Fake Plastic Fish

Farewell to Del Martin, SF activist for whom the personal and political were no different.

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:31:00 +0000

This post has nothing to do with plastic but everything to do with personal activism and the power of each individual to make change in the world, if she or he simply tries.

When I first moved to San Francisco in 1989, I struggled to get by financially and relied on the services of the Lyon & Martin women's clinic for my healthcare. It was a place that operated on a sliding scale and made all women feel safe, regardless of issues of income, race, size, sexuality or gender issues. You know what? They put cute little oven mitts over the metal stirrups to keep our feet from getting cold during those less than pleasant female medical exams.

Eventually, I learned that the clinic was named after two San Francisco pioneers of the gay and lesbian movement, Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, who had fought all their lives for the rights of women, lesbians, and later seniors. Lyon and Martin were together for nearly 60 years and were the very first gay couple to get married this past June in SF after the California Supreme Court found the state ban on same-sex marriage to be illegal. And it was fitting that they should be first, as they had been part of the legal case that brought about the landmark ruling.

Del Martin passed away today. My friend Red called to tell me the news this morning, and we both cried on the phone. Not so much because of the death. Del was, after all, 87 years old and her health had been failing for some time, but because of the enormity of the impact that she had during her stay on this earth. For Lyon and Martin, there was no difference between what they worked for in the outer world and the personal lives they led. And for me, Del Martin represents the best that each of us can achieve if we believe in the power of our individual daily acts.

In a statement to the press, Phyllis Lyon says:

Ever since I met Del 55 years ago, I could never imagine a day would come when she wouldn't be by my side.... I am so lucky to have known her, loved her and been her partner in all things. I also never imagined there would be a day that we would actually be able to get married.... I am devastated, but I take some solace in knowing we were able to enjoy the ultimate rite of love and commitment before she passed.

You don't have to be a member of the gay/lesbian/bi/trans community to feel the beauty of these words and to be inspired by the perseverance of these remarkable women. Whatever your cause, whatever motivates you to act, whatever is important to you in this world, don't be afraid to let your light shine. Each of our actions does matter. Each of us can make a difference. And now, more than ever, we are needed.

Read the full Obituary here for this inspiring woman.

Compostable Containers: Just because we can doesn't mean we should.

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:24:00 +0000

This is a photo of a few things I brought home from the Outside Lands Music Festival Friday night: Two compostable cups made from corn and two compostable potato or cornstarch spoons. (Mine and my friend's.) As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I forgot to bring my cute reusable bamboo utensils with me. And I didn't think to bring a cup for wine either so felt lucky to find compostables rather than plastic or Styrofoam.

When I took my compostable cup back to the wine vendor for a refill, the server said, "It's okay. You can have a new one." Yeah, I can. But why should I? Just because an item can be composted, does that mean we have to compost it after one use? Just because an item is recyclable, does that mean we are compelled to recycle it immediately?

In yesterday's post I whined about the "recyclable" plastic wine "glasses" being handed out in the WineHaven tent. Of course we know that plastic recycling is actually downcycling. But even if it weren't, what if each person who accepted one of those recyclable plastic cups kept it, took it home, and brought it back to the next outdoor event to reuse? How much energy could be saved if people thought in terms of reuse before recycling?

I was considering this stuff while riding BART to work today, musing on how much less energy could be spent on "waste diversion" if less energy were spent to create the waste in the first place. And once I arrived at the office, in one of those weird moments of synchronicity, I opened my email to find a Seattle Times article forwarded to me by Fake Plastic Fish reader Ken Mott about how Microsoft's cafeteria has recently received certified-green restaurant status from the Green Restaurant Association, in part by switching out plastic and Styrofoam for all compostable dishes, cups, and utensils.

When I look at this photo, I don't see an effort to protect the environment. I just see waste. More waste. Better than plastic, sure. At least it's compostable. But think of all the materials and energy that went into creating these utensils that will most likely be used once and discarded. Not to mention the chemical fertilizers and pesticides used to grow the corn these things are made from. According to the article, Microsoft says, "Our goal is to have 50 percent of what was going to the landfill now go to Cedar Grove [composting facility]."

Why not use durable utensils, cups, and dishes and avoid creating waste in the first place?

One change that Microsoft has made is to substitute compostable cups for their previous Styrofoam coffee cups. But, according to the article, the new cups take some getting used to. In a statement that would be funny if it weren't so maddening, Mark Freeman, senior manager in charge of food services, says of the new cup, "'It starts composting the minute you use it,' noting that employees have learned not to leave half-full cups for long periods of time to avoid spills."

You know, in all the time I've had my reusable mug, not once has it started to compost, no matter how long I've used it. Why isn't Microsoft encouraging employees to bring their own mugs to work? Or giving them reusable mugs as a little perk? What will it take for us to get away from this use once and toss mentality?

It's not easy for any of us. Even I ended up with waste (albeit plastic-free) at the end of the night: waste which could have been avoided if I'd done a bit more planning ahead and brought my own utensils and cups to the festival. But just because my dishes can be composted doesn't mean I have to toss them in the green bin immediately. The paperboard bowl will soon become plant food, but the cups and spoons can be used again (as long as I don't wash them in super hot water.)

And maybe those in charge of greening festivals and conferences and the cafeterias of mega-corporations would be wise to change their vocabulary and think in terms of waste reduction rather than simply waste diversion.

Searching for plastic-free water at Outside Lands wears me out.

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:32:00 +0000

I love music more than ice cream. Even more than fudge sauce. And to me, the band Radiohead is like magic. I don't understand how they make the exquisite and sometimes excruciating sounds that they do. I just know that as long as there are humans on this planet whose organized noise can move me to tears every single time I hear it, there must be hope for us.

So for a few months, I've been really looking forward to seeing my first Radiohead show live at the SF Outside Lands music festival in Golden Gate Park. And I was also pleased that this festival was being billed as a green event and planned to visit a section they called Ecolands, where there would be all kinds of "green" organizations and vendors measuring carbon footprints, collecting recycling (including old cell phones), and serving up organic food.

So I wasn't really worried when I got to the festival entrance on Friday and was asked (after my bag was searched) to empty the water out of my Klean Kanteen. This is standard practice for concerts, right? Organizers don't want certain illicit substances being brought in in the guise of water. And the staffer assured me I'd be able to fill it up again once inside the festival grounds.

So after staking out a spot near the mainstage where Radiohead would be playing later that evening, I left my friend Laura and set out to find the watering spot to refill our bottles. This is the sign that was projected on the side of the stage:

And this is one of the many waste stations throughout the grounds for recycling, compost, and trash.

I thought I'd start by asking these guys, as they worked for Clean Vibes, a company "dedicated to the responsible waste management of outdoor festivals and events." But they didn't know where the water was. "Let us know when you find out," they said.

So I walked and walked, and finally spotted this!

But a closer look revealed this is what they were selling:

The only water to be found were plastic bottles of Arrowhead water in the new "Eco-shape" bottle which according to Arrowhead's site, "contains 30% less plastic than the average half liter bottle." Turns out Arrowhead is one of the festival sponsors!

"Look," I said, "I don't want to buy a plastic bottle. I just want to fill my Klean Kanteen. Where can I fill it up?" The staff at the "water" booth didn't know. So I asked at every booth in "EcoLands" where I could find regular tap water, and nearly every person gave the same answer, "Good question. Let us know when you find out!"

Someone suggested filling up from the hand washing station by the porta potties:

Um. I don't think so.

And then I saw it. An actual drinking fountain right near an actual restroom!

Seriously, would it have killed the organizers to set up the fence AROUND the water fountain so festival goers could use it? I even tried sticking my Klean Kanteen through the fence, but alas, it would not fit.

After asking an official looking guy in a blue uniform where I could fill up my water bottle, he told me, "We have no intention of providing free water to everyone at this festival. I don't know why you'd think that." Um... you charge $85 a ticket and can't afford to provide SF tap water? And um... if you weren't going to let us refill our bottles, why'd you make us dump them out and promise we could refill when we got inside?

Someone manning the EcoLands info booth even tried to give me his own bottle of Arrowhead water, thinking maybe I just couldn't afford to buy my own. You can believe I passed out a ton of Fake Plastic Fish cards during that hour-long water search and had quite a few discussions about the craziness of this whole "eco" scheme. And what we all realized was that when the organizers talked about diversion, they meant recycling plastic bottles. Diversion is not the same as zero waste, is it?

There's nothing to divert if you don't create a bunch of waste in the first place!

Okay, so I finally did find free water. Coming out of the bathroom behind the fence was a long hose with a nozzle. It was what the coffee vendors were using to make their beverages. Aha! And this nice guy (whose name I neglected to get) happily filled up both Laura's and my bottles for us.

It took an hour of wandering around in the chilly Golden Gate Park fog (which, to be honest, was actually kind of fun in a challenging, albeit surreal, sort of way. Almost like playing a game and finally winning!) to get our bottles filled up. But that wasn't the end of my quest. Oh no! Laura and I wanted wine, too!

So I checked out the much-touted Winehaven wine tasting tent, only to find that 1) a "glass" of wine started around $10 for the cheap-ass stuff and 2) the "glasses" were, of course, plastic. "Oh, but they are fully recyclable!" I was told. Feh. We know about plastic recycling. Not doing it. And thankfully Laura wasn't into paying that kinda cash for cheap wine.

But on the way back to the main stage, I spotted the tell-tale green label indicating a compostable cup. "Where did you get that?" I asked the woman holding it, probably a bit wild-eyed at this point. I think I freaked her out, but she was nice enough to point me to another tent. Yes! At this point, I didn't care if I was drinking rotgut. It came in a compostable cup and it cost less than what they were selling in the swanky Winehaven tent. I bought Laura and me a cup each and headed back to our blanket.

Yes, the cup is made from corn, and I should have been more prepared and brought my own reusable cup for wine. Didn't think of it. And I'm actually not sure I have something that would have been legal. No glass was allowed in the park. But you know what? I saved those compostable cups, and I'll bring them with me next time!

Just before the show, Laura went off and found us an awesome organic veggie curry dish from Bombay Kitchen (all fully compostable, although as before, I should have brought my own bamboo cutlery) and our tummies were happy.

And then the music started. And for a few hours, I didn't care about anything else.

First, a set by Steel Pulse:

And then Manu Chao:

And when it finally got dark... RADIOHEAD...

A beautiful set list. And yes, the encore was Fake Plastic ~~Fish~~ Trees.

Then, trudging out of the park, the crunch of plastic underfoot...

...it wears me out, it wears me out.
It wears me out, it wears me out.

Year 2, Week 10 Results: 19.6 oz of plastic waste!

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 04:25:00 +0000

What does it mean when your cat's poop suddenly turns red? Could be some terrible disease. Or could just mean your cat's been eating her red blanket and explains why she's not hungry anymore. I've been so worried about poor little albatross chicks consuming pieces of plastic out in the North Pacific Gyre, while here at home under my own nose my kitty's been chowing down on polar fleece. Look at all the holes!

This is the blanket the kittens came with. I put it in Arya's cage while she was healing, thinking it would be familiar and comforting. And I guess it was. Comfort food. (Plastic blanket, and god knows what kind of dye it's got in it.)

Little Hobble had her sutures out on Friday and is getting back to her normal spirited self, which is a little worrisome because her bones will take a while to completely heal. So we still have to keep her in the cage -- sans fake plastic blanket!

So, here's this week's tally. Plastic items used this week but purchased before the plastic project began:

1 85 oz bottle Sun Light gel dishwasher detergent and cap. The main reason this stuff has lasted so long is that we bought it when we first moved into this apartment three years ago and then rarely used the dishwasher. Only recently did I figure out that washing one load of dishes per week in the dishwasher is actually more efficient for us than handwashing. So, we've finally used up this bottle and have now switched to powdered detergent in a cardboard box.

At the moment, we are trying Ecover Automatic Dishwasher Powder because it's non-toxic and also because it seems to have the most environmentally-friendly packaging. The box is made from recycled cardboard AND the spout is also cardboard rather than metal, like those of Seventh Generation and Whole Foods brands. Fewer types of materials means better recycling, right? The Ecover web site mentions a polypropylene cover, but I'm wondering if that is referring to some other product because our box of detergent has no plastic cover.

Ecover has a statement about trace amounts of dioxane found in its products, but it seems to only apply to the liquid dish soap, not the powder. It remains to be seen how effective this stuff is. Do you guys use dishwasher detergent and if so, what works best for you? Oh, and does anyone have tips for the best way to load the dishwasher? Neither Michael nor I grew up with one, so we're doing the best we can.

And yes, I'm sure we could be super efficient at handwashing and skip the machine. But the fact remains that we are not. Let's just leave it at that. :-)

And the new plastic waste:

1 chewed up red polar fleece blanket. Already fully described above.

1 plastic seal from around the neck of a jar of Fudge Is My Life fudge sauce. It's almost gone. I heard back from one person who won a jar a few weeks ago and mailed it off on Friday. Haven't heard back from the other two: Small Change and Bobbi. If you want your fudge, email me at beth [at] fakeplasticfish [dot] come before it's gone!

Only 4 items this week. Not bad!

Tomorrow, I'll report all about the ridiculous search for plastic-free water at the the Outside Lands Music Festival on Friday, and the Radiohead show that pummeled me with its exquisite noise and left me breathless with hope for humanity. (What a world where guys can make sounds that take over my whole body and soul and cause me to weep with amazement no matter how many times I hear them.)

Dear Financial West Group,

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:19:00 +0000

August 22, 2008

Financial West Group
4510 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd.
Westlake Village, CA 91362

Re: Account #[omitted]

Dear FWG:

In January of this year, one of my New Year’s resolutions was to move my retirement savings into socially and environmentally responsible investments. To that end, I signed up with The Social Equity Group in Berkeley, CA to ensure that my investment funds are used to help protect the environment. In order for that to happen, my investments held by Schwab and by ING were moved into an account with Financial West Group.

The irony is that I have moved my money from two companies that save paper by offering a paper-free online statement option to one that is still sending out paper statements. But a rep at FWG explained to me that there are legal regulations and hurdles to jump through before investment companies are allowed to offer paper-free options, and FWG is in the process of making that happen.

That is good news. However, in the meantime, a happy alternative would be statements printed on post-consumer recycled paper and sent in recycled envelopes without plastic windows. Plastic, as you probably know, is not biodegradable. And while the envelopes and statements can be recycled, the plastic will remain in the environment forever. I am working very hard to reduce my plastic consumption and eliminate plastic waste from my life. I hope that you will consider omitting the plastic windows and switching to recycled paper.

One company that has successfully eliminated the plastic window in its envelopes is Working Assets, aka Credo. When they do send out mailings (which is rare because we receive their statements online), their envelopes have an empty window. I don’t believe these envelopes are any less secure than ones with plastic windows. If someone wants to read the enclosed materials, they will open the envelope whether it’s got a plastic window or just an empty hole.

I am returning these envelopes to you, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this issue.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth G. Terry

Product tames frizzies without synthetic chems or much plastic

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 01:26:00 +0000

So, you know I switched to the no 'poo method of hair cleansing a couple of months ago, and it's been working fine. But I do have the ocassional frizzy hair day. I still have over half a (plastic) container of TRESemme styling putty that I purchased long before I stopped buying new plastic, but I quit using it months ago. First, because it contains 25 ingredients, many of which I cannot pronounce, and second, because once I started "no poo" I was worried it wouldn't wash out properly.

So I was happy to receive an email from Rachel Whitman of the company The Name Is Product asking me to try out her... um... product. It's a hair styling aide that claims to defrizz, texturize, soften, condition, and glisten using only 5 ingredients: "organic shea butter, pure aloe vera, natural source vitamin E (tocopherol), organic beeswax, and natural fragrance [which turns out to be tangerine oil]."

Now, I'm sure the DIY folks in this group (hey Tracey!) could figure out how to make this themselves. But I'm happy to have it already made up... in a glass jar, albeit with a plastic lid. The company shipped it to me in a padded paper mailer (the kind without plastic on the inside) and wrapped in brown paper. See? Another example that glass doesn't need to be shipped with plastic or styrofoam to remain intact.

I was a little concerned that Product might leave some residue on my hair that wouldn't wash out easily with baking soda, but so far it has not. It's a bit solid in the jar. You scoop out an amount smaller than a pea (well, I do... you long hairs might need more) and rub it in your hands to soften it up. Then run it through your hair. And it really does create a nice, non-frizzy shine.

I don't use this stuff every day. Usually, I'm in such a hurry, I stick a hair band around my wet hair as I'm running out the door. But on days when I have some extra time and want my hair to look nice, I'll dry it a bit and then run Product through it to give it a little something extra.

I asked Rachel about the beeswax, since my beekeeper friend has told me terrible stories about the ways some bees are kept. Rachel said her beeswax comes from a company called Stakich, Inc in Michigan, which has been in business for 83 years. The bees come from unsprayed and unfertilized fields of wildflowers, and according to Stakich's Steven Dushan in a response to me, there is absolutely no "killing the bees. We take the utmost care of them so that they can continue their diligent work of collecting nectar and bee pollen and producing beeswax, honey and royal jelly. If we killed the bees we would be out of business the very next day."

I also asked about the plastic lids on the jars. Why not recyclable metal? She said that they have not yet found a dark glass jar with a metal lid that would work for them. Anyone have ideas for her?

I also asked Rachel why the label simply lists "fragrance" as one of the ingredients rather than tangerine oil, which is what she herself told me the fragrance was. Here's her response:

"I totally hear you with that - my husband/business partner liked the mystery of referring to the tangerine scent as simply 'fragrance' (people could tell it was citrus, but not what kind). I think with the next run of labels we will change that ingredient to read "natural fragrance." People ask about it often, so we want to clarify and reassure."

And finally, you know I like the personal stories behind folks with green businesses, so I asked her to tell me the story about how Product was developed. Here is Rachel's response. Enjoy.

My husband/business partner, Michael Hacker, actually came up with the original formula (quite similar to the current one) for PRODUCT. Before I even knew him, he developed PRODUCT out of a personal need for something that could give him the styling and frizz-taming he wanted without going flakey or being too slick or too gooey, etc - basically most things he tried left a lot to be desired. So he began looking at ingredients in other hair styling formulas, and was taken aback by how many chemicals were in most.

Not being a chemist, he knew if he was going to make something on his own it would have to be natural ingredients. He started trying combinations of shea butter, aloe vera oil and vitamin E - and found one that worked and began using it. When I was getting to know him, he gave me some to try and I loved it - used it all up and asked him if I could get some more.

He had thought about trying to put it on the market, and we started working together to refine the formula, line up ingredients suppliers, design and produce labeling and packaging, create our website with online store, etc...In our first year out, we received some wonderful magazine press, we had a great response from highly talented editorial fashion/celebrity hair stylists, and we have built a list of salon and beauty store retailers.

We would love to be able to grow PRODUCT into a (small) line - shampoo, conditioner, styling spray, possibly a couple other items - but aren't able to put the money into R&D yet. Any new products we develop, though, will be organic & natural, high quality ingredients, free of synthetics and irritants. What we enjoy about PRODUCT is that it is pure, and clean, and natural. It's simple - nothing unnecessary is in there, nothing excess in the carefully balanced formula. And it works so well and feels really great to use.

Only 5 all-natural ingredients, comes in a glass jar, and works. I like it. Now what should I do with the remaining TRESemme hair putty? Ideas?

Tara's Organic Ice Cream: their trash can is empty!

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:12:00 +0000

Michael was terribly excited last week to tell me that a new shop had opened in our neighborhood combining two of our biggest passions: ice cream and zero waste. "You have to come see and bring your camera so you can write about it!" He's not often so emphatic about what I post on my blog, so I figured this must be serious!

We joined up with a couple of other ice cream-lovin' