Fixing my Blue Plastic Umbrella

Plastic is good for some things, right? Like keeping us dry in the rain. A few months ago, Treehugger posted an article about eco-friendly umbrellas ranging from those made from recycled plastic to one touted as the first biodegradable umbrella. So when my little blue umbrella broke, I considered replacing it with one of those -- until I remembered that the most eco-friendly choice would be to repair the one I have!

The problem: One of the umbrella's ribs was broken. (I now know it's called a rib after finding an online diagram called Parts of an Umbrella.)


Upon close inspection, I could see that a Springy Part A needed to go back into Straight Part B.


But how to hold them together? Michael came up with the brilliant idea of using a straightened paperclip. And voilà!


I twisted the paperclip with pliers to hold it in place and bent it in a circle to keep it from puncturing the umbrella.


And here's the finished product, complete with a few pieces of duct tape (which we already had) to patch a couple of little holes. The duct tape might not be beautiful, but it worked. Isn't it nice when "green" and "cheap" get together?


This is nice too. Just because I couldn't resist.



And now please check out Cat's fantastic blog post about disposable umbrellas and an artist who makes unique clothing and bags from donated old umbrellas. Fix first! Donate later.
 

Fixing my Fake Plastic Pillow

As part of the spring cleaning that happened in our house last week, and to rid our space of the germs that have been plaguing us, I decided to wash my pillow. In the washing machine. And then dry it in the dryer. Which turned out to be not such a great idea, actually. The (fake plastic) stuffing did a little dance and ended up completely discombobulated.

Unable to bear the thought of tossing the pillow (which of course means adding it to my plastic collection), I slept on it like this for several nights and ended up with a sore neck. It was like laying my head down on a cinder block.

Not being the DIY queen that many of you are, sometimes I am oblivious to the obvious. Thankfully, there are other bloggers who can help. And fortunately yesterday, while browsing the entries in this week's Carnival of the Green hosted at My Zero Waste, I came across a post about this very topic: Craft Stew's Recycled Pillow Tutorial.

The author of that article used a fresh pillow case to create a newish pillow from the old stuffing because her pillow's original case had actually ripped in the wash. My pillow's cotton case was in fine shape, so I was able to reuse it after fixing the stuffing inside.

I realize the following instructions will be super basic for those who sew and mend on a regular basis. But I assume (hope) that there is at least one other reader of this blog as domestically-challenged as I am who might benefit.

First, rip out one short seam with a seam-ripper. This is the seam-ripper I inherited from my grandmother. It's plastic. I plan to write about plastic and sewing in a future post.

Remove the stuffing from the pillow and rearrange it properly. My stuffing, as I've mentioned, is plastic -- 100% polyester batting. If your stuffing is made out of something else, your procedure might be different.

All I had to do was unfold it and place it back in the pillow case. Luckily, it had stayed pretty much in tact and simply needed rearranging.

Sew the pillow case back up (This part took me all night while I watched episodes of Reaper on DVD. I'm a very slow sewer.) and voila!


My neck feels so much better this morning.

Plastic, Glass, Egg Salad, & Global Warming

My lunch today... it illustrates some of the choices (or false choices) we sometimes find ourselves making where the environment is concerned.

I wanted an egg salad sandwich, but I didn't have any mayonnaise in the house. I could have walked down to the corner store to buy some more, but there I'd be confronted with the choice of plastic or glass jars. I could have simply opted for the glass jar and been done with it, but lately I've been hearing from a lot of companies about how their plastic containers are better for the environment because they weigh less and therefore require less fuel to ship.

This is true.

Plastic does weigh less than glass, and it does require less fuel to ship. Perhaps, as far as global warming is concerned, it's the better choice. But global warming is not our only environmental concern. Plastic, as I've written here often, carries with it a whole host of toxicity and pollution issues. And, just as the choice to carry reusable bags makes the question of plastic vs. paper meaningless, there are options to make the question of plastic vs glass containers moot as well!

In the case of dry ingredients, we can often bring our own containers to bulk foods stores and eliminate the need for any new packaging entirely. But what about wet stuff? I have yet to see a bulk container of mayonnaise, and if I did, I think I'd be kind of scared. So, what's the third option for mayonnaise and other wet condiments?

Make your own!

In the case of mayonnaise, this third option also happens to be really easy, as I discovered today when I whipped up a batch of homemade mayo from a recipe passed on to me by an octogenarian friend who swears she has never bought a jar of prepared mayonnaise in her life. Here are the ingredients:


1 Whole Egg
2 T. Vinegar or Lemon Juice (I used vinegar because I was out of lemons)
1/2 t. Dry Mustard
1/2 t. Salt
1 Cup Salad Oil (I used canola, but you can use any kind you want. Next time I'll use olive oil for more flavor.)

Place egg, vinegar or lemon juice, seasonings, and 1/4 cup of the oil in the blender in the order indicated. Put on cover. Run blender until contents are thoroughly blended, about 5 seconds. Remove cover. Add remaining oil gradually and run for a few seconds after last oil is added. YIELD: About 1-1/4 cups.

IMPORTANT: Do NOT add all of the oil at once. Do not do this unless you want to waste a whole cup of oil. Remember how I said this recipe is easy? It's super easy if you read the instructions and follow them. (Anyone have an idea for how I can use my first failed batch?) The second batch came out perfectly.

This recipe came from the instructions for my friend's Waring blender. Next time, I'm going to try it using a wire whisk instead, as per these instructions from Epicurious.com. Less (electric) energy. Less cleanup mess.

So, here's my mayonnaise, made from ingredients most of us already have in the house. And yes, it tastes just like the store-bought stuff. Maybe even better.

For the egg salad, I combined the mayo and eggs with Goulden's spicy mustard from a jar we already had. But once that's gone, I'll try making it from scratch as well. Here's info about making mustard from powder or seeds. Once my mustard powder in the plastic container is used up, I can replace it with bulk mustard powder or seeds from Whole Foods.

Do you have any favorite condiment recipes?

I'm grateful to the people I know were around long before this current age of convenience foods and packaging that is helping to destroy our environment. My friend makes her own mayo in the interest of frugality, not "green living." She's a super waste-buster. I and the polar bears thank her.

Now, a post about egg salad would not be complete without a nod to Mystery Men. Enjoy!



Note: This post was written as part of the Green Moms Carnival whose theme this month is Global Warming. It will be published on Monday, January 12, at The Not Quite Crunchy Parent blog.
 

Week 36 Results: .6 oz of plastic waste. The day has finally come!

Oh joy! I've been waiting for the week when my plastic waste would finally fit easily in my own two hands, and this was that week. Don't get me wrong. We still have plastic in this house that we're using up, and the tally will go up again. But it's nice to savor small victories.

Items used this week but purchased before the plastic project began:

• Approximately 7 feet of packing tape. I pulled this tape off an old box I cut up to use to make a barrier to keep kitties from chewing electrical cords. In fact, I'm so tickled with Michael's and my ingenuity, I'm gonna post photos of the setup below.

New plastic waste:

• 2 Refresh Endura single-use eye drop containers

Now, here's my plastic-free kitty project for the week. I needed a way to keep the kittens from getting to the tangled mass of electrical cords behind our TV/stereo stand. I wish I had a before picture to show you. It was a real mess back there and the kitties loved it.

Lots of people were recommending I get one of those plastic cord covers, but a plastic cord cover is made from, you know, plastic. I tried making a jalapeno pepper spray and coating the cords with it to keep them from chewing, but it didn't really work. The only good solution would be a physical barrier. The problem was that the TV stand was open on all 4 sides, and the cats would basically dive through. Here's what the front looks like now.


I know the cardboard doesn't look so great, but really only the cats can see it. I had to lie on the floor to take the picture. From an adult human vantage-point, it's not very noticeable. So anyway, the cats can't get through to the back very easily. But they still could climb over if there were enough enticement, like lots of loose tangled cords. So this is what I did in the back:




The shoe box was Michael's idea. There are holes in the bottom through which the cords come up from under the stand. The Smart Strip Power Strip, which I wrote about in a previous post, wouldn't completely fit in the box. But that's okay because having it stick out makes accessing the switch easier. The cardboard is attached using brown paper tape, which we already had. Any other cords that were loose or dangly I tried to find a way to tape down... tape to the wall, to back of the TV, to whatever. There's still one loose cord leading to a speaker, but it's in the back and so far they haven't noticed it.

This might not be the most beautiful solution in the world, but it required no new materials to construct and so far is working just fine. I haven't caught either of them back there since I set it up on Monday, which is the point.
 

