Frequently Asked Questions (Last Updated 02/19/2008)

I have set up this FAQ so that most answers link to one or more relevant blog posts. I hope you find this list helpful. And if you can't find what you need here, please leave a comment. I hope to continue updating this list as the need arises.

1. So who are you and why did you create Fake Plastic Fish anyway?
   
   I'm Beth Terry from Oakland, CA. Please read my post, Tales of an On-again Off-again Activist, which pretty much explains who I am and how I became conscious of all the plastic in my life.



2. What are the goals of Fake Plastic Fish?
   
   There are basically 4 goals:
   • To reduce the need for new plastic to be produced since petroleum is a non-renewable, polluting resource, and the production of plastic wreaks havoc on our eco-system.
   • To keep existing plastic out of our waterways and landfills where it can cause further harm.
   • To limit my exposure to toxins that can leach from certain types of plastic.
   • To educate others about these issues so that my actions can have a farther-reaching impact than those of a single individual acting alone.
   
   
3. Those are pretty big goals. How do you plan to accomplish them?
   
   By following my 4 R's:
   • REDUCE: If at all possible, do not buy any new plastic items.
   • REUSE: Safely reuse existing plastic as many times as possible before throwing it away or recycling it. (Some plastic, like PVC, is not safe to reuse.)
   • RECYCLE: Recycle whatever plastic I can that cannot be reused.
   • REPORT: Report my successes and failures as honestly as possible on this blog.
   
   
4. What's wrong with plastic anyway?
   
   Good question. Here are some answers:
   • Plastic is made from oil... This post lists the main problems with plastic from creation to disposal and beyond.
   • Is your water cooler messing with your hormones? A post about the problems of #7 polycarbonate plastic.
   • Woman Drinks Wine... Why plastic wine corks and screw caps are problems for the environment.
   • ...The Perils of PVC. What's PVC and why should we avoid it?
   • And here's a link to a PDF version of the IATP Smart Plastics Guide, which lists the different types of plastics and explains which ones are the most harmful and why.
   
   
5. Can't we just recycle all of our plastic?
   
   We should recycle whatever plastic we can before throwing it away. But reycling plastic is actually downcycling. It degrades as it's recycled so we still keep needing to create new virgin plastic.
   
   Here is a series of posts on recycling, based on my trips to local recycling and transfer centers. I plan to visit several more facilities this year and post whatever I learn.
   • Recycling Part 1: Wait! Are you sure that's recyclable?
   • Recycling Part 2: Lessons from the Davis Street Transfer Center
   • Recycling Part 3: Further Lessons from the Davis Street Transfer Center
   • Recycling Part 4: A Visit to California Waste Solutions
   • Recycling Part 5: Only in San Francisco
   
   
6. What's the weekly plastic tally, why are you graphing your plastic waste, and what happens to all the plastic after it's tallied?
   
   I think it's educational for me and others to see just how much plastic we actually consume even when we're trying hard not to. It's a visual representation of one individual's plastic impact on the world. I'm hoping that by the one-year mark, my plastic waste will be nearly zero. Currently, I'm still using up products packaged and bottled in plastic that I purchased before this project began.
   
   None of the plastic I collect is thrown into the garbage. Anything that is reyclable gets recycled. Everything else goes into a huge bag for later exhibition. What will I do with it? I don't know. Make a costume? String it into a long rope to stretch across the Earth? Toss it into a huge plastic salad? I have no idea. Suggestions are welcome.



7. Some projects, like those of Colin Beavan of the No Impact Man project and Vanessa Farquharson of Green As A Thistle, have an end. Does Fake Plastic Fish have any kind of timeline and will you return to using plastic at the end of it?
   
   Fake Plastic Fish does not have a timeline because the changes that I'm making are permanent lifestyle changes. Some bloggers take on an extreme challenge for a finite period of time and at the end of the project, re-incorporate some previous ways of living. These kinds of projects can be very useful and instructive, helping us learn just how far we are willing to go.
   
   But from the beginning, Fake Plastic Fish has taken a more pragmatic approach. I hope to keep learning and blogging for a long time and making practical changes that I can sustain without too much deprivation and distress. And I'm hoping that these are the kinds of things that other people can try for themselves too without feeling overwhelmed by the idea of giving up plastic entirely forever, eating completely locally, never buying anything new ever again. This fish tank is filled with moderation.



8. Still, it can't be easy. What's been the most difficult lifestyle change you've made so far?
   
   I'd say giving up certain kinds of breads that only come in plastic bags. Pita bread. Tortillas. I tried making my own pitas, with less than stellar results and haven't tried again for quite a while. I'm planning on trying my own tortillas, but I just haven't been motivated to bake. Fortunately, we do have great fresh artisanal bread here in the Bay Area that is sold in paper, so it's only certain flat breads I'm missing out on.
   
   Oh, and Haig's Spicy Hummus continues to taunt me when Michael (my husband) brings it home in plastic tubs. Yes, I can make my hummus. Yes, I know it's easy. And yes, I do sometimes make it. But it's not like Haig's. It's just not.



9. You mentioned your husband, Michael. He is not doing the plastic project with you?
   
   Michael is his own man and follows the dictates of his own conscience. In fact, here's the man in his own words: I Think We All Do That Sometimes. In my weekly tally, I don't include plastic that he's bought for himself unless I have gained some benefit from it myself.



10. What's the best way for me to start using less plastic?
    
    Great question! Check out THE LIST, my ongoing list of the changes I've made in order to live as plastic-free as possible. I've tried to organize it in order from simple changes that make a huge impact to smaller, more subtle or difficult changes. Of course, we don't all have the same feelings about what's easy or difficult, so read the list and choose the things you yourself can tackle right away. Add a few more once you've mastered the basics.



11. So is there any plastic you still haven't given up?
    
    Oh yes. Cheese. (Sigh) And a few other items that are included at the bottom of THE LIST.



12. What's the best way to look up specific information on your web site without having to scroll through all your many blog posts?
    
    That's another good question and right now I don't have an excellent answer. I do try to label my posts into categories, and those categories are listed on the right sidebar. Another good way is to use the Search Bar at the top of the page to find references to topics you are interested in. But the truth is that the mechanics of the Blogger software, combined with the fact that I host my own site, leaves me with a less easily navigable blog than I'd like to have.
    
    I'm always open to suggestions for new blog software. I'd love to switch from Blogger but just haven't had the time to do the research. And now we have brand new kittens to play with! Are you techie? Can you help?



13. I notice there are some ads on this site. What's your advertising policy?
    
    I held off accepting advertising for a very long time out of concern for possible conflicts of interest and the desire to have some control over the ads that appeared. Currently, there are 4 types of ads running on the site:
    
    1) BlogAds: Top of the left sidebar. BlogAds gives me the ability to accept or reject any ad, so if an ad appears in that spot, you'll know it's for something I like. And if you have a product or service that can truly help us reduce our plastic consumption and lower our environmental impact, please feel free to click the "Advertise Here" link. I'd be happy to accept your ad.
    
    2) Sustainlane Green Ad Network: Underneath the BlogAds section is a long strip from the Sustainlane Green Ad Network. These ads also appear in a box a the bottom of each post. I'm not sure I'll be able to accept or reject every ad, but I do trust Sustainlane as a company and use their web site often. If you haven't visited, it's a very useful, user-driven database of environmentally-friendly resources with user reviews and ratings. You might not agree with every product on the site (I certainly don't) but as a user, you get to rate products and give your two cents.
    
    3) On the right sidebar, under the Subscription Form, is an ad for Ideal Bite. Ideal Bite is another useful tool that I personally use. When you sign up, you receive a free eco-tip in your e-mail box every day. Some of these are about brand new "green" products or businesses. Others are about ideas for how to save resources. I don't necessarily agree with all their tips, but like Sustainlane, they too have a way for users to leave comments. And once you sign up, you can search their database for specific topics of interest. Signing up for the tips is free, and I receive a few cents for each person who signs up by clicking through the ad. So if you're interested, by all means, click away!
    
    4) Finally, scrolling down the right side, you come to the Amazon.com list of books that I have been reading. If you click the link and buy the book, I receive a few cents. BUT I'm not advocating buying new books. Borrowing from the library is way more environmentally-friendly. Buying used is better than buying new. Amazon.com can be really useful just for getting information about books you're interested in and sometimes reading excerpts from the books themselves. But if you really want a book and can't borrow or find it any other way, why not order by clicking through the Fake Plastic Fish link and sending some of the profit this way?
    
    As of the date above, there are no other paid ads on this site. All other badges and links are my personal free endorsements and recommendations. And finally, products I advocate in my posts will NEVER be paid endorsements. Never ever. That's a promise. It could happen that I'd endorse a product in a post and then that company would place an ad on my sidebar. That could happen. But the body of my posts will not ever contain paid advertising. And if I've received any free product from the company (like the Preserve toothbrushes a while back) I will disclose that info right in the post.