deed worthy of a Knighthood! Thinketh of it. But how would LaLaLandalots carry squash, carrots and lettuce from the marketplace? What would dairymaids place milk, curds and whey in? And what of hair salve…and soap…and paste for teeth? What would the citizens buy? Why, what body salve would the Queen and I use to keep our royal skin so soft?'

‘Say the word King, and I am on the quest.’

'Then take up the cause EnviroWench.' replied McDreamy. 'Prove your mettle. Show thy King thee art worthy of a Knighthood. I challenge thee to go forth into the world and bring TheQueen and I back a plastic-free cruelty-free body salve.’

And so the next day, at the crack of dawn, with a heart filled with anticipation and trepidation, EnviroWench went into the garden and dug up the jar of ducats she had stashed there, put the leftover honeybread, lemon-ale and a few essentials into a satchel, grabbed her willow basket, kissed TheBeast goodbye, and set out upon MyLittleSteed to begin the quest of a lifetime….

Stay tuned for Part 2 of The Knights of the EcoFSC-CertifiedRoundTable.

What do you think….will EnviroWench ever find a plastic-free body lotion?
Will she become the very first wench to sit at the EcoFSC-CertifiedRoundTable.
And….you know you’re thinking it..will she and King McDreamy fall in love?
Can you guess what will happen?
What misfortunes and perils do you think will fall upon EnviroWench in this epic journey?

Plastic free: Step Ladder

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 08:01:00 +0000

EnviroWoman is vertically challenged…cursed with tiny, little legs.

That’s why, in her new home with the high ceilings, and high cupboards, she needed help to reach ‘way-up there’ shelves and to hang pictures or wash walls. Usually she’d just hop up on a chair or a countertop to get the job done.

But she gave her chairs and table away before moving and she’s still hunting for plastic-free replacements which match EnviroWoman’s mod-but-funky design aesthetic. She thinks it’s gonna take a while to find ‘the perfect one’.

In the interim, she's living chair-free. So she started searching for a step ladder.

She had her hopes on finding a lightweight, all-wooden step ladder….because the longer EnviroWoman travels down the NoNewPlasticPledge road, the more she thinks ‘Buying only things that are entirely compostable are where the world should be heading’. Wood has a better chance of rotting into smithereens than metal or plastic.

Now you’d think finding an all-wood step ladder would be oh-so-easy, wouldn’t ya? Well, not so much.

Hellloooo….do they not make all wood step ladders anymore? Apparently not. Well, at least not in EnviroWoman’s new neck of the woods. She searched the big box stores, the $1 Loonie stores, IKEA, furniture and kitchen stores.

All she found were metal ladders with rubber or plastic slip treads on the stairs, fiberglass ladders, all-metal step ladders that came in a plastic bag (or that weighed tons) or worst of all...100% plastic Rubbermaid step stools.

I suppose EnviroWoman could have tried to hunt down the local Quaker furniture store (if it exists in LaLaLand) but sometimes ya just gotta make a purchase and stop wasting all your time (and using all that global-warming gas) hunting for ‘the perfect one’.

After 3 weeks of searching she found an AlmostLightAsAFeatherAluminum step ladder which didn’t come wrapped in plastic. It’s got a small rubber anti-slip pad on the bottom of each leg, but EnviroWoman can put up with that MINOR SIN. Being all aluminum, it’s certainly not an ideal choice, and probably will be hard to repair or recycle if or when that time comes.

But, at least EnviroWoman’s not feeling so vertically challenged anymore.

Now, if she could just find an all metal measuring tape – her world would be perfect.

So here’s how things add up:

Category: Ladder
SAINT: Lite Products Inc. platform ladder
Price: The same
Quality: Even better than the alternatives. It’s sturdy AND lightweight. Gotta love that
SINNER: Werner, True Balance, Eagle, Rubbermaid

Lessons Learned:

Sometimes 'good enough for now' is as good as 'the perfect one'. This applies to step ladders...but not to people you may end up spending the rest of your life with.

Plastic free: MASCARA

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 07:18:00 +0000

EnviroWoman is cursed with tiny, beady eyes. That’s why mascara is a must have….she needs all the help she can get. Oh, she knows, mascara is nothing but toxic waste carcinogenic chemical crap - but hey, whatya gonna do when you’ve been cursed with beady eyes?

Before taking the NoNewPlasticPlege EnviroWoman bought her mascara from The Body Shop – the mecca for all makeup that’s cruelty-free.

But alas, The Body Shop’s mascara comes in a plastic tube, and even worse, wrapped in a layer of anti-wacko protective plastic. So Body Shop mascara was off limits for 2007. Nuts.

By June, EnviroWoman was living in desperate times….she had totally depleted the mascara she bought in 2006, down to the very very last drop. She literally was scraping the bottom of the barrel. As a result, she was starting to get eye infections.

Yuppers, it was time to go mascara a-hunting.

She dreaded this particular hunt…because my friends, she knew finding a cruelty-free mascara that was also plastic-free was going to be like finding ice-cold water in the sahara desert.

It’s tough shopping for cruelty-free cosmetics. Most beauty boutiques, when asked if they carry cruelty-free cosmetics, will say ‘all our products don’t get tested on animals’ because they believe a rumour that no cosmetic companies test on animals anymore. That’s bunk.

And when you probe a little further and say 'But, cruelty-free means it’s not testing on animals AND it doesn’t contain animal ingredients’…then they get a bit stymied. And when you pull out your handy cruelty-free cosmetic lists from The Leaping Bunny, Choose Cruelty Free, and the National Anti-Vivisection Society and ask ‘Do you carry any of these brands?’…they sadly have to answer ‘No’. Nuts.

Then, to top it all off, most mascara comes in that plastic tube, with a plastic wand and is sealed in plastic wrap. Nuts.

So EnviroWoman asked ‘The Secret’ cosmic forces to work their magic and bring a cake mascara in a metal case into her life. Was that too much to ask for?

She searched the beauty shops in LaLaLand. No luck.

Then she searched the world wide web and found one French brand, Longcils Boncza that had cake mascara refills that appeared to be completely plastic free. But could she find their corporate website to check the product out? NO. Could she find a supplier that carried it locally? NO. Could she find a mail order company that could guarantee it wasn’t packaged in plastic? NO.

So EnviroWoman had to cross off cake mascara from her list. Nuts.

She then e-searched known cruelty free brands…looking for one that didn’t have plastic. Nope.

The hunt turned to homemade recipes. But, no luck. None seemed doable, or they called for plastic-packaged ingredients.

She searched the ethnic shopping districts in search of kohl. But never found any. And even if she did, could she be guaranteed it was cruelty-free when she couldn’t even read the writing on the package?

Ever the optimist, EnviroWoman turned to Sephora. She had such great luck with Sephora’s CARGO Plant Love lipstick, which is packaged in a compostable bioplastic tube made of corn, that maybe, just maybe, she’d luck out and find they had cruelty free mascara that was also plastic free. Rumour had it they might. Alas they didn’t. Nuts.

(But EnviroWoman had to give major points to Sephora, they sent her the best response she’s ever received to one of her email inquiries. It’s so good, it’s included at the bottom of this post.)

It was starting to look grim. So she headed to Capers, the local mecca of all things organic and healthy. They carried one brand which she finally had to settle on. Dr. Hauschka.

It’s not a perfect solution because, although it comes in a metal tube, with no plastic wrapper, it does have a plastic wand. But it’s cruelty free, and as plastic free as she’s gonna find in mascara. It doesn’t have the best staying power, and ooeeee – it costs $30. Yikes.

But at least EnviroWoman’s beady little eyes aren’t looking so beady anymore. (Yeah, like who is she kidding?)

So here’s how things add up:

Category: Mascara
SAINTs: Dr. Hauschka
Price: As expensive as the high end brands.
Quality: Not as good, but at least it's cruelty-free
SINNERs: Body Shop, Cover Girl, L’Oreal, Maybelline, Marcelle, Annabelle, Lise Watier, Clinque, Quo, Almay, MAC, Estée Lauder, Kiss Me, Fresh, Elizabeth Arden, Philosophy, DuWop, Cargo, Urban Decay, and all the other drugstore brands.

Lessons Learned:

Sometimes The Secret cosmic forces don’t answer your requests. Nuts. Like what’s up with that, anyhoo? I mean, we’re living in the 21st century…surely, somewhere on this planet there really is a completely plastic-free, cruelty-free mascara.
There's a price to pay for vanity. Sometimes it's animals in cages that pay that price. Always it's women who get suckered into thinking that somehow, a $30 tube of mascara is really going to make beady eyes bigger.

As promised, here is Sephora’s answer to EnviroWoman's email request. Notice how they too confuse 'cruelty-free' with 'not tested on animals' but even so, there's alot of great info below they were happy to share:

Thank you for contacting Sephora.com

Sephora.com is a retailer for over 250 brands. Our private label brand, Sephora Collection, is cruelty free (meaning, the products have never been tested on animals) (Note from EnviroWoman: Cruelty-free is more than this, the product should also not include animal ingredients), but I cannot guarantee that every brand we sell is. Due to public outcry in the 1980's, the vast majority of cosmetics companies stopped animal testing.

Other than the CARGO Plant Love lipstick I don't know of any other lines that we carry that are entirely free from being packaged in plastics.

You will want to look for any of these logos: (Labels can be deceiving, so be careful. No specific laws exist regarding cruelty-free labeling of products, so companies can take liberties.)

"No New Products tested on Animals"
"No Animal Testing"
"Cruelty Free"

Here is a list of a few lines that have never tested on animals:

Organic: The FDA does not regulate the term "organic," but these brands follow strict internal standards for their organic products: all active ingredients are grown without chemicals and pesticides.

Juice Beauty
CARE by Stella McCartney
L'Occitane
Dr.Hauschka

Natural: Products made without the addition of certain synthetic additives like chemical preservatives, or non-natural fragrances and colors.

Phyto
Boscia
Skyn Iceland
Caudalie Jonathan Products (100% vegan)
Decleor (Their Aromessence Oils are organic and preservative-free)
REN Clean Skincare (free of petrochemicals, sulfates, parabens, synthetic fragrance, and color)

Botanical: Made from naturally derived ingredients and essential oils, these products harness the full power of Mother Nature

Ole Henriksen
Carol's Daughter (paraben- and sodium laureth sulfate-free, and also free of petroleum-based products)
TESS(Teen Everyday Skincare System)(Made with fruit and botanical extracts, essential oils, and vitamins)
Ojon
Rene Furterer
Korres Natural Products (created at the oldest homeopathic pharmacy in Athens, Greece)
LaVanila Laboratories (free of petrochemicals, synthetic dyes, sulfates, parabens, and phthalates)
CARGO Plant Love

Also cruelty free:

Anthony Logistics
Stila Cosmetics
Benefit Cosmetics
Bourjois Cosmetics
EI Solutions
Urban Decay
Hard Candy
Too Faced Cosmetics
Bare Escentuals
Sue Devitt Studio

If you would like more information regarding Animal Ingredients and Companies that don't test or ones that do check out these websites:

The best place to retrieve or purchase Vegan/Animal free cosmetics would be: www.animalfreecosmetics.com

Again, thanks for contacting Sephora.com and if we can assist you further please feel free to contact us at www.sephora.com

Best regards, Sarah R. Sephora.com Client Services

See, wasn’t that a great response from a company? Sarah R….whoever you are….I hope one day Sephora promotes you to upper management.

MAJOR SIN #4

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 05:20:00 +0000

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It’s been 8 weeks since my last confession.

Well, well, well, my child. It’s been a long time since you’ve graced this blessed sanctuary. I’m going to take that as a good sign, and assume you’ve been leading a plastic-pious life since I saw you last.

I’ve been giving it the old college try, that’s for sure. But Father, if I had been completely plastic-chaste, I wouldn’t be sitting here in the confessional today, would I?

Good point. So then my child….what is the SIN you have to confess today. No, no, let me guess…..you finally succumbed and bought plastic-packaged mascara, didn’t you?

Oh Father, now you’re making me feel really guilty. I wish I had sinned over something as worthwhile as mascara. Remember my last SIN was so much bigger than mascara – I had bought a new home.

Yes, I remember.

Well the SIN I have to confess today is on the exact opposite end of the spectrum Father. It’s actually quite minuscule in comparison to buying mascara.

Now you have me intrigued my child, do tell, what is the SIN you’ve committed?

I bought replacement razor blades for my paint scraper.

HUH?

You know, those little razor blades that fit into the end of one of those flat metal paint scrapers. I know Father, it so stupid isn’t it! But all my blades were dull, and I was desperate for new ones. But they come packaged in this stupid little plastic case. I searched Home Depot, RONA and the local hardware shops and none of them had a plastic-free option.

And Father, I really, really, really needed these blades. My new home’s gas fireplace door has a thick layer of white mineral gunk which has accumulated over the years. I don’t think it’s ever been cleaned.

Father, you can’t even tell there’s a fireplace behind the glass, it’s that bad. So I bought the blades so I could scrape the crud off.

Oh my child, we use a special cleaner here in the rectory to clean our fireplace glass, couldn’t you have just bought that.

I could have Father, but all those cleaners come in plastic bottles. I was trying hard to not commit a SIN. In fact, I tried vinegar, lemon juice, toothpaste, baking soda, erasers, and even some CLR I had left over from the pre-plastic pledge year of 2006. I even borrowed a professional steamer. And nuts, none of them worked. That white mineral crud is stubborn stuff.

So as a last resort I bought razor blades. I figured the little bit of plastic in that stupid razor blade plastic case was better than all the plastic in a bottle of fireplace cleaner.

I mean Father, I have to think of my plastic shrine. Did I want a big white bottle in there, or a little tiny plastic case? I opted for the plastic case.

Well my child, it sounds like you did give it the good old college. Did you at least get your fireplace glass clean?

Well, the sad truth is, the scraper blades didn’t work either. So I committed my SIN needlessly. But – looking on the bright side - at least I can use my paint scraper blades when I start painting my new home. So I’m hoping my MAJOR SIN will be worth it in the long run.

This sounds like it’s got the making of a sequel to The Deodorant Debacle.

I am so ‘there’ with you Father. This one has the making of a saga for sure – maybe we’ll have to call it The Fireplace Fiasco.

Well, my Child. I’m going to go easy on you this time and suggest you say 5 Hail Al Gore’s. Let us pray for divine inspiration. And if that doesn't work, I’ll let the women in the lady’s auxiliary know about your challenge. Perhaps one of them has a magic recipe that will get your fireplace glass clean.

Thank you Father. I must admit, I'm praying for a bit of a miracle on this one myself. I really, really want to get my fireplace glass clean. I'm trying so hard not to resort to buying that fireplace glass cleaner in the plastic bottle. But I hear it calling to me....luring me to commit another MAJOR SIN just to have a clean fireplace.

My Child, you must be strong! Do not let the plastic demons lure you back to the dark side. Mother Earth is depending on you.

Plastic free: Juice

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 05:26:00 +0000

It’s summertime. And it’s GlobalWarmingHot in LaLaLand.

If that isn’t bad enough, EnviroWoman has been travelin’. By car. By cab. By bus. By skytrain. By airplane. Confined within four walls and four wheels for hundreds of miles at a time – sometimes crammed in with other hot humans - making the heat even more unbearable.

Naturally, EnviroWoman has been thirsty. But since taking the NoNewPlasticPledge soda pop is outta the question. Milk has also proven to PlasticProblematic. And plastic-bottled water just has MAJOR SIN written all over it.

So EnviroWoman headed to the juice aisle to quench her thirst with liquid joy.

Ever the optimist, EnviroWoman was half-hoping to find the PlasticFreePromisedLand there. But truth be known, EnviroWoman is also a hard core realist and half-expected to find plastic, plastic everywhere and not a drop to drink.

The realist won.

Almost everything is packaged in plastic on the juice aisle. Makes sense....lighter weight....less breakable.

And if juice isn’t in plastic bottles, then it’s in tetra-paks, which contain a layer of plastic. Even cans of tomato or pineapple juice have a thin interior liner of plastic laquer. (You know, the whole ‘plastic lining inside’ thingy is really starting to get tedious isn’t it?)

Even EnviroWoman’s absolute fav, fav, fav, powdered Good Host Lemon Iced Tea (which ironically, is best served hot), has a plastic lid crowning the glory of its cardboard and tin container.

The situation was starting to look grim in the juice aisle. Even most jars of the family standby, Welch’s juices, were made of plastic. But like a beacon of hope, they still offered one - White Grape Juice - that came in a glass jar with a metal lid.

Alas, under that little cap rests a thin plastic liner which acts as a seal, so Envirowoman would have to commit a MINOR SIN to buy it and be prepared to add the liner to her plastic shrine. Bottles of Ripena blueberry juice, SunRype, and Hero juices were packaged the same way.

And then there was Crystal Lite, which looked so promising in its pretty little box and paper/foil pouches. Plastic free and low-cal to boot. But aspartame is EnviroWoman’s migraine-inducing nemesis, so even Crystal Lite was off limits.

Fortunately, not all was lost. ‘Cuz lookie there…Koolaid. The packages appear to be paper and foil. Let’s cross our fingers there’s no plastic lining lurking deep inside. Have to research that one. Wow, EnviroWoman hasn’t had Koolaid in years. She’d feel like a kid again. ‘Goodbye Oil of Olay, hello Koolaid!’ Yuppers, Koolaid might really be a plastic-free possibility.

Undaunted by her trip to the juice aisle, Envirowoman hoped she’d find juice crystals at the bulk bin mecca.

So she whistled to her trusty steed, MyLittleCar (who looks slightly sadder and neglected nowadays with that dent in the door), and made the long trek to SuperStore. It was there she hit the plastic-free jackpot. There, in all their BulkBinGlory, live 5 assortments of powdered juice crystals. So she filled one of her handy-dandy reuseable Chinese Take Out boxes to the brim with powdered pink lemonade and rode off into the GlobalWarmingSunset on her mighty steed.

Now discovering powdered juice crystals in the bulk food aisles may be slightly less momentous than the opening of an umbrella in your own life. But for EnviroWoman, who is deeply steeped in the NoNewPlasticPledge, discovering a completely plastic-free alternative is…well…a small victory.

Now, you may be also thinking….'EnviroWoman why not just drink tap water!? ‘Tis true EnviroWoman doesn’t have the mental capacity to split atoms in her spare time, but SweetCheeks, drinking water IS an obvious alternative - even to EnviroWoman.

But sometimes she just wants…a tincture of juicy bliss.

Now, I’ll let you in on a little secret. EnviroWoman is going through a major HorseShoesUpHerButt phase right now. 'Tis true. This could even have the potential to be a lottery-winning lucky streak if she plays her cards right.

And here’s an example of this good karma in action….while holidaying in July, EnviroWoman visited her CountryCousin. When CountryCousin heard about EnviroWoman’s NoNewPlasticPledge she jumped on the no-plastic bandwagon and presented EnviroWoman with an antique juicer. It happened she had three, and even a CountryCousin only needs one. The third one had come into her own life just days before when an uncle had ‘downsized’ during a recent move.

It was sitting there on her kitchen counter, just waiting for a new home. And in walked HorseShoesUpHerButt EnviroWoman.

It’s a big chunk of LittleHouseOnThePrairie metal that serves double duty as a juicer and as a bicep-toner. (Oh my gawd, there may be a new infomercial fitness product in there somewhere. Step aside Suzanne Sommers). It works like a dream, is easy to clean, and let’s EnviroWoman concoct her own homemade juicy delights. Completely plastic-free.

Martha would be so proud.

I mean, really, how karma lucky was that little interlude?

Gotta luv the CountryCousin. Gotta luv my LittleHouseOnThePrairie juicer.

So there you have it. EnviroWoman is all set to quench her thirst.

Hey MomNature, you can bring on those hot summer days now. EnviroWoman is all ready. But please, don’t burn up any more forests.

Anyhoo, here’s how things add up:

Category: Juice
SAINTs: Fresh fruit magically morphed by the LittleHouseOnThePrairie juicer, Powdered no name juice crystals in the bulk bin aisle, potentially small packages of Koolaid, and even Crystal Lite (if you’re okay with aspartame), and if one is willing to commit a MINOR SIN – Welch’s White Grape Juice, Ripena blueberry juice, Lakewood, and SunRype and Hero juices
Price: about the same
Quality: Admittedly, the powdered juice crystals are a bit sub par, but all other options are the same quality as their plastic-packaged counterparts
SINNERs: Nestea, Lipton Iced Tea, Tang, large containers of Koolaid, Country Style Lemonade, Safeway juice crystals and tetrapaks, Sun Rype, Nestea, Minute Maid, Cereo, Dole, Simply Delicious, Just Cranberry, Allen, SunnyD, Ocean Spray, most Welch's, Clamato, Heinz, Simply Nutrious, Santa Cruz, My Organic Bag, Triple Juices, R.W. Knudsen, Bremners, Fruit D'Or, Biota, Kiji, SoNu, Wild, Mornin Glory.

Lessons Learned:

Life was greener way back when. Ma and Pa Ingalls never had plastic in their LittleHouseOnThePrairie. So if you still want ‘modern convenience’ sometimes rooting around an antique shop can provide you with plastic-free alternatives. Or in EnviroWoman’s case…visiting a CountryCousin.

MAJOR SIN #3

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 14:48:00 +0000

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It’s been 3 months since my last confession.

I’ve been expecting you, my child.

YOU HAVE???

You shouldn’t sound so surprised! For an old guy, I’m pretty tapped in. The Word on the street is vanity insanity was tempting you to walk on the dark side.

HUH?

The parishioners organizing the rummage sale have been gossiping for weeks that your no-new-plastic pledge was headed for another disaster all because of mascara.

Oh no, Father. That’s not the sin I’ve committed. My MAJOR SIN today Father is much, much bigger than mascara. With far greater implications to the planet and especially to my plastic shrine.

This sounds serious. Go ahead and confess your MAJOR SIN child, so that I may absolve you of your guilt.

Well, Father, to be honest I feel absolutely no guilt. Not one iota. And Father, I confess my no-new-plastic pledge was not even a consideration in my decision to commit this sin.

Oh Father, isn't that horrid. Hypocritical. Perhaps I have been tempted to the dark side!

MAYBE BEELZEBUB IS NOW MY MIDDLE NAME.

Here, let me check if I can rotate my head 360 degrees.

Saints be with us! Hang on while I grab some holy water and my copy of ‘Exorcism for Dummies’.

Father, the SIN I have to confess is…..I have bought a new home.

Oh my child, how can buying a new home be a SIN?

Think about it father. A home has lots of plastic in it. In the refrigerator, the dials on the stove, the plumbing hoses and washers, the toilet lid, the bathtub, the dishwasher racks, the closet organizers, the switches in the fuse box, the eavestroughs, all the wiring, lighting fixtures and electrical outlets, even the carpet. Even the paint!

Hmmm, this IS serious.

Yes, Father it is a whopper of a SIN. It’s PurgatoryWorthy. And it’s sad to say but ‘plastic-free’ never even made it onto my list of PropertyCan’tHaves. I was more concerned with re-sale value, square footage, location, and if I could still commute by bus instead of use MyLittleCar to get to work.

I guess I knew it would be impossible to buy a plastic-free home.

And Father, it gets worse. I have intentionally bought a home that needs renovating. There’s paint, and flooring, and new appliances to consider. New counter tops and faucets and landscaping.

This one SIN leads me perilously down a road fraught with the potential for more SINs.

Child, why do make it so hard on yourself? You really should see a shrink about that.

Well, Father, I guess I feel up for the challenge. I am fearless. Because I am the new consumer. It’s my mission for 2007 to help others chart the course to a greener future in my own little humble plastic-free way.

You see Father, I intend to try to renovate using no plastic and seeing if I can find eco-friendly products that are also plastic-free. That in itself will be a huge challenge. Kind of like finding plastic-free mascara that is also cruelty-free.

That IS going be a challenge. Why don’t you go easy on yourself and just make a new rule for your NoNewPlastic Pledge that says anything you buy pertaining to your renovation and home is exempt?

But Father. That would be cheating. That would be like taking a vow of celibacy but having an unholy union with a choir......

Okay, I get your point. It would be cheating.

And so candy-ass. I am way braver than that.

The tough part is Father, my rules say that once any plastic I buy gets used up it must be placed in my plastic shrine. How am I gonna put all that carpet into my plastic shrine?

Well, my child, I guess you’ll just have to get a bigger shrine.

Perhaps. But Father, do you think if I am able to donate to charity, or sell, any of the items I will replace, for example the fridge, or the carpet, that I may not have to put them into my shrine? I do have an existing rule that says if I am given plastic as a gift, and then regift it to someone else that plastic doesn’t count.

Well, that could be a possibility. I tell you what, why not ask your fellow parishioners what they think and let them help you decide.

Ahh, Father, you are a wise man. I will ask them! If I am able to sell or donate any of the plastic filled items within my new home, will those items have to appear in the plastic shrine!

In the meantime, your penance today, my child, is to say 1,000 Hail-David-Suzukis, 1,000 Hail-Al-Gores AND 1,000 Debbie Travis’....And you must kiss my rosary.

Father, remember, I can’t it’s made of plastic….

Oh, you're right. I keep on forgetting. Okay then, just go forth and stay true to your pledge....Flip This House Plastic-Free!

Plastic free: CFL Light Bulbs #2

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 05:38:00 +0000

I know, I know…you’re thinking…'EnviroWoman haven’t you already found plastic-free CFL bulbs by NOMA that come packaged in cardboard rather than that annoying and uber-evil blisterpak stuff.'

Well, I said it once, I’ll say it again….life is full of ironies. And this is another one of them.

And we’re not talking an itsy-bitsy-paramecium-sized irony. We’re talking a big, honkin’ Godzilla- Meets-Tyrannosaurus-Rex-sized irony – the Sequel.

Yup, get ready for it….you know what’s coming….CFL light bulbs contain plastic.

Yup, even the one’s that come packaged in cardboard.

Sad but true, there’s a big, bad wad of plastic at the base of each bulb. Disguised to look like porcelain…but evil plastic to the core.

And EnviroWoman cannot take any credit for making this discovery. Nope. It’s a fact Jack. Her brain capacity can really be quite itsy-bitsy-paramecium-sized at times....as she is so humbly discovering through this whole no-new-plastic year.

‘Cuz it wasn’t until Kevin commented on EnviroWoman’s blog about CFL bulbs containing plastic that EnviroWoman had the ‘No Sh#@ Sherlock’ revelation. As soon as Kevin's words registered with EnviroWoman's defective synapses she leapt from her laptop, made a bee-line for the storgage closet, delved into the stash of unopened CFL bulbs she had bought just days before, peeked inside the box….and there it was…plastic.

Crap, crap, and triple crap. Absolutely unbelievable!

But believe it just the same. NOMA’s CFL bulb is a veritable wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Plastic in something so eco-friendly. Ironic isn’t it? And guess what….they all have plastic bases, even the CFL bulbs packaged in blisterpak. A little plastic-zone in the CFL end-zone.

By now you’re probably thinking…'Holy crap, EnviroWoman is gonna have to commit a whole new category of eco-sin afterall, and buy the lowly standard light bulb.’

And the answer to that would be…does the Pope have a balcony?

Indeedy my sweetie, EnviroWoman headed back to Canadian Tire with her eco-tail between her eco-legs, so she could exchange her NOMA bulbs for plain old General Electric LongLife General Purpose light bulbs (with no iota of plastic in them.)

You do know what this means? When EnviroWoman peruses all those 10 Things you Can Do to Save the Planet lists she’s not going to be able to proudly proclaim ‘Check, got that one covered’ for all ten items, ‘cuz Switch to CFL bulbs is on every one of those lists.

Rather, to avoid committing a plastic SIN, she must commit an eco-SIN.

Doesn’t that just drive a plastic stake through EnviroWoman’s little green heart.

Oh well, let’s look on the bright side….by not buying CFL bulbs, at least she won’t be contributing to any mercury leaching into her local landfill.

Lessons Learned:

Assume nothing. Peek inside the box. Even though you look like a freak opening every lightbulb, toothpaste, and face cream package (just to name a few) to check if the contents contain any plastic…ya got to. When you make an eco-pledge, looking like a freak comes with the territory.

Plastic free: Rice

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 05:40:00 +0000

Uncle Ben has always been one of my all-time favorite uncles.

When EnviroWoman was a kid, World’sBestMom made sure he was a regular guest at the family dinner table. ‘Cuz he was such a high quality refined kinda guy.

No matter what World’sBestMom was serving, it seemed only natural Uncle Ben was there. There was Spanish Ben, Shrimp Creole on Ben, Chicken Cordon Bleu with Ben, Curried Ben, Steak with Ben, and EnviroWoman’s absolute fav Fav FAV food of all time….Chicken Parmesan with Ben. (Yeah, I know, that seems a bit odd for a vegetarian to claim, but 'tis the truth)

No doubt about it WorldsBestMom was WorldsBestCook and part of her secret was her love affair with Uncle Ben. Funny, Dad never seemed to mind.

When EnviroWoman fledged the nest, she carried on the family tradition, inviting Uncle Ben to her own dinner table for vegetarian feasts. Despite being a meat sidekick all those years, Uncle Ben adjusted well to tofu, beans, and veggies. Such a versatile lovable Uncle.

So, EnviroWoman was a bit worried when she took the no-new-plastic pledge. ‘Cuz she always remember Uncle Ben dressed in a plastic bag.

But what can I say, Uncle Ben is a stand up kinda guy because EnviroWoman found him in a cardboard box among all his friends dressed in plastic. Phew.

But hunting for a plastic-free Uncle Ben reminded EnviroWoman there was a whole ‘nuther world of rice. The wonderful thing is, there’s lots of great varieties to fit her every mood.

So, when EnviroWoman is feeling elegant, she goes for the pearls. In an exotic mood – indian basmati. In a granola-kinda mood – it's brown. And on occasion – EnviroWoman even goes wild.

And here’s the real sidekicker…most of them are available in the bulk food bins section. Yipee.

She’s had to make quite a few dietary adjustments in this no-new-plastic life. But not when it comes to rice. It’s still a staple in EnviroWoman’s diet. One small victory in living plastic-free.

And even better, Uncle Ben is still a frequent guest at her table.

So here’s how things add up:

Category: Rice
SAINTS: Uncle Ben’s Converted (boxed), Delta (boxed), any rice from the bulk food bins, Kraft Minute Rice (bleck!), Uncle Ben's Classiques, and Rice a Roni and Casbah depending on what the seasoning package is made of.
Price: Same
Quality: Same
SINNERS: Lundberg, Uncle Ben's bagged and Fast & Fancy and Bistro brands, Sun Rice, Safeway, Kokuno Rose, Canoes, Plantation, Liptons Sidekicks

Lessons Learned:

Bulk Food Bins Rock!!! I bow down to their glory. They sustain me. EnviroWoman will never go back to ‘regular’ shopping again.
Uncle Ben Still Rocks!!!

Plastic free: Pretzels

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 05:35:00 +0000

Hello, my name is EnviroWoman and I’m a plasticholic.

‘Welcome EnviroWoman.’

It’s been 5 ½ months since my last plastic-packaged pretzel. And not only did I give up pretzels when I took the no-new plastic pledge, but I also gave up crackers and chips and rice cakes and popcorn…in fact, all things crunchy and salty.

‘Way to go EnviroWoman!’ says a voice at the back of the room.

Everything was going along tickety-boo. No shakes, no withdrawal symptoms, no saturated fat lost-weekend benders. Nope. No junk food for a whole 260 days and 18 hours. (Not that I was counting.)

To be honest, I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t 72 pounds - all those calories saved by being plastic-sober. It must have been all that chocolate I was eating instead. Which of course, as we all know, is SO NOT junk food!

Anyhoo, I think it was the moment I realized I was only 3 weeks away from my 6-month plastic-sobrietry pin that I started to get serious salty-crunchy cravings.

‘Stay strong sister’, says that same encouraging voice from the crowd.

Your encouragement is appreciated, brother. When I could feel my will power slipping, I spent some time in quiet reflection reviewing the powerful and inspiring Twelve Steps of PlasticHolics Anonymous. I’d like you to all join me in reciting them.

The group declares in unison:

We as plasticholics:

Admitted we were powerless over plastic — that our recycling bins had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that we had the Power and the Responsibility to restore the world to eco-sanity.
Made a decision to turn our lives over to the care of Mother Earth as we understood Her.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of our plastic-filled lives.
Admitted to Mother Earth, to ourselves, and to other blog-reading human beings, the exact nature of our plastic-wrongs.
Were entirely ready to take the no-new-plastic-pledge.
Humbly made steps to remove plastic from our lives.
Made a list of all areas of Mother Earth we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct steps to choose plastic-free wherever possible, except when to do so would cause death or harm to animals.
Continued to take a personal plastic inventory and when we made wrong purchases promptly admitted it and changed our ways.
Sought, through refusing plastic, to reduce our eco-footprint on Mother Earth as we understood Her, hoping that by doing so we can help restore her to her former glory.
Having had an eco-awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other plasticholics, to help them practice these principles in their own lives.

I’m proud to say my resolve was renewed, and my willpower restored. I had resisted temptation.

‘We knew you could do it sister’. There it is again, that same deep baritone voice from the crowd. (Hmmm, note to self, check that guy out after the meeting, he’s kinda cute, in a plastic-deprived sorta way).

Thank you brother. I have to say, the world works in mysterious ways. While I was shopping the bulk-food bin section at SuperStore this weekend I came across, wonder of wonders…pretzels.

And not just those runty little stick pretzels, but those honkin’ huge 5-inch loopy suckers – that have crunch galore. And salt galore. It couldn't have gotten any better if they had been chocolate coated!

At last, EnviroWoman had found plastic-free junk food!!!

Needless to say, I’ve been on a pretzel binge all week long. So please join me at the back of the room after the meeting for pretzels and coffee.

‘Meeting adjourned’ yells cute, plastic-deprived guy.

There's a stampede to the back of the room and the crunch-fest begins.

So here’s how things ad up:

Category: Pretzels
SAINT: No name brand in the bulk food bins at Super Store
Price: Same
Quality: Same
SINNERS: Rold Gold, Old Dutch, Humpty Dumpty, Benzels, Kraft, Snyders

Lessons Learned:

In moments of weakness, review your 12-step pledge. Mother Nature is depending on you to commit, body, mind, and soul to overcoming your addictions to plastic, oil, consumption, food, and all things un-necessary and planet un-friendly.
Pay attention to those who cheer you on. They're in your corner. They want to see you succeed, 'cuz they're hoping when you do, you'll in turn cheer them onto success too. Kinda like an Eco-Quid-Pro-Quo.

Plastic free: Milk

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 05:45:00 +0000

EnviroWoman was having a MarthaMoment. And the recipe called for milk.

Now, EnviroWoman has never been a big milk drinker. Maybe soy milk on the rare occasion when she’s baking. ‘Cuz drinking milk…well, it’s as natural as morphing into The Incredible Hulk when the sun goes down.

Oh sure, it’s natural while you’re a wee babe still dependent on mumsy ….just like it is for all mammals. But once you’re weaned and noshing on cheerios and strained bananas, Mother Nature intends for you to answer ‘Got Milk?’ with a big fat 'NO' from then on….no matter how good the ad campaign is.

And drinking the milk of another species is…well…a biological abomination. Yeah, yeah, sure, in some artificial situations you’ll find some kind hearted female with heightened maternal instincts willing to nurse a furry little orphan that would never be part of her own litter. But that is so, so rare.

Nope… drinking milk (especially a cow’s) when you’re an adult human is just not natural. Of course, neither is wearing clothes, driving cars, religion, flying in planes, marriage, painting toenails, wearing makeup, pets, cooking and lots of other things…including plastic. And yet we think all these things are as natural as breathing air. Yup, we’re one OuttaTouchWithNature species aren’t we?

Anyhoo, the recipe called for milk.

Now you might be thinking 'EnviroWoman, this one’s a no-brainer. Milk comes in wax cartons’.

Oh my sweets, you should know the drill by now….there’s plastic in them thar’ containers. Yeah, ‘tis true. You think its wax, but it’s really plastic.

And, if milk isn’t in those waxy-plasticy cartons, well it’s in a plastic jug. Or in a tetrapak which also has a layer of plastic deep inside. And even milk in a glass bottle comes with a plastic lid nowadays.

So, EnviroWoman headed to the baking needs aisle to hunt among the cans of evaporated milk for boxes of powdered skim milk. No luck…all packaged in plastic bags. She tried all her usual haunts, including the bulk bins at Dan-d-Mart. Still no luck.

So she donned her ruby red slippers, jumped into MyLittleCar and made the long trek to the land of Super Store.

Now it’s not often her ruby red slippers touch down there, ‘cuz SuperStore is a harsh reminder how decadent our society is. I mean, is all that stuff really necessary? Is all that choice really necessary? Hell no!

But they’ve got bulk food bins coming outta the ying yang.

And when EnviroWoman asked ‘Got Powdered Milk?’ they answered ‘Yes.’

Now, if you’re a regular reader of EnviroWoman you know several weeks ago she commented that she had a ‘there’s hope for the planet afterall’ moment at Safeway when she realized more and more people were starting to shun the plastic grocery bag and bring their own cotton bags.

Well, I gotta say, all hope is now in the crapper.

EnviroWoman was standing there in the checkout lane at SuperStore with her trusty wire basket and reuseable chinese take out boxes filled with bulk bin treasures….looking at the throngs of shoppers around her. And all their stuff. Most of it unnecessary. With all that packaging. Filled with all those animals. From deep in the ocean. From factory farms. Shipped from all around the world. Responsible for all those green house gases. All at the expense of Nature.

All those ignorant people steering our planet to disaster. Even EnviroWoman.

It made me so mad….I almost morphed into a green-eyed monster!!!

Anyway, so here’s how things add up:

Category: Milk
SAINT: Powered skim milk from bulk bins
Price: The same or cheaper
Quality: Hmmm, not as good
SINNER: Island Farms, Naturel, Natura, Valley Pride, Rice Dreams, So Nice, Dairyland, Lucerne, Beatrix, Olympic, Caper's Organic, SoyDream, Vita Soy, So Good, Avalon

Lessons Learned:

Hope for the best. But prepare for the worst. 6.3 billion people will not be able to wake up and change their ways enough, and in time, to preserve life as we know it. So ditch the beach-front property. Buy heritage seeds. And a little plot of arable land...way inland. Start building the eco-bunker. The times, they are a changing. But people aren't.
EnviroWoman should stay away from Super Store. And if she needs to go there, to partake of the bulk bin treasures, she should wear loose fitting clothing. Just in case she gets so angry she morphs into The Incredible Eco-Hulk.

PROGRESS REPORT: MAY

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 05:47:00 +0000

I’ve finished month #5 living the ‘no-new-plastic’ pledge. And I gotta say….it’s been a bad plastic month.

I’ve almost doubled the size of my plastic shrine and it could have been prevented if I had just avoided two PlasticBlondeMoments.

PlasticBlondeMoment #1 & #2

The first ‘blonde’ moment occurred when I ordered a glass-blown necklace from an artisan shop in Victoria and forgot to tell them ‘Don’t package it in plastic.’ When it arrived in the mail in a foam pack envelope I’m sure the whole neighborhood could hear EnviroWoman barking 'Crap, crap and triple crap.'

And I had no one to blame but myself.

And if that wasn’t bad enough…I had another PlasticBlondeMoment at that very same instant. Because half way through filleting the plastic out of the envelope to add it to the plastic shrine EnviroWoman realized….'I should have just sent it back and told them ‘thanks but no thanks…please reuse this envelope.'

So that’s my strategy going forward…Return to Sender. I've been using it on junk mail (especially those with plastic windows) so why not on other things.

PlasticBlondeMoment #3

There was another PlasticBlondeMoment. It happened when EnviroWoman was distracted at a social engagement and realized she had been drenching her sushi in a plastic dipping sauce cup destined to be thrown away after EnviroWoman finished having her way with it.

But instead, that wee cup has taken up residence in EnviroWoman’s plastic shrine. See how happy it looks with all its plastic buddies!

Do not despair my sweets! Those three PlasticBlondeMoments increased EnviroWoman’s plastic awareness and helped avoid a major disaster.

Averting Disaster

As mentioned in April’s Progress Report, MyLittleCar had been the victim of a ‘hit and leave a note’. When I took it into the body shop for a repair estimate I told them about my No-New-Plastic-Pledge and they said ‘No problemo. The plastic door trim isn’t damaged enough to warrant replacing and we don’t need to use any plastic when fixing and repainting the door.'

Excellent! The Eco-Gods were smiling on EnviroWoman.

But when EnviroWoman finally took MyLittleCar in to get fixed, and had her wits about her enough to ask for a second time ‘Are you sure you guys can honor my No-New-Plastic-Pledge’ she was told…. ‘Sorry, we were wrong, the entire car will be covered with plastic when painted, and this plastic will be thrown out.’

EnviroWoman took a stand ‘Well, in that case MyLittleCar will have to wait until next year to get fixed…’cuz there is no way I am adding a whole car-load of polypropylene to my plastic shrine.’ She turned on her ruby red slippers and high-tailed it out of the body shop.

She was so proud of herself she had to bend over and check between her legs to see if she had grown balls.

But when she jumped into MyLittleCar and glanced in the rear view mirrow, she noticed the words TotalWhackedOutEcoFreak were magically and officially stamped on her forehead.

Please forgive me MyLittleCar.

RudeAwakenings

Let’s see….the inside of Pepsi cans are sprayed with plastic, soda in glass bottles have plastic liners under the caps…beer has the same problems. Metal toothpaste tubes have plastic liners….as do most canned foods.

Ooeee, and even CFL bulbs contain plastic (oh yeah...you're gonna hear about that one, watch for the June post on CFL Light Bulbs #2 coming soon).

And anything in a glass jar also has plastic under the lid to help seal the jar. Yup folks, it’s everywhere.

EnviroWoman has resigned herself to the fact when she buys anything in glass jars (which she’s been limited to) she’ll have commit a MINOR SIN because of the plastic cap seal and sometimes even the cap itself. Bummer, huh?

Sayonara

In January EnviroWoman waved goodbye to meat substitutes, crackers, chips and The Body Shop. In March, it was dishwashing liquid. In April she gave the boot to her beloved Pepsi and ended her affair with Dr. Oetker’s frozen pizza

In May she said goodbye to highlighters and….it really hurts this GirlyGirl to say this next part…EnviroWoman kissed nail polish goodbye. Yuppers, it’s made of plastic. I first weaned the fingernails. Then two weekends ago, I bit the bullet and removed the last red remnants from my toenails. Look at those bland, white freaky little digits staring up at me!! They look totally naked, and ugly and very, very boring. But they ARE plastic-free.

And today, May 31st, EnviroWoman said goodbye to another good friend - Lawry’s Seasoning Salt. Tofu will never be the same again.

Watch for upcoming XtremeMakeovers

In April's Progress Report EnviroWoman reported TheUrgeToPurge was starting to get aggravating. This month she’s turned the problem into a challenge, as she often does. It’s kinda her own version of Flip This House.

Mini NoPlasticMakeovers are happening all over the place. It started with the office desk, then migrated to the pen-stash drawer, then the medicine cabinet and the cutlery drawer, and now the bathroom cupboards. Wait until she hits the closet – it will be What Not To Wear like you’ve never seen it!

Watch for upcoming episodes airing soon on the Living Plastic Free in 2007 channel.

Good Plastic Fortune this month

Anyway, despite all of this here has been some good plastic fortune this month....

Finding Toilet Paper
Discovering how great expensive pens are
Being interviewed on Australia’s ABC radio
Brain food: Plastic Ocean

The big challenge this month

Kicking the nail polish habit. Plus, I’m still on the hunt for plastic free mascara. Now I’ve added eye shadow, foundation, eyeliner and body lotion to the list. These are my holy grails…because cruelty-free cosmetics that are also plastic free are impossible to find.

And here it is, my sweets, just to keep me honest, an account of my SINs for the month of May….

MINOR SINS for May 2007

8 plastic liners from soda pop bottle caps
Tampon wrappers
Plastic liner from a foam pack envelope
2 mini straws hiding in cardboard packaging from utensils bought at Ikea
2 plastic labels

MAJOR SINs for May 2007

None. But mascara is definitely starting to put a voodoo hex over me, as is nail polish...at least for the toes ('come back to the dark side EnviroWoman')

Challenges Ahead

As current supplies are dwindling I’m starting to hunt for the following non-plastic/packaged, cruelty-free items:

Mascara & Eyeliner. Potential for a MAJOR SIN
Body Lotion
Scotch tape
Lint rollers
Eye shadow
Motor Oil
Bandaids
Sunglasses
Sun tan lotion/Sun Screen
Thongs/Sandals
Powdered Milk
Clothes. I haven’t bought any since January because not buying polyester, nylon, spandex, etc, is gonna be hard.

If you have any suggestions where I can find these items please post a comment.

Plastic free: Beer, ya hoser!

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Wed, 30 May 2007 03:39:00 +0000

Hey hosehead, EnviroWoman is gonna introduce you to some Canadian culture, okay?

So first...turn up your speakers.

Then click on this link, ya hoser,
And then go back to her blog right away, okay, eh.
It's gonna be like a blog in stereo.

And hoser, if you don't have speakers, you're screwed!

This is where EnviroWoman talks. Don’t say anything, okay eh?

Cooo, loo, coo coo coo, coo, coo, coooo!
Ah, Beauty! Go!
Cooo, loo, coo coo coo, coo, coo, coooo!

Okay, Good day. Welcome to my blog
I’m EnviroWoman and…
This is my brother BeerGuy
How’s it going, eh?

Beauty, eh?
Yeah, I like that

Okay

Okay
Okay, everyone. This blog post was my idea
Get out!
It was
You’re lyin’!
He…BeerGuy here just sort of rid on my coat tails
Why are you doing this? It was OUR idea together, eh?

Yeah, Okay
We AGREED to…to say that, but…
Ah, take off!

Take off! To the No-New-Plastic Way!
Take off! It’s the beauty way to go
Take off! To the No-New-Plastic Way!

We’ve got good beer, eh?
Yeah
Yeah, Canadian beer is great!

Okay, so good day. Our topic today is beer

That’s right like, ‘Cause my sister and I are now experts in the field
Yeah, right, 'cause we're Canadian...Yeah, well

And ummm...well except for EnviroWoman, she doesn't like beer

Awww, How can you say that? Making me look bad
You’re such a hosehead
Yeah? Well, take off!

Take off! To the No-New-Plastic Way!
Take off! It’s the beauty way to go
Take off! To the No-New-Plastic Way!

Hey, hosehead
Yeah, what?
Yeah, listen you can’t find plastic-free beer in Canada
What!
It’s true!
Okay, everyone, like a beer can has a plastic lining like Pepsi
Oh, get out! It does not…You’re full of…
It does so!
Stop lying, will ya?
Take off, eh!

Take off! To the No-New-Plastic Way!
Take off! It’s the beauty way to go
Take off! To the No-New-Plastic Way!

Take off! It's the beauty way to go

Take off!

Cooo, loo, coo coo coo, coo, coo, coooo!
Cooo, loo, coo coo coo, coo, coo, coooo!

Not so beauty, eh?
Like crap, eh? Beer cans have plastic liners?
Yeah, that's like...

That's like...un-Canadian to not drink beer

Hey, hosehead

Yeah, what?

Guess what?

What

Beer bottles have plastic too

Take off! That can't be

Well, its true. Under the caps!

Why?

To keep the beer from leaking out. Like they...

No way

Yeah, beer caps have plastic too

Okay, So that’s our blog topic for today. So, Good Day!
Good day!

Hey you guys!
What? No

Take off!

Wait....No....

Hey, don't go!

No, come back, eh!

Aww...look what you did!

Everybody's going because of you

You said...

Come back! You can still drink beer

Ya just gotta commit a SIN to do it

You are such a hoser

There's no way I'm gonna drink beer with you again, hoser

Okay that's fine! Go drink beer solo

Fine, then you'll be looking for me...

Yeah? Will not....

.....peeling off my beer label alone

Aww. Now everybody's gone

So?

Good day!

Good day!

Okay you hosers, so this is how things add up:

Category: Beer
SAINT: None of ‘em. But who cares, hoser! Beer’s worth sinning for!
Price: Who cares. It’s beer!
Quality: Canadian beer is awesome, hosehead!
SINNER: Molsom, Canadian, Labatts, Pilsner, Big Rock, Heinekin, Colt 45, Kokanee, Guinness, Budweiser, Whistler, Nelson, Richards, Philips, Old Milwaukee, Alberta Grown, Hey hoser, look at all of this beer. Canucks really do like beer! Sleemans, Miller, Bowen Island, Wildcat, Coors, Ironhorse, Shaftesbury, Granville Island, Braham, Corona, Moosehead, and so on... Hey hoser, why are you still reading. Like we said...All of ‘em are SINNERs. But who cares. Beer's worth sinning for!

Lessons learned:

A promise is a like promise, eh. When EnviroWoman wrote about lipstick she told all the guys she’d make it up to them and write about a TestosteroneTopic…like hockey pucks. So she wrote about beer! And hosehead….she doesn’t even drink beer! Or watch hockey. So takeoff!
Hey hoser, some things are worth sinning for. Like beer, and chocolate...and maybe even hockey pucks.

And now here’s a little CanadianCulture chaser for that beer. Bob and Doug Mackenzie, pictured above (aka Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas) were two fictional beer swilling hosehead brothers who personified the ‘typical Canadian, eh’. Their song The Great White North was popularized on SCTV, a Canuck comedy show that ran in the late 70s and early 80s which also launched the careers of John Candy, Martin Short, Eugene Levy and more…

Plastic free: Toothpaste

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Tue, 29 May 2007 01:05:00 +0000

Brushing our teeth. We’ve all gotta do it. At least if we want to be part of civilized society. And keep a job. And find a Mr. or Mrs. Right.

Yuppers, the only ones who appreciate DoggyDooDooBreath are TheBeasts, who have a unique appreciation for smelly orifices, especially when greeting new friends. (EnviroWoman’s mind wanders....imagine what our society would be like if we......)

No doubt about it, EnviroWoman is glad to walk upright among civilized society. So it was important she find herself a good toothpaste.

But a completely plastic-free toothpaste seems to be an elusive beast. (As is that other oral hygiene animal…the plastic-free toothbrush).

Oh sure, EnviroWoman could use plain old baking soda and salt. But those are particularly unsatisfying. EnviroWoman likes the minty fresh breath after-effect of the morning ritual. It gives a nice little kick start to the day. Just like a freshly washed face. And, especially important now that she can no longer imbibe in the breakfast of champions.

But she’s noticed, and you may have too, that over the past couple of years there’s been a migration from the metal toothpaste tube to the plastic toothpaste tube. Sigh.

In all her hunting she’s found only 2 brands that still sport the old-fashioned metal tube. And, like all the other toothpastes, they both have a plastic lid. (EnviroWoman has learned that caps and lids for any and all products have an unholy union with plastic and there doesn’t seem to be a way around it). These lids count as MINOR SINs.

On the plus side, both these toothpastes are cruelty-free (no animal ingredients or testing) which is a moral code EnviroWoman steers by, even more so than plastic-free.

Her first choice is Mint-flavoured Desert Essence Natural Tea Tree Oil Toothpaste. But, if EnviroWoman remembers the rest of their flavours have migrated to plastic-tube packaging. If that’s true, the mint-flavored tube probably will too. (So EnviroWoman is putting a big RESERVED sign on the supply at Capers on West 4th. Hands off, it’s mine…get yer own!) Anyhoo, their toothpaste has got a good dose of mint to it. However, EnviroWoman notices its ‘fresh-breath’ effect isn’t as long-lasting as non-cruelty-free brands like Colgate or Crest.

EnviroWoman’s second choice is Tom of Maine’s Natural Fluoride-free Baking Soda Toothpaste. It definitely gives you that immediate ‘fresh-breath’ tang. But the paste is smoother and saltier in your mouth than other toothpastes, and leaves a bit of a day-long salt after-taste which in EnviroWoman’s opinion is almost DoggyDooDooRaunchy. But a small price to pay for cruelty-free. Well, okay, that’s debatable.

EnviroWoman has also looked into toothpowders (the goddess Oprah likes Eco-Dent), but these seem to all be packaged in plastic.

If you've developed your own plastic-free ‘minty-fresh’ homemade recipes, or have discovered any other non-plastic options, I’d love to hear about them. And especially if you’ve found a plastic-free toothbrush (I’m beginning to think this particular oral hygiene beast has already gone extinct).

So here’s how things add up:

Category: Toothpaste
SAINTS: Desert Essence Natural Tea Tree Oil, Tom of Maine’s Natural Fluoride free Baking Soda Toothpaste
Quality: About the same to a little sub-par
Price: Way, way more expensive
SINNERS: Colgate, Crest, Kiss My Face, Sensodyne, Nature's Gate, AquaFresh, Dabar Herbal and probably but not sure about Arm and Hammers, Rembrandt, Fixodent (couldn’t snoop into their boxes)

Lessons Learned:

Keep yer distance. Sometimes when you start to morph into a hard-core granola, your body hygiene may 'devolve'. You may want to advise your friends and family that while in your eco-holiness presence, that they increase the circumference of their 'personal space' if they notice you have taken on a slight air of DoggyDooDooRaunchy. Hopefully they will continue to love you unconditionally just like TheBeast does. However, if TheBeast really starts to get 'in your face' and greets you in socially unacceptable human-standard ways, you know you have taken your new found granolaness to dangerous levels.

Plastic free: Pens

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Mon, 28 May 2007 01:11:00 +0000

I don’t remember the last time I bought a pen. I get them for free at professional events. I even inherited a life-time supply from a tech firm that belly-upped during the dot-com-crash.

Pens are prolific in EnviroWoman’s life. I have so many pens I don’t even need to buy refills. When a pen dries up…it’s retired to the pen-stash-drawer, and I move on to the next one. This drawer, I am ashamed to confess holds 89 pens.

Yes, 89. Stupid, isn’t it? My own dirty little secret. I mean really, what family needs that many pens? Not one. It’s a fine example of excess consumption. And what’s even worse, at least ½ are single-use-pens, intended to be thrown out after they dry up and added to the 10 billion non-degradable plastic pens tossed to the landfills each year worldwide.

And of all my 89 pens, only 4 make it through the golden-gates of no-new-plastic land. Yes, only 4. That's less than 5% of my stash. Of these:

Three are all-metal Cross pens bestowed upon EnviroWoman by appreciative CEOs and TheWorldsBestMom. They’re the pen equivalent of ‘good china’, always stowed away in their posh boxes, never seeing the light of day because they seem ‘too expensive’ for everyday use.
The fourth, is a completely compostable corn-based pen made of WickedWitchoftheNorthBioplastic… which Vancity gave EnviroWoman when she won the ViaLaResolution contest. This one is intended to be composted after its gone dry.

The rest of my pen horde, all made of plastic…are doomed victims of TheUrgeToPurge – either packed away or given away.

So now EnviroWoman uses her ‘good china’ pens for everyday use. And she’s noticed something. When you use an expensive pen you get a bit paranoid about abusing it. And losing it. You hang onto it as if your nimble digits have morphed into raptor-talons. You treat it differently…because who wants to lose a $70 pen? And you know…that’s probably a really good thing.

Let’s face it….cheapo pens are less precious. We don’t guard them with raptor-talons. No, if they go wayward, no big deal…just dip into the pen-stash drawer for another. Or, throw them away, like we’re supposed to.

EnviroWoman wondered, could she limit herself for the rest of the year, or better yet...for life, to these 4 pens? Well...almost. But the fact is....she needs two for work, two for home, one for the car, and one for the purse.

And so EnviroWoman found herself needing to buy pens, for the first time in a long time.

It wasn’t as easy as she thought it would be.

She found only one all-metal pen (including the cartridge)…‘The Space Pen’ favored by astronauts and meat packers (you’re MensaMaterial if you can figure out that last one…go ahead – give it a guess). It writes in zero gravity, underwater, on wet surfaces, in blazing heat and freezing cold and at any angle. Alas, the Space Pen is packaged in plastic, as is the refill.

And that’s the trouble in pen land…almost every pen has a small amount of plastic in the cartridge (even the 3 Cross pens from EnviroWoman’s pen-stash-drawer), or the pen or refill comes packaged in plastic. Other than using a pencil, there doesn’t seem to be a way around it. And you know and I both know, you can’t sign cheques, invoices and contracts with a pencil.

EnviroWoman went a-hunting…in big box stores, in stationery boutiques and art stores, and finally to a specialty pen shop. She settled on:

a $6 St. Tropez Petites by Marvy…a teeny little pen perfect for the car…no packaging whatsoever and just a small amount of plastic in the cartridge and the stylus
a zowie yellow $48 Tornado by Retro 1951 (comes in a cardboard box, with an all metal tube case…perfect for stashing the pen in my purse along with my prismacolor pencil crayons and china markers that have replaced my highlighters, yipee)

This means, that although EnviroWoman has to commit a MINOR SIN when buying a pen (‘cuz they have those niggly lit bits of plastic in the cartridge), she’s probably going to have to commit a MAJOR SIN when she has to buy a refill (because they are packaged in plastic). But, she’ll cross that bridge when she needs to.

But the whole exercise of purging the pen stash drawer and using her ‘good china’ pens has made EnviroWoman gain a whole new appreciation for pens. There was even a mind-shift from ‘throwaway’ to ‘use for a lifetime’.

So here’s how things add up:

Category: Pens
SAINT: Some, but not all of pens offered by: Cross, Sheaffer, Triad, Olympian, Sigma, Waterman, Blass, Parker
Price: Way more expensive, but hey, you're worth it. So is the planet
Quality: Ink, the same. The pen body, the same to better
SINNER: Any of the cheapos by Bic, Sheaffer, Paper mate, Sanford, Pilot (EnviroWoman used to luv, luv, luv their Precise Rollerballs), Zebras, Pentel, etc. Especially those designed for single-use (can't buy a refill)

Lessons Learned:

Plastic stuff equals cheap stuff which equals disposable stuff which equals no appreciation for stuff. And voila, we end up with a throw-away society. With too much consumption. And too much garbage. And a disposable mentality. And herein lies one of the big problems with our society. You know if we had to pay more for stuff, we’d be more frugal…and careful. And use less of MotherNature. (There EnviroWoman goes again folks….waxing philosophically from her soapbox)

If you know of any other ‘no-plastic’ pens, especially those that are ‘true-blues’ with ABSOLUTLEY no plastic in the cartridge, the refill or in any packaging, please let EnviroWoman and the rest of us know.

Plastic free: Toilet Paper

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Sun, 27 May 2007 00:53:00 +0000

Hey, squeeze this Mr. Wimple! EnviroWoman is talking toilet paper.

Admit it…you’ve been waiting for it.

As early as January 1st, when the no-new-plastic pledge was made, EnviroWoman knew finding plastic-free TP was going to be a challenge.

For months people had told EnviroWoman…'You’ll find paper-packaged TP at Capers’ LaLaLand's mecca for all things new-age organic. But everytime she went…there was never any in sight. Maybe they were there and EnviroWoman was blind, or having blonde moments…or maybe those elusive rolls had Frodo’s magic cloak that made them suddenly invisible.

And yet, in the bathroom stalls of CorporateCanada EnviroWoman kept seeing paper covered rolls of TP…so she knew it existed.

Finally, the TP gods smiled down upon EnviroWoman. A visit to Capers proved lucky….a single roll of Seventh Generation (100% recycled, no-chlorine bleach, 1000 sheets/1 ply) packaged in paper. But oooee the stuff was pricey, $1.39 a roll. And right next to it…paper-wrapped Main Street TP (100% recycled, 500 sheets/2 ply). Cheaper at $.89 a roll.

She struck the TP motherlode again at Dan-d-Market. There she found April Soft (100% recycled, chlorine-bleach free, 500 sheets/2 ply, and the only one to carry the Environmental Choice logo) and EcoSoft (100% recycled, 500 sheets/2 ply) both for $.99 a roll.

That was still all pretty pricey compared to the 30-roll plastic-packaged Scott Premium stuff at Costco at only $.56 a roll.

So EnviroWoman started hunting janitorial supply places and finally found one (Amre Supply) that sells to the general public and that carried the same Main Street TP found at Capers but in boxes of 48 rolls, at a cost of just $.63 a roll.

EnviroWoman has to admit. She’s a bit surprised there is this much choice for plastic-free toilet paper. Especially when it seemed to be such an elusive beast for so long. Maybe the no-plastic gods are smiling down upon her. (Hey, could you gods send me some plastic-free mascara….please, oh pretty please).

So here’s how things add up:

Category: Toilet Paper
SAINT: Seventh Generation, April Soft, Main Street, EcoSoft
Quality: Not as plush as Scott Premium from Costco…but hey, you’re only wiping your butt with it…do you really NEED something cushy-plush for that. Is your butt worth cutting down old growth forests for?)
Price: More expensive
SINNERS: Charmin, Cascades, Purex, Safeway Recycled, Safeway Select, Basic Red, Purex, Royale, and even Seventh Generation multi-pack….all packaged in plastic.

Lessons Learned:

Shop in new places. The supermarket isn’t the only place to shop for everyday things. Sometimes they’re even cheaper in places that cater to businesses rather than the general public.

Brain food:

Okay, usually EnviroWoman ends her posts here. But I know alot of folks care deeply about their toilet paper. And although EnviroWoman has to balance buying plastic-free with other green morals, some of you folks have other 'deciding factors'. So I'm gonna point you in the direction of two good sources to help you make better choices about paper you use in the loo.

Environmental Choice certified Toilet Paper (which likes April Soft and Main Street [SCA], but doesn't mention Seventh Generation) based on these criteria:

1. Load points assessment for resource consumption, energy consumption, COD, TEF and net sold waste (huh?)
2. Manufacturing effluent content restrictions
3. Use of wood fibres from certified sustainable sources

Greenpeace's Ancient Forest-Friendly Tissue Products Guide (which likes April Soft and Seventh Generation but doesn't mention Main Street) based on these criteria:

1. Ancient and endangered forest friendly
2. High recycled and/or alternative fibre content
3. Produced without chlorine

Feel free to post a comment of any good sources you have too for brands found in your part of the planet. Especially you Brits and Aussies that read this blog.

Eye Candy: Plastic Pics

noreply@blogger.com (EnviroWoman) — Tue, 22 May 2007 04:45:00 +0000

EnviroWoman is a visual animal. Sometimes understanding the magnitude of numbers overwhelms her. Just how many is 500 billion plastic bags anyway? (the number consumed worldwide every year)

Well, Chris Jordan has come to the rescue…without even knowing who EnviroWoman is.

His Running the Numbers photographs give EnviroWoman visual understanding of the magnitude of our addiction with not only plastic but also office paper, paper bags, cigarettes, cell phones and more.

Very cool stuff. EnviroWoman hopes you check it out.

Here’s what 60,000 plastic bags looks like, the number used in the US every five seconds. Only 1% of plastic bags get recycled.

Click on the picture to visit Chris’ site and see more detailed pictures.

This next picture depicts 2 million plastic beverage bottles, the number used in the US every five minutes. Depending on the statistic you find…between 10-25% get recycled.

EnviroWoman finds these pictures profound. And disturbing. How about you?

Maybe every fast food restaurant and shopping mall should be forced to mount these pictures on their walls…to drive home the message to consumers.