Weekly Recipe: Huevos Rancheros

This dish is about 90% homemade. I didn't lay the eggs or grow the vegetables or make the butter (although I could have using Crunchy Chicken's instructions) or broth. But I did everything else by myself. And just to be clear, the reason for including these weekly recipes is not because I'm a great cook, as some other bloggers truly are, but to show that if a novice like me can cook from scratch with minimal plastic, then anyone else with the desire can do it too.

So, this meal is actually 3 different recipes combined: ranchero sauce, refried black beans, and whole wheat tortillas. Oh, and the fried eggs, but you can probably figure that part out for yourself. (Can you?)

Huevos Rancheros
(modified from Emeril Lagasse's recipe on Food Network.)

Ranchero Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped white onions
• A bunch of chili powder and dried cayenne pepper (this is the main deviation from the original recipe, which calls for bell and jalapeno peppers. I searched but couldn't find any peppers that didn't come from Mexico, even at my farmer's market, and I'm really trying eat as locally as possible. Food from at least within California. So I skipped the fresh peppers on this one.)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes and their juice (organic California tomatoes)
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 cup broth (water & 1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon which I'm still using up)



• 4 whole wheat tortillas (recipe below)
• 2 cups warm refried beans (recipe below)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 8 large eggs

First, prepare the black beans because this step is the most time-consuming. See recipe below. When the beans are ready, you can move on to the rest of the ingredients.

To make the Ranchero Sauce, in a medium pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the cumin, chili powder, salt, cayenne, and garlic, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and their juices and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the broth and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes (but I left it on the stove much longer. I like my onions to be completely cooked.) Remove from the heat. Adjust the seasoning, to taste, and cover to keep warm.

Prepare the tortillas. See recipe below. Keep them warm under a towel.

In a skillet, melt the butter and fry the eggs.

Place 1 warm tortilla on each of 4 plates and spread each with 1/2 cup of warm refried beans. Place 2 eggs on top of each tortilla and top with the warm Ranchero Sauce. Serve immediately.

Refried Black Beans
(modified from this FatFree.com recipe)

• 2 C black beans, uncooked
• 1 T cumin
• 1/2 C onion, chopped
• 1 T chili powder
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
• salt to taste
• 2 qts. water
• 1 T grapeseed oil

Soak the beans over night.

Drain beans and combine all ingredients in a big stock pot. Cook until very tender, at least 2 hours. (A crock pot would be good for this. I don't have one.) Open lid and let reduce liquid a bit so that the beans aren't too "soupy." (Here are some tips for cooking black beans.)

Mash beans with a potato masher and then fry them in skillet with oil. I like to leave them a little chunky.

Whole Wheat Tortillas
(modified from this RecipeZaar recipe.)

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. baking powder
• 4 T. grapeseed oil
• 2/3 cup water

1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. Stir in the oil and water all at once, using mixer or a fork, and toss quickly.
3. When dough can be gathered into a soft mass, turn onto floured surface and knead a few times.
4. Form 8 balls of dough, dredge in flour, and store. I put them in a bowl covered with a dampened towel to keep them from drying out. You can cook them as needed.
5. Flatten first ball of dough into a disk.
6. Roll out dough on floured surface until 7 inches or larger with even strokes that do not reach to the edge, turning over frequently.
7. Place tortilla in ungreased, frying pan that has been preheated to medium-high heat.
8. Cook 30-40 seconds on one side, turn over with spatula and cook 30-40 seconds on other side., First side should be pale and sprinkled with brown spots and the other side will be blotched.
9. Repeat process with other balls of dough.
10. Stack tortillas on a plate as they are cooked and cover them with a dish towel, which will keep them soft.

I couldn't believe the utter deliciousness of this dish after cooking all day and finally assembling all the components. Of course, most people would not spend all day on one dish like this. But you can make each of the recipes (beans, sauce, tortillas) in larger batches and use them in other meals. I currently have a bowl of dough balls in my refrigerator for making tortillas whenever I want them. The tortillas, by the way, were much more successful than the pitas, which I've yet to master.

Notes on Ingredients Packaging:

1) All produce (tomatoes, onions, garlic, lime) purchased "naked" without plastic bags.

2) Spices (cayenne, chili powder, cumin, bay leaves) in containers that I refill from bulk jars at Whole Foods.

3) Dry goods (beans, flour) purchased from bulk bins in my own container. Zero packaging. Baking powder in can with plastic lid. When it's finally used up, I'll switch to buying from bulk bin. Salt in cardboard box, but I'll also be switching to bulk when it's used up.

4) Olive oil in glass bottle with metal lid. Grapeseed oil in metal can with plastic cap. Better Than Bouillon in glass jar with metal lid. Using it up and then switching to less-packaging alternative.

5) Eggs in cardboard carton. Returnable at farmer's market.

6) Butter in wax paper. (Still haven't found out if it's really wax or plastic.)

Have a nice weekend. Check back later this weekend if you feel like it because Michael has some exciting news to report.
 

Weekly Recipe: Curried Lentils with Yams & Swiss Chard

Mmmmmmm... Happy Valentine's Day. Here's a nearly plastic-free recipe that Michael first made for Thanksgiving and then I recreated this weekend. Enjoy.

Curried Lentils with Yams & Swiss Chard
Based on this recipe from the NY Times.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons ginger powder (Recipe calls for fresh ginger, but we didn't have any in the house.)
1-1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1-1/2 teaspoons curry powder
4 cups "Better Than Bouillon" broth mix
2 pounds yams, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
1-1/2 cups dried lentils
1 bay leaf
1 pound Swiss chard, center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 lime

Notes on ingredients packaging:
1) Lentils purchased from bulk bin at Rainbow Grocery. Zero packaging.
2) Olive oil and "Better Than Bouillon" in glass jars with metal lids.
3) Vegetables & lime - all purchased "naked" with no bag
4) Spices - currently using up bottles of spices and will refill from bulk bins. Used the last of the curry powder in this recipe and included the plastic lid in last week's tally.

1. In stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, curry powder. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

2. Stir in 4 cups broth, yams, lentils and bay leaf. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. (If lentils seem dry, add up to 1 cup stock, as needed.) Stir in chard and salt and pepper, and continue cooking until lentils are tender and chard is cooked, about 30 to 45 minutes total.

3. Just before serving, stir in lime zest and juice. Spoon into a large, shallow serving dish.

Yield: 8 to 10 side-dish servings; 6 main-course servings.

This dish is rich and kind of sweet. Delicious. Who needs cheese?
 

Weekly Recipes: Lentil Loaf & Turnip Mashed Potatoes

I tell ya, vegan-hood is not far away. We made this lentil loaf over the weekend and served it to a couple of friends. Let's just say, there weren't any leftovers. The only animal products were one egg in the lentil loaf and a bit of butter in the potatoes, which could probably have been omitted. You'll see why.

Recipe 1: Red Lentil Loaf
(based on the recipe posted here: http://www.recipezaar.com/192628)

• 1 cup dried red lentils (Purchased from bulk bin at Rainbow Grocery w/ my own bag. Zero packaging.)
• 1 cup rolled oats (Purchased from bulk bin at Rainbow Grocery w/ my own bag. Zero packaging.)
• 1 whole egg (Carboard egg carton. Usually I can return these to the guy at the farmer's market when he's there.)
• 1 cup cooked quinoa (Purchased from bulk bin at Berkeley Bowl w/ my own bag. Zero packaging. The original recipe calls for brown rice, but we were out and the quinoa worked out fine.)
• 1 cup grated carrots (Purchased naked. No bag.)
• 1/2 an onion, diced (Purchased naked. No bag.)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (Purchased naked. No bag.)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (Glass bottle with metal cap.)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce (Metal can with plastic cap.)
• 1 teaspoon dried sage (Plastic container of dried sage that I already had. When this is used up, will buy dried sage in bulk and refill container.)
• salt and pepper, to taste (Cardboard box of salt. Bulk pepper corns from Whole Foods bulk jars.)

Cook lentils. (3 cups water to 1 cup dried red lentils. Stove top, 15 to 20 minutes.) Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil a loaf pan and sprinkle sides and bottom with a tbsp of oats. Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil. Whisk egg replacer and water until light and foamy. In a large bowl, combine the egg replacer and lentils with the remaining ingredients. Press mixture into loaf pan and bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 to 10 minutes before slicing. Served with tomato garlic pasta sauce from a jar because I didn't have time to make a homemade sauce.

Plastic: None that will go in my weekly tally. Plastic for a future tally includes the plastic cap on the soy sauce and the plastic sage container. A final bit of plastic is inside the metal cap and lid of the olive oil bottle and the pasta sauce jar.

Recipe 2: Turnip Mashed Potatoes
(Inspired by a dish our friend Kari brought to Thanksgiving this year, but thrown together without a recipe.)

• 1 large russet potato (Purchased naked. No bag.)
• 3 medium turnips (Purchased naked. No bag.)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (Glass bottle with metal cap.)
• 1 tablespoon butter (cardboard box and wax paper wrapper.)
• Leftover wasabi from my sushi birthday dinner (but you could just use regular horseradish) (Cardboard take-out container with plastic lid.)
• salt and pepper, to taste (Cardboard box of salt. Bulk pepper corns from Whole Foods bulk jars.)

Coat turnips with olive oil and bake in oven until tender. At the same time, boil the potato on the stove or in the microwave. When both are done, mash them together. Add butter, wasabi, salt and pepper.

The turnips will add a little bit of crunch if they're not done all the way. You can decide if you want that or not. The butter wasn't necessary. This dish was my solution for what to do with leftover wasabi. A few nights later, Michael used the leftover pickled ginger in a stir fry.

Plastic: The plastic lid from the wasabi container already included in last week's tally. A final bit of plastic is inside the metal cap of the olive oil bottle and whatever shiny stuff coats the outside of the butter box. Not sure if the waxed paper is actually waxed or coated with plastic. Will have to find out.

Rainbow Grocery sells bulk olive oil. You bring your own container and fill it yourself. I'm going to do that when this bottle runs out. I might be able to buy soy sauce that way too, but not sure about that. Plastic-free butter? I don't think it's possible, even if you make your own. Plastic-free tomato sauce? This is on my list of things to learn to make. For now, though, I'm collecting the glass jars to use for food storage despite the plastic lining the metal lids.
 

Weekly Recipes: Vegetarian Split Pea Soup and Beet & Cabbage Borscht

I thought I'd start a new weekly recipe post here. I'm realizing that each week when I post my plastic tally, you get to see what foods I consumed that were packaged in plastic, but you don't get to see all the delicious things I got to have that weren't. So these posts will focus on the positive aspects of living without plastic and demonstrate that, aside from missing cheese and Haig's spicy hummus, I'm not really living in deprivation here.

Disclaimer: I'm not a gourmet cook. I'm learning new techniques, but I wasn't raised on homemade bread or home-canned preserves. I can follow basic recipes and sometimes will simplify them for my own skill level and sanity. In other words, don't expect Martha Stewart or Crunchy Chicken. Just one person trying to eat basically well while avoiding as much plastic as possible. Here goes.

Last Saturday, I cooked up a big pot of Vegetarian Split Pea Soup based on the recipe found here: http://www.recipezaar.com/187594. As a kid, I hated the watery, canned split pea soup my mom served us. I now believe my dislike had more to do with the strong smoked ham flavor than the split peas themselves. This (almost) veggie version is thick, hearty, and delicious, and I wish I'd thought to take a picture before we wolfed it all down. Here's my recipe with notes on plastic:

Recipe 1: Vegetarian (almost) Split Pea Soup

• 2 cups split peas, rinsed and sorted (purchased from bulk bin at Whole Foods w/ my own bag. Zero packaging.)
• 1 cup brown rice, uncooked (purchased from bulk bin at Market Hall Produce w/ my own bag. Zero packaging.)
• 8 ounces spinach, thawed (I did use a box of frozen spinach because it was what we had available. Not sure what the paper around the box is coated with.)

Produce: (All purchased "naked" without packaging)

• 2 celery ribs, sliced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, sliced


• 4 cups beef broth (This is why I changed the recipe name to "almost" vegetarian. I'm using up a glass jar of "Better Than Bouillon" broth concentrate at the moment. When it's gone, I'll probably switch to bulk broth mix. Not enough of a cook to make my own broth at this point.)
• 4 cups water
• salt and pepper, to taste (Cardboard box of salt. Bulk pepper corns from Whole Foods bulk jars.)

Place in a large stock pot and cook about an hour until the split peas are all cooked down.

Plastic: None that will go in my weekly tally. Only the small amount under the metal lid on the broth concentrate jar and whatever coats the paper wrapping on the frozen spinach box. This recipe could have been completely plastic-free using fresh spinach (which not everyone can get locally this time of year) and bulk broth mix.

The next recipe was inspired by a 22-year old jar of beets that my co-worker Jo Anne gave me. They were canned by her grandmother in September of 1985 and had been on Jo Anne's shelf for years since she doesn't like beets. They've been on my own shelf for at least a year, skeptical as I was that 22-year old beets would still be good. This week, cleaning out cupboards, Michael and I finally decided to open them, and what do you know? They smelled and tasted fine. So last night I cooked up a batch of beet and cabbage borscht, based on this recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/10922. It was delish.

Recipe 2: BEET AND CABBAGE BORSCHT

Produce: (All except beets purchased "naked" without packaging)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups chopped cabbage (about 1/2 pound)
• a 6-ounce boiling potato, peeled and grated course


• 1 tablespoon olive oil (glass bottle with metal lid)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin (purchased from bulk jar at Whole Foods w/ my own bag. Zero packaging.)
• 2 cups beef broth (glass jar of "Better Than Bouillon" broth concentrate w/ metal lid. See above.)
• a 16-ounce jar whole beets, drained, reserving the liquid, and shredded (glass mason jar w/ metal lid)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar, or to taste (glass jar with metal cap)

In a large saucepan cook the onion in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until it is softened, add the garlic, the cumin, the cabbage, and the potato, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the broth, 1/2 cup water, the beets with the reserved liquid, the vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste, bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer the soup, covered partially, for 25 minutes.

We ate the soup last night with a couple of hard-boiled eggs (cardboard egg carton) for protein. I'll finish it up for lunch today.

Plastic: Nothing to add to my tally this week. Only the small amounts of plastic coating under the metal lids of the bottles and jars, including the mason jar containing the beets.

I realize not everyone likes split peas or beets. Hopefully next week I'll try some recipes with wider appeal. (That won't happen tonight, as I'm currently looking up ways to combine turnips and leftover wasabi.)
 

Plastic-free Knitting

Knitting is a nice, eco-friendly hobby, right? Well, maybe. But it depends on the tools we choose and the materials we use. (Hey, that rhymes.) For a long time, I've been opting for natural fibers over acrylic and other synthetic yarns. But it wasn't until I decided to knit a hat for one of my co-workers this past December that I really examined the contents of my knitting needle roll and realized just how much plastic I had thoughtlessly purchased while building my stash. And I'm not just talking about the needles themselves, although quite a few of them are made of plastic. Even the wooden needles are sold in plastic packaging.

I created this hat using wooden circular needles, which of course have a plastic cord that connects them. (Have you guessed I'm just looking for an excuse to show off the felted hat I made? Check it out before and after felting.)

Fortunately, I already had the circular needles in my stash and didn't need to buy new ones. Otherwise, I would have knitted this hat with double-pointed needles. It's not my favorite thing to do, but then I'm not enamored with circular needles, either. Blogger Siel from Green L.A. Girl reminded me that I could knit plastic-free using double points when she posted about the knitted kangaroo her sister is making. Click here and prepare to be amazed and impressed.

Okay, but what about the plastic packaging? This weekend, I visited one of my favorite yarn shops, Article Pract on Telegraph Avenue in North Oakland, to buy yarn for my newest project and to do research on plastic-free tools. I was dismayed to find that nearly every brand of needles and hooks came in little plastic cases. All, that is, except for two brands: Lantern Moon and Brittany Needles & Crochet Hooks.

Lantern Moon's beautiful wooden needles are made in Vietnam. Most of the packaging is plain brown cardboard. A few packs of needles do come in cardboard boxes with a plastic window, but most that I found at Article Pract are plastic-free. According to the company's web site, "Lantern Moon supports socially and globally conscious living."

The site goes on to say:

We work directly with our producers to provide income, education and self-reliance to Vietnamese women and their families.

In 2004, we established an educational trust fund to benefit the children of these families. The natural materials that inspire our designs are combined with traditional handcrafting skills that have passed down from generation to generation. Our knitting needles are crafted in a family owned and managed business that provides training and opportunities.

On the other hand, Brittany Needles & Crochet Hooks are made in the United States. Their packaging is also plastic-free. And according to their site, "All wood used by Brittany comes from strictly regulated forests or small woodland owners in the United States ensuring proper environmental logging practices and selective cutting for maximum reforestation."

These were the only two plastic-free brands that I found at that particular store. Do you know of others? I'll admit that at this moment, I'm using a pair of acrylic needles that I already had. I tried bamboo once, and one of the needles cracked. Maybe I got too carried away. But in the future, when I need a needle size that I don't already own, I'll probably choose one of these brands.

So, you wanna know what I'm making? Several pairs of shaker knit slippers to keep by the front door for guests. We have a no shoe policy in our home, hoping to keep our carpet from wearing out, and I've always felt guilty about asking guests to remove their shoes and freeze their toes while I'm wearing my slippers. I chose Lorna's Laces 100% Superwash Wool so that the slippers can be washed between wearings without shrinking into felted elf slippers, like my co-worker's hat (which I think is kind of too small for her head because I forgot to check it while it was felting in the washer.)
 

Learning To Fix Stuff, Part 2

On January 2, I reported about my broken plastic hairdryer and how I was hoping to fix it during my visit to my electronics technician (not "electrician," there's a difference I'm told) dad in Hawaii. Well, I'm happy to report that it's fixed. He was able to figure out what part was bad and knew just where to go to get a replacement. Then, he also knew how to attach the replacement part once we found it. He's my hero.

After using a screwdriver to take it apart (which I'd already done in the end of December), you need an ohmmeter or multimeter to test the circuitry. As I was attempting to write this post last night, I realized I didn't know how to explain how my dad used his multimeter to test the wires. So I asked him to send me an explanation, and this is what he wrote:

Switch the multimeter to measure ohms. (Ω)

Two leads (a 'hot' and a 'common') attach to the plug, the common directly entering the dryer and attaching to one side of the heat coil, the hot connecting to the other side of heat coil thru the switch.

Test the continuity of each lead from the AC plug into the guts of the dryer, measuring the resistance (which should be close to zero) of each. A heat coil has zero resistance to DC but has some resistance to AC, which is why it gets hot, like a light bulb.

When the switch is operated to put the heat coil in series with the two leads from the plug, a resistance of near zero should be obtained on the meter. Finding, instead, a very high resistance (many ohms, over a million) means there is an open somewhere between the two lines. Resistance readings are then measured of each component which is in series with the 2 leads from the plug. This is how it was determined that the thermal fuse had operated (operation of a fuse means it has opened up, stopping current flow).

Basically, his tests revealed that the thermal fuse was blown. A thermal fuse (or thermal cutout) is used to prevent the dryer from catching on fire. If the temperature inside reaches a certain level, the fuse will break and the circuit will be broken so electricity can no longer flow. How does a dryer get that hot inside? If the user has allowed the air vents to completely clog up so that outside air can't get in and cool it off. So, what I learned is that I need to maintain my appliances (like cleaning out air vents) so that they don't break in the first place!

By looking really closely, we were able to decipher the specs printed on the outside of the old fuse: 10A, 250V, 113°C. My dad said a new thermal fuse needed to have at least those ratings, but could be rated for a slightly higher temperature as well, if we couldn't find an exact replacement. Fortunately, having worked as an electronics technician for the phone company in Honolulu back in the 60's, he knew exactly where to go to get a new one. Precision Radio Ltd. at 1160 S. King Street has been operating since 1942 (20 years before my dad's time on the island) and they had just the replacement fuse we needed.

Dad used a soldering iron to make a strong connection between the leads on the thermal fuse and the connectors on the appliance. Michael and I don't own our own soldering iron, but I checked the offerings of the Oakland tool library, and they do, so if I had to do this again at home, I'd be able to without investing in a new soldering iron. The only plastic I ended up with was the small bag in which the thermal fuse was packaged.

And it worked! The hardest part for me was remembering how to put everything back together again. I'd taken the dryer apart in the end of December and didn't write any notes about what went where. So it was a puzzle for me, but finally, I got it together and can use it again. (That's me doing the head upside-down hair drying thing I've been doing since Junior High.) Now I can return my friend Mark's dryer that he lent me until mine was fixed.

It feels so nice to be able to fix what I have instead of buying a new one. It feels like a responsible, adult thing to do. And the throw-away mentality that's so prevalent these days seems kinda immature to me. Maybe we just need everyone to grow up a bit!

Anyway, the same day we were fixing the hair dryer, my dad got an email from his friend, Derek Hullinger, who was just able to fix his PDA. Now, there's a challenge! I asked if I could reprint the email here, because I thought it was so cool how determined he was to fix it himself and not trash it for a new one. Here's what he wrote:

Yesterday, I finally got Weston's PDA fixed and returned to him! This was a big and exciting thing for me, so I'm going to tell you all about it. I had bought it for him on eBay on behalf of my parents for Christmas, and I felt really bad when it turned out the back light didn't work. The person who shipped it to me claimed it had worked for her before she shipped it, which it probably did. It's nearly the same as mine, except that it has a built-in mp3 player.

Weston and I both learned from online research that the back light problem is a common malady for this model, and it was caused by a cable inside being too long and clamping between two metal plates, causing it to break. I found a website (in Japanese) that showed how to repair it, but it required extreme care because there are four parallel wires in a very small cable that each had to be soldered.

Well, we quickly discovered that we couldn't even get the thing open because it required a special screwdriver with three wings. I found an online company in Hong Kong that sold the screwdriver for 95 cents (including shipping--what a deal!), and we waited two weeks for it to arrive. Then I opened it up and enlisted the aid of a fellow I work with to see if the cable was the cause of the trouble and to fix it. It was indeed broken, but he had trouble with the tiny work and enlisted my boss to help.

So my boss soldered it on Friday and I I went in yesterday to put it back together, only to discover that it still didn't work! So I opened it up and found that the joint had broken again (my boss had not quite soldered it right--he hadn't been instructed properly), so I decided it was up to me. I'm not too confident in my own mechanical abilities--I've had some real trouble with simple car maintenance things before. But I went at it, and I managed to fix the cable myself. It took a few tries before the solder joints were quite right (I didn't get a good connection on one of the wires the first time, and I accidentally shorted two of the wires the second time).

On the last try, I hooked everything up and turned the thing on, and it didn't even go on! I thought, "oh no! I've broken it!" But I didn't have any idea how I'd broken it, and the solder joint was kind of a mess and hard to tell whether one of them was not connected right, so I went ahead and put it the back on anyway, feeling dejected.

Then, when it was all back together, it worked, back light and all! I guess something needed to be in contact that hadn't connected until it was all back together! Anyway, I was delighted, but I kept turning it on to make sure it was still working. As of this morning, it's still working great, so I guess everything's fine! Whew!

These are the kinds of stories we need to hear more of!
 

Hand lotion. Is it for the bees?

Have you ever wondered how honey is harvested from beehives? This fall, Michael and I got to find out firsthand while visiting our friends, Jerry and Mea, at Draper Farms in San Anselmo.

The hives are wooden frames with beeswax starter cells. The bees fill the cells with honey and, as each cell fills up, cap them with their own beeswax. When the hives are full of honey and ready to harvest, the beeswax caps are removed from both sides of the frame with an electric heated knife. This was the first part of our demonstration. The hives had already been gathered into the barn prior to our arrival and the bees sent on to create new hives.

Next the frames are placed into a centrifuge, where they will be spun to extract the honey. The honey flies out from the combs onto the sides of the centrifuge and then runs down the walls and out a spigot into a waiting bucket.

We all got to take home a jar of raw honey. Mmmmmm... but my question was what happens to all the leftover beeswax. Jerry said they make it into candles... or lotion, in small quantities. And that got me thinking. Because I've been looking for plastic-free hand lotion.

Burt's Bees makes a hand salve that comes in a metal tin and contains beeswax. A member of my Green Sangha group uses it and really likes it. There is a small plastic seal around the lid, but this would be a minor plastic offense to me if it weren't for the fact that the Burt's Bees Company was bought by Clorox this year.

Clorox, if you'll recall, bought the U.S. division of the Brita water filter company back in 1988. And whereas today, the European Brita filter cartridges are being recycled in a comprehensive take-back program, the U.S. Brita filters are not recyclable and the Clorox Company has no intention of providing a way to recycle these hunks of plastic. Read more about my communications with Brita here and here. (Isn't it ironic that a company that specializes in producing chlorine bleach also sells a product to take the chlorine out of the water?)

So I don't have much faith in what Clorox will do with Burt's Bees, I'm afraid.

I did go ahead recently and buy a Burt's Bees lip gloss, which comes in a glass jar with a metal lid and is also made from beeswax. It feels nice on my lips and tastes pretty good. But I think it'll be the last Burt's Bees product I buy. So, what to do about lotion?

I found a tin of Moon Valley solid lotion bar at the Ecology Center in Berkeley, also made with beeswax and other natural ingredients. I like the idea of a solid lotion (as I do solid shampoo) which makes bottles, plastic or otherwise, unnecessary. And the Moon Valley lotion seems to work well and smells great. But it's a bit pricey. And probably not available everywhere. So what if I could make my own?

I found a simple recipe for hand cream at RachelsSupply.com:

HAND CREAM

2 ounces beeswax (I found beeswax in a bulk bin at Juniper Tree in Berkeley and also at Whole Foods in the herbs and teas bulk section. I brought and filled my own bag.)

1 cup sweet almond oil (I actually used regular Spectrum almond oil from Whole Foods, which comes in a glass bottle but does have a plastic cap.)

1 cup water

10 drops essential oil (I chose lavender because I had some on hand)

Heat beeswax and sweet almond oil until the wax melts. In another container, heat water until warm. Both mixtures should be warm, but not so hot as to be uncomfortable to the touch.

Place warm water in a blender. Cover the blender, leaving open the small opening in the cover. With the blender running on high speed, slowly pour in the beeswax-oil mixture in a thin stream. When most of the oil has been added, the mixture should begin to thicken.

At this point, add the essential oil. Continue to add oil and blend until the mixture is sufficiently thickened. Turn off the blender. You should have a thick cream. Spoon into salve jars or metal tins.

And here is my creation. It's pretty solid when it cools, so it's not the kind of lotion you could squeeze from a plastic bottle or dip your fingers into. You kind of run your fingers around the top to get some on your hands and then rub your hands together. I'll experiment some more. But for now, I think this will do. Thank you, bees.



03/10/2008 UPDATE: A reader tells me that she had a hard time cleaning out the blender pitcher afterwards. Turns out, her pitcher was made of plastic. My blender has a glass pitcher, and I had no problem cleaning it out with soap and hot water. Plastic, on the other hand, attracts oil, so maybe a blender with a plastic pitcher should not be used with oils.

Any suggestions for how she could get the plastic pitcher clean now that it's all gunked up with beeswax and oil? Please read the comments for more info about what she's already tried.
 

Learning To Fix Stuff, Part 1

Back in August, when Fake Plastic Fish was less than two months old, and I'd only recently become aware of my plastic consumption, my sandal broke. In fact, the elastic strap had become so worn, I had a feeling it might break that very day as I left the house and packed an extra pair of flip flops just in case. Sure enough, it snapped as I was walking down the street. The old me would have automatically tossed them out and bought a new pair. But these were some of my most comfortable shoes, and I didn't want to waste them, plastic or not, so I found a shoe repair shop down the street and had them fixed in fifteen minutes.

This might seem like a very simple, common sense thing to those of you who have been trying to live frugally, simply, and greenly for longer than I, but at the time, I felt so proud I wanted to call my friends and tell them the news: Guess what! We don't have to throw stuff out! There are people who can fix it!

Since then, I've had a few more opportunities to fix things instead of throwing them away. For example, for months, my computer mouse was operating eratically, refusing to move the pointer where I wanted it to. The old me would have junked it and bought a new one, but this was the new me. Determined to make it work again instead of getting a new hunk of plastic, I found an article on eHow.com called How To Clean And Fix A Mouse and was all set to take the mouse apart when I remembered hearing somewhere that if the surface the mouse rolls on is too slippery, the mouse might not operate properly. I was using a bare desk without a mouse pad. So I tried slipping a piece of paper under the mouse, and sure enough, that did the trick.

Recently, the wire on my favorite cheese slicer snapped. I've had this things for many years, and it's served me well. Surely I could find a replacement wire for it. This, however, turned out to be a more difficult task than I expected. I visited multiple hardware stores with my cheese slicer attempting to find the right kind of wire. They all seemed to have something called "galvanized steel," which apparently is not rust-proof or strong enough. I'm glad I actually asked for advice instead of just buying the first wire that looked similar to the one that broke.

Finally, one hardware store salesperson recommended I check a kitchenware type of store instead. So I called Sur Le Table, which seems to have locations in many states, and sure enough, they carried stainless steel replacement wires for cheese slicers. Unfortunately, as you can see below, they come in a plastic zip-lock bag.



So there's the dilemma: a small plastic bag vs. a sturdy stainless steel kitchen tool. The kitchen tool won. I do wonder if I had checked further if I could have found stainless steel wire not packaged in plastic. But I'm pretty pleased that I was able to easily "restring" my slicer on New Year's Eve just in time for the nice cheese our friends brought to our little party.

Now here's my current fix-it problem. A blow dryer. Some of you might be thinking that a blow dryer is not the greenest thing to have and use in the first place. And you would be right. No arguments there. But the fact is that I do use a blow dryer on my hair for a minute or two each morning, and this one just suddenly stopped working. When I turn it on, nothing happens. Nothing. (And yes, it stopped working BEFORE I took it apart to examine it!) And yes, I have tried pressing the reset button. And yes, I have also cleaned out the air vents.

So my friend Mark was nice enough to lend me his hair dryer until I get this one fixed in Hawaii in a few weeks. Why in Hawaii? Because that's where my electrician dad is with his pro multimeter, which we will use to figure out what's wrong with it. The trip was already planned. I visit them in Hawaii every January for my mom's and my birthdays. (No, flying to Hawaii is not very green either, alas.) Fixing the hair dryer is a bonus father/daughter bonding experiment. I found these instructions online, which hopefully will help: HowStuffWorks.com's How To Fix A Hair Dryer. If we do figure it out, I'll post the step-by-step process with photos.

The big question is why we don't know how to fix things already. Why does it require all this research? And how many times have you taken an appliance to a repair place, only to be told that it's not worth it to fix and that you should junk it and buy a new one? Everything has value and is worth fixing or repurposing in some way. But it's not always easy to figure out how, these days. Have you all watched The Story of Stuff? It think there's a clue in that video about why this is so.
 

Plastic-free yogurt? Well, almost. Plus ways to use whey.

Turns out we do have an almost plastic-free prepared yogurt here in the SF Bay Area. Saint Benoît yogurt comes in a reusable, returnable ceramic container and is sold at Whole Foods, Berkeley Bowl, and other natural foods stores. As with the Straus milk containers, you pay a deposit which the store refunds when you return the container. The containers are covered with foil tops, which can be reused until the yogurt is gone, and have a small plastic seal around the rim. That's way less plastic than buying yogurt in disposable polypropylene containers, but I've found a better way.

I thought that in order to make yogurt myself, I needed to invest in a yogurt machine. Not worth it considering the small amount of yogurt we eat. But then Melanie Rimmer of Bean Sprouts revealed a brilliant method of making yogurt with only a Thermos in her post, How To Make Greek Yogurt. You should check out her post to see photos of the step by step process. Here are the basics:

1. Fill a Thermos with any kind of milk you want to use. I used nonfat milk in my handy KQED Public Radio travel Thermos. This step is simply for measuring out the correct amount of milk.


2. Pour the milk into a pan or microwave bowl and bring it to a boil. I used a Pyrex container in the microwave.


3. Remove it from heat or microwave and stick a thermometer into the milk. I used a candy thermometer attached to the side of the Pyrex container. Allow the milk to cool to 122°F (50°C).


4. Pour milk back into Thermos and add a tablespoon of yogurt from a previous batch. I used a tablespoon of my Saint Benoît yogurt.


5. Cover the Thermos and let it sit for 8 - 14 hours. I left it at 8:30 this morning and opened it back up at 7:00 tonight. And it worked!


6. For less watery yogurt, strain it through a cheese cloth. Actually, I put it in a wire sieve over a bowl, and that method worked fine. As you can see in the photo, I ended up with some nice yogurt and a bowl of whey (the watery part.)

In fact, I left the yogurt draining for so long that it was a little thicker than I wanted, so I stirred back some of the whey for a softer consistency. But apparently, if you left it straining longer, you'd end up with yogurt cheese. I may just have to try that.

So now I have this delicious yogurt and a bowl full of whey. I hated to pour out the whey, so of course I did a little more research and found all kinds of nice uses for it. According to this Fias Co Farm article, whey is full of protein, vitamins, and minerals. You can use it in soup, bread, to cook pasta and beans, drink it plain or sweetened, and even feed it to your plants. You don't get that added benefit when you buy prepared yogurt from the store. And this way, I can save the last tablespoon of each batch to start the next one, only needing to buy more milk (which is also not entirely plastic-free, but I've discussed that fact elsewhere.)

And there's another use for whey that the article doesn't mention which I actually discovered this weekend before ever making yogurt. I needed a non-toxic coating to protect an unfinished pine bookcase I bought a few weeks ago. I don't enjoy painting or staining furniture, so I wanted something clear I could slap on quickly. The salesperson at the Ecohome Improvement Store in Berkeley recommended Vermont Natural Coatings PolyWhey Natural Furniture Finish, which is made from, of course, whey instead of petroleum! This whey is a biproduct of the cheese industry.

So I happily slapped on several coats of the mild-smelling stuff (the smell is a little like Elmer's glue) until the container was all used up. It wasn't until I was rinsing out the empty can to recycle it that I noticed it was made from black plastic! Fortunately, this plastic is 100% recycled polypropylene, just like my toothbrush. San Francisco accepts wide-mouthed polypropylene in its recycling bins, so I thought I was all set.

Until I noticed the rim of the container. It's metal! I tried to pry it off with a screwdriver to no avail. The metal rim, as far as I know, renders the container unrecyclable. So I e-mailed the Vermont Natural Coatings company last night and this morning received the following e-mail back:

---

From: "Gregory Hebert" (ghebert@vermontnaturalcoatings.com)
To: beth@fakeplasticfish.com
Subject: RE: VNC Website Inquiry
Date: Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:52:36 -0500

Beth,

Thank you for purchasing PolyWhey Furniture Finish.

Good to know San Francisco's recycling includes #5--not every city is embracing the full range of plastics. Regarding the metal lid, a handsaw is probably the only way to adequately remove the metal lid from the plastic can. Please be careful if you choose to use this method.

Currently, only one U.S. manufacturer makes the recycled plastic cans and so we source from them. They now produce all plastic gallon cans (including the rim and lid) and our newest batch was just put into these. All plastic quarts will be available in 2008 though the company has no plans to make pints. We hope more manufacturers will move toward recycled and recycle-able containers.

Please let me know if you have other questions and good luck with your wood projects.

Gregory Hebert
Vermont Natural Coatings
180 Junction Road
Hardwick, VT 05843
802-472-8700 phone
802-472-5227 fax
ghebert@vermontnaturalcoatings.com

---

So that answers that. I've already hacked open a plastic Brita cartridge. I guess I'll be breaking out the saw again. I do like this coating (although, as Anna Hackman from Green-Talk suggested when I contacted her for furniture finish recommendations, I should wait and see how it holds up in the long run before recommending it to others. So that's what I shall do.)

Is this way more than you ever wanted to know about whey? (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
 

I think we all do that sometimes

Beth is away at a three-and-a-half day meditation retreat. She goes on these about twice a year, at a convent in Marin County called Santa Sabina, and they're very good for her, if only because she spends a large part of the time she's supposed to be meditating sleeping, and she desperately needs some sleep after staying up till dawn most days writing this blog.

In her absence, I'll be writing today's post. Who am I? Her husband, Michael. If you've been reading this blog regularly, you'll have seen mention of me. I also comment fairly frequently under the name "terrible person", which is a name I used to use on a local BBS back in the 90's. This was actually where Beth and I first encountered each other and attracted each other's interest. You've got to hand it to a woman who would be interested in a guy who calls himself "terrible person". But then, you should have seen the things *she* was writing. But I digress. All the time, in fact. Anyway, this feels a little like one of those "Family Circus" comic strips in which cartoonist Bil Keane purports to have let his eternally three-year-old son Billy fill in and draw.

People sometimes ask me, and ask Beth, "What is it like for Michael? How does he feel about your efforts to make people aware of the pervasiveness and dangers of plastic, and to reduce, reuse, and recycle around the house that you share?"

Well, it's not always easy. But I think it's worth it. First of all, Beth spends an extraordinary amount of time on this blog. I hope you all appreciate how hard she works on it, all while working three and a half days a week as a bookkeeper. It would be so great if she did not have to work, or could make this her job, so that she could devote herself to this full-time. Of course, part of the reason Beth stays up all night working on this blog is that she simply likes staying up all night. She's nocturnal. Some people are. (Me, I like to get up before six a.m. and go running or swimming. And I zonk out around eleven.) And Beth tends to immerse herself totally in one activity at a time, for a few months to a year. This involves reading everything she can on the subject, buying all the equipment needed for it, keeping accurate statistics (arranged in spreadsheets, or reported on a blog) of her progress with it, etc., most of this done late at night. Before plastic, it was running. Before running, it was knitting, or watching movies. So it's not as if I saw that much more before she started FPF, so I can't really blame it. Besides, it's important. To her, but also to the world.

I keep thinking that eventually, Beth will get tired of blogging about plastic, and move on to something else. I mean, we're getting two kittens soon! Who would want to blog when there are kittens to play with? But this time, I think it might be different. I think Beth will stick with the plastics project for a while. A big reason for that is the feedback she receives from you. Having consistent readers, who really care what she has to say, really means a lot to her and encourages her.

Besides the time she spends researching and writing about plastic, and sorting it out at home, there's the other issue. Beth has set herself very firm rules about the use of products made from plastic or packaged in it (as well as the use of many other commercial products, such as household cleaners.) Beth constantly asserts that her rules are only for herself. But it can be hard to live with someone observing such rules without being affected by them.

Let me say, though, that I have never been a huge user of plastic. I don't buy a lot of take-out food, or packaged food: I tend to eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. I'm not a typical American consumer. I've never owned a car; I use my bicycle, my feet, or public transportation. (Well, I get a free ride to work in the "casual carpool" -- but that's just too convenient to pass up.) But I have my own reasons for many of these behaviors. I can't stand waste. I can't stand to see usable stuff thrown out: food, clothing, petroleum. Time, for that matter. Especially when there is an advantage in conserving, such as saving money. I pick up plastic bottles on the street, because every few months, I bring a big bag of them to the recycling center and get a few bucks back in redemption money. Redemption! I used to drink out of polycarbonate bottles, until I learned about leaching and outgassing. So in general, I see Beth's efforts to reduce plastic use in our house as something very positive, that will improve my health, and I'm glad for it.

Sometimes, though, plastic is just so convenient. I like to eat cottage cheese - it's all in plastic tubs. They're recyclable, but recycling is a poor alternative to avoiding use in the first place. And when I've broken down and bought something plastic, and I come home with it, and Beth seems so disappointed and disapproving, as if I've brought pork into a Kosher home, and tells me, in case I bought it to share, that she will not be partaking, it can be very frustrating, and guilt-inducing. But then, I think how it must be for her. She's trying so hard to reduce plastic use. And here is *her husband*, who of all people should be supporting her, bringing plastic into the house, ruining her attempts to bring her consumption to zero, totally throwing off her statistics -- but more than that, doing something that is bad for the environment, and bad for me.

The reason I can understand this is that I experience it myself. I work at a large law firm, as a librarian. The attorneys work very hard, and make a lot of money. The staff, especially the secretaries, also work very hard, and don't make anywhere near what the lawyers make. The firm provides all sorts of refreshments to keep us going, hard at work: coffee, soda, granola bars (individually wrapped), packets of instant oatmeal, etc. Attorney meetings are typically held over lunch, which is ordered from local caterers, in individual plastic containers or big plastic trays. The bottom floor of our high-rise building, and the surrounding downtown San Francisco neighborhood, is full of takeout restaurants, from which people are always ordering, often in styrofoam boxes, because they don't have time to make their own food. We have water coolers that dispense wonderful filtered, chilled tap water (not from big polycarbonate bottles), but most people drink the individual bottles the firm also provides. What this means is that there is a huge amount of waste being generated in our offices. And this drives me nuts.

Unfortunately, the argument that I use on myself to conserve, saving money, doesn't work at a place where the attorneys bill six hundred or more dollars an hour to put together multimillion dollar deals. Reduction, reuse, and recycling are very low priorities. Part of it is apathy: people just don't care enough to use real dishes and metal cutlery instead of paper bowls and plastic forks, or to actually think for a moment, before tossing their waste, whether it goes in the recycling bin or the trash, or actually to read the signs placed on the waste bins indicating what should go in each. Someone else will clean it up. But perhaps even worse is the other part, ignorance. People just don't know. They don't understand that food-soiled paper can't be recycled, or that most plastic can't be either, so they toss it in with the recycling, contaminating it and likely rendering it unsellable, all the while congratulating themselves on having done their part. And I sometimes get really angry at this. But then I remember, these people work very hard all day. They have long commutes; they have children, parents, themselves to take care of. Sometimes, you just can't think about what you're doing. I know this, because I don't always. *I* get tired, *I* find myself in a hurry, *I* just want to be able to have my food or my drink and not have to get up and go to the kitchen and clean my mug or my bowl and fill it up ... And I'm like this when I'm shopping for home, too, or when I'm there.

Back in 1987, when I was in college, I worked as a bike messenger in Boston. One of my fellow messengers was a guy, a kid really, probably not even eighteen, named Matt Cook, and he was completely nuts. He rode broken-down three-speeds, each lasting a few weeks before it collapsed or he crashed it, faster than I could go on my new mountain bike. In social situations, his contributions to conversations took the form of one comment, an unchanging rejoinder to any utterance by anyone else: "I think we *all* do that sometimes." No matter what anyone said, that would be his response, relevant or not. The funny thing was, sometimes it would be incredibly relevant. It would be exactly what needed to be said. And then it was so nice to be able to count on him to say it.

The point is, we're all on a continuum. I use far less plastic than the people with whom I work, than most Americans. Beth uses far less plastic than I do. But even she slips occasionally, for instance, if I buy Haig's hummus. Or this continuum has many dimensions. Beth may use less plastic than I, but I never rent cars. Whatever. The important thing to remember is that, as Matt Cook would say ... well, you know. It's not a competition. And none of us will be perfect. It's just important for each of us to do as much as he or she can. The more a person does, the better it will be for him- or herself and the world. Beth understands that I'm trying. I understand that *she's* trying.

I had hoped to discuss some other issues, and to include some photos in this post, and polish up the writing a bit more, but it's getting late and I need to get to bed so I can get up and swim a mile and a half tomorrow morning and then go to work and organize my colleagues to put on a performance at the firm's annual holiday party. So I'll be signing off, hoping this was coherent and senseful. But I want you all to know how much I appreciate your support of Beth, and how much *she* appreciates it. I wish you all good luck, and an enjoyable late fall/early winter, and I'll look forward to reading your comments.

Happy Thanksgiving! Buy local; buy handmade; or buy nothing!

Yes, I can criticize Safeway, but I'm still sucked in by their advertising. This billboard has been all over town in the past couple of weeks, so I decided I just had to try making pumpkin soup in a pumpkin shell to bring for Thanksgiving this year.

I waited until the last minute, and then couldn't find a big enough pumpkin last night at Berkeley Bowl or Whole Foods. So I thought, "Hmm... Safeway's the one advertising the soup in the pumpkin. They must have the right sized pumpkin." Turns out, Safeway didn't have any pumpkins at all. And when I asked a clerk where the pumpkins were, he gave me a really funny face and said, "Lady, Halloween's been over!"

"I know Halloween's over," I protested, "but tomorrow's Thanksgiving! You don't have pumpkins for pumpkin pie?"

"Oh! You want the pumpkin in the can!" he exclaimed.

How could I respond? This is the world that Safeway and other mainstream grocery stores have created. Real pumpkins are for jack-o-lanterns and billboards. But we can't conceive of eating them unless they've been processed and canned. So I used a few smaller pumpkins from Whole Foods instead, and I'll just refill the small pumpkin tureen from the pot. Here's how my creation turned out:

Let me know if you want the recipe/directions and I'll post them later. (Regarding the plastic used, one cap from a glass container of Straus organic whipping cream and the plastic coating a 1/2 pint of buttermilk. That's it.) I've got to get ready to leave for our friend's house.

But before I go, just a few words about tomorrow, "black Friday," traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year in the U.S. There are movements, as there have been for years, to encourage people to stay home on black Friday and not get sucked into all the consumerist madness.

Tomorrow is officially "Buy Nothing Day" in the U.S. and Canada. The rest of the world celebrates Buy Nothing Day this Saturday. Adbusters has events planned all over the place to protest the shop-til-you-drop mentality.

Melanie Rimmer, a blogger I enjoy reading, has a Make A Gift Challenge on her web site. Staying home and putting together a handmade gift would be a nice way to celebrate Buy Nothing Day.

If you do want to spend money, consider buying handmade items made by craftspeople. Consider signing the Pledge to Buy Handmade this Holiday season.

Etsy has become one of my favorite web sites for finding gifts made by local craftspeople who will respond to my questions and package things the way I'd like them to be packaged. It's so nice to communicate with a real-live human-being! I'll write more about the Etsy sellers I've enjoyed dealing with later.

Another organization I like to support is Global Exchange. They have three retail stores (San Francisco, Berkeley, Portland) but also sell fair trade handmade gifts online.

What will I be doing tomorrow? Making the rounds of the hood gathering free cat supplies that Freecyclers have so graciously offered to me! Yes, we are still getting a kitten. Maybe two? We have to see if the landlord goes for it.

The Vodka Variations

On November 4, I wrote that I had finished up my last bottle of Act fluoride rinse and had decided not to replace it. Several dentists told me they didn't think I needed it. However, I wasn't just using the rinse for the fluoride; it had also served as my mouthwash for the last couple of years, leaving my breath minty fresh. Without it, I needed to find a plastic-free alternative, and since there are apparently no mouthwashes sold plastic-free these days, I decided to make my own.

I found the following recipe on herbsforhealth.com and tried it:

Spicy Sweet Mouthwash

This mouthwash requires a couple of weeks for the spices to steep in the alcohol.

1 cup vodka
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon cinnamon chips (I used ground cinnamon)
1 teaspoon fennel seed (ommited because I didn't have)
1 teaspoon anise seed
1 teaspoon licorice root (also ommitted -- didn't have)

I also added 1/16 tsp of stevia powder for sweetness.

Place vodka and spices into a small glass jar, tightly lidded. Steep for two weeks, giving the jar a shake daily to keep spices from settling. Strain and pour into a glass bottle. To use, dilute 1 tablespoon mouthwash in 1 cup of water. Use as a gargle and mouth rinse and do not swallow.

Actually, I added one cup of water to the vodka mixture for a 50/50 dilution since that's what the guys did on Mythbusters.

The results? I'm not crazy about the taste. Cinnamon is not my favorite flavor. But I do think it works well. Burns at first. Next time, I'm going to try a mint infusion instead of cinnamon. I think I might like it better.

This week, I also used up my last bottle of hairspray and needed a plastic-free alternative. Once again, I turned to vodka for help. From the web site recipezaar.com, I tried:

Lemon-fresh Hair Spray

2 cups water
2 lemons
1 tablespoon vodka

1. Boil the water in a saucepan.
2. While the water is boiling, peel and finely chop the lemons.
3. Add the lemons to the boiling water, and simmer over low heat until the lemons are soft.
4. Cool, strain, and pour into a spray bottle.
5. Add the vodka, and shake well.
6. If the hair spray is too sticky, dilute it with a little water.

So far, this one doesn't work at all. I mean, not at all. My hair's not even sticky, much less held in place. Don't know what I did wrong. Maybe I didn't cook the lemons long enough. Maybe the lemons were not big enough. Maybe this recipe is a joke just to see if anyone will try it. Who knows? Will keep trying until I find something that works.

In the meantime, there are quite a few other uses for vodka to test. 21 of them, in fact, according to the web page, 21 Uses For Vodka. No, boys and girls. Vodka's not just for drinking anymore. Check it out.
 

SoyaPower to the People

My SoyaPower soy milk maker arrived today, and I made my first batch of homemade soy milk tonight. (The dried soy beans have to soak for 8-10 hours, so I put them in water this morning and made the soy milk when I came home.) This is a magical piece of kitchen equipment. You put in water and the soaked beans, press a button, and 15-20 minutes later, you have soy milk. And it tastes good. And the texture is smooth. After it cools, you can add sweetener or any other flavors you want. But actually, I tasted the unsweetened soy milk tonight, and I have to say it's quite refreshing without anything else added.

Okay, so you want to know about the plastic and the packaging? That, after all, is what we're here for, right? First the good news. Sanlinx, Inc ships the soy milk maker in its own box, so there is no extra packaging. Inside the box holding the machine in place are molded paper pulp forms rather than styrofoam.

Now, the plastic news. Plastic inside the box includes: a plastic bag covering the machine, plastic coating on the outside of the machine itself (more on that below), a plastic zip-lock bag containing a nylon scrubber and plastic brush for cleaning the machine, a starter supply of soy beans in a plastic bag, a plastic measuring cup, and a plastic drip pan inside a plastic bag. Some of the accessories are nice but unnecessary for me. I wish instead of automatically including these things, Sanlinx would list them as options. I don't need a plastic measuring cup or scrubber or even the beans. I already bought beans in anticipation of the new machine.

And okay, I did have a choice between the machine with plastic coating on the outside and the one with bare stainless steel. The plastic coating keeps the machine cool to the touch, unlike the regular SoyaJoy machine whose bare stainless steel gets very hot. I chose safety and convenience over plastic-conservation this time. I'm rationalizing by weighing this amount of plastic against all the packaging I'll be saving: at least 52 plastic-coated cardboard cartons and plastic caps per year!

Another nice thing about using the soy milk maker is that in addition to soy milk, you also get okara, which is the leftover soy bean fiber. The okara can be used in all kinds of recipes, from veggie burgers to breads or cakes. I'm actually wondering if I could use it to make a hummus-like spread for us, if I could only figure out how to make it taste like Haig's, the best hummus in the world.

Tina, eat the plastic food!

Another sleepless night. Another wacky "art" project. Meet Tina. Tina's tummy is full of plastic bags. And that's okay, because she's a fake plastic fish. In fact, her whole body is knitted from plastic bags... from the plastic bag "yarn" ball I made the other night. Click on images to see larger.

And remember, plastic bags are not evil. How can they be? They're just plastic bags. It's the overproduction of and disposal of them by humans that causes harm to other living things. So here are a few plastic bags that, for the time being, are just hanging out being a fish called Tina.
 

Has she really started knitting again???

The last time I picked up the needles was March 2006. And I haven't actually picked them up again yet. However, I did stay up all night on July 3, watching movies and making this big "yarn" ball out of plastic grocery bags. (I should categorize this post under "Projects for Obsessive Insomniacs.")

Did you know that crafty people are finding all kinds of uses for plastic bags in order to save them from the landfill? Here are just a few:


Instructions for creating the plastic bag "yarn"

A knitted plastic tote bag (they use a different method for creating the yarn)

Fused plastic bag fabric

Here's an artist who makes jewelry and lighting fixtures from recycled plastic.

Here's an article on TreeHugger about all kinds of plastic bag DIY projects.

And finally, my friend Sharon sent me this info about a class here in the Bay Area at the Richmond Art Center that sounds like fun:

Lost and Found Recycled Basketry

Instructor: Kathleen Hubbard
In every garage lies a wealth of stuff that's been saved for one thing or another. That something is a recycled basket. With a little imagination and a few techniques, the piles of cardboard, plastic bags, and wire can be woven into useful or artful baskets. Bring your boxes of stuff, scissors, wire cutters, a lunch and a friend and we will conquer several projects and leave with many more in mind.

Class: SU5T • Sat, Jul 28, 10 am – 4 pm
RAC Member $65 • Nonmember $75

So what am I going to knit with this ball of nontraditional yarn? Stay tuned...
 

Beth redeems herself: These cupcakes are mad sick, ya'll!

Can a 42-year old use that expression without sounding like an idiot? Who cares? This post is not even about plastic. It's about cupcakes that rocked my world tonight, and I MADE THEM! The only reason I'm posting about them here is to redeem myself for the pita disaster a few nights ago. Just look at these pictures and drool...


Black bottom cupcakes with cream cheese & chocolate chip topping/middle and dark chocolate cake bottom. Take a closer look:


They are moist and gooey without being underdone with a chocolaty goodness that can only come from a Benevolent Universe. Wait, did I say that? The chocolaty goodness is going to my brain. I meant to say careful recipe reading, a bit of imagination, and a lot of luck!

Here's the recipe that I adapted from the Joy of Cooking. All adaptations were purely in the service of richness, moistness, and intensity of chocolate experience.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

(According to the Joy of Cooking, their recipe makes 16 cupcakes. Yeah, if you want wimpy "Just give me a small one cause I'm watching my figure" cupcakes. My recipe actually makes 12!)

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin pans with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, beat until smooth:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup light brown sugar

Add and beat until smooth:

2 large eggs (JOC says 1, but we're being extravagant here.)

Stir in:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Whisk together thoroughly in a large bowl:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

And here's the kicker: Instead of the 1/4 cup of cocoa that JOC prescribes, in the microwave, melt 2 entire 3.5 ounce bars of Lindt 70% cocoa dark extra fine chocolate. (Or you can use any other good quality chocolate bar with a high cocoa content.)

Add to the dry ingredients:

1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar (Really. That part is directly from JOC.)
1 teaspoon vanilla
All the melted chocolate that you can get into the bowl before eating a few spoonfuls yourself, just to make sure it's okay for company.

Stir with a rubber spatula until just smooth. Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 full. (JOC says 1/2 full, but we are making adult-size cupcakes here.) Place a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture in the center of each. (It will actually cover the top of each cupcake. Push it down into the middle a little with your spoon.) Bake until the cakey part of a cupcake comes out clean. (Of course, since the whole top is covered with cream cheesy goodness, it can be hard to tell.) About 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely before removing from pan.

Jo Anne, do you want me to bring you one to work tomorrow, or are you still "being good?"
 

Homemade Tooth Powder: a DIY project that actually worked! (plus info on Preserve toothbrushes)

Well, I said I'd do it and I did. I used up the last of a tube of Crest (and believe me, I squeezed out every delicious bit before sending the tube to plastic purgatory) without having found a plastic-free replacement product. So I made my own tooth powder with the ingredients pictured above:

1 cup of baking soda
1 cup of salt
1 tsp of stevia powder (an herbal sweetener)
1/2 tsp (give or take) of wintergreen essential oil

I shook it all up in a parmesan cheese container that I rescued from plastic purgatory and set it lovingly in its new home in the bathroom cabinet beside Michael's shaving cream and my bottle of Act fluoride rinse.

(Act fluoride rinse is another product I'll have to worry about eventually. But I still have 2 bottles left, so won't think about it just yet.)

And then... and then... with no small amount of trepidation... I tried it. I sprinkled a little in my left palm and with my right hand, ran my wet toothbrush through the powder and then over my teeth and gums.

And I liked it! Big surprise!

Okay, it's not yummy like Crest, but honestly, my mouth felt cleaner afterwards. And my gums felt all tingly in a good way, probably from the salt.

Now, after doing some research online, I see that there is disagreement as to whether brushing with baking soda can harm tooth enamel. Some dentists say yes, others think it's fine. Most agree that the biggest mistake people make is to brush too hard, regardless of what toothpaste is used. And most dentists seem to agree that the toothpaste is not the important component in tooth cleaning anyway, but simply the brushing and flossing. (Floss... another item to deal with... later.)

So I'm going to keep using my homemade version, at least until my next dental appointment, which is July 30. Then, I'll see what my dentist has to say about it.

I'm also planning to return to him the free Oral B toothbrush I got at my last visit and tell him about Preserve toothbrushes, which are made from post-consumer recycled plastic. There's a great article about Recycline, the company that makes Preserve toothbrushes, over at Sustainable Is Good: An Eco Blog.

And finally, while I was typing this post, I got inspired to write the following e-mail to Recycline via their contact form:

Hi. My dentist gives out free Oral B toothbrushes imprinted with his name and phone number on them. I was wondering if you have any program for creating custom imprinted toothbrushes for dentists to give away. Consumers may not want to buy toothbrushes if they can get them free from the dentist. It would be great if you could get dentists to switch to Preserve toothbrushes for their patients.

Please let me know your thoughts on this. I have been promoting Preserve toothbrushes on my blog, www.fakeplasticfish.com.

Beth Terry

Hopefully they'll have some info for me before the 30th that I can take to Dr. Parrett. It's worth a shot, right?
 

In which our heroine attempts to bake... with unintended results

My friend Mea, in response to my lament about not being able to find pitas without plastic, sent me a recipe so I could bake them myself. Mark, do not laugh! I did not mistake BisQuick for flour this time. I did, however, misread 1 1/4 cups of water as 1/4 cup of water and was very confused about why the "dough" would not get doughy. (I kept adding water, thinking I was doing the wrong thing but not knowing exactly which wrong thing I was doing.) But okay, even before I put in the flour, the yeast would not do much of its yeast thing. And after letting the breads rise for the prescribed 45 minutes and finding that no rising had actually taken place, I put them in the oven to see what would happen. And what happened are these little bread stepping stones. The outside is hard. The inside is heavy and doughy. And the pocket... um... let's just forget that they were supposed to be pockets. They taste okay.

Oh, and by the way, in my attempt to bake my own pitas in order to save plastic, I bought a plastic packet of yeast and didn't even think about it until tonight!

Here's the recipe:

Pita Bread II Recipe

Ready in: 30-60 minutes
Difficulty: 2 (1=easiest :: hardest=5)

Serves/Makes: 12

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup lukewarm water, 110 F
2 teaspoons honey
1 package yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 500 F. In a large mixing bowl mix yeast, water and
honey. Let sit until foamy. About 5 minutes. Stir in salt and flour.

Knead the dough for about 10 minutes. (Added therapeutic value.) Divide the dough into 12 small balls. Roll or pat the balls flat. They should be about 6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick. Put them on lightly buttered cookie sheets. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for about 45 minutes. Bake the bread 12 minutes until lightly brown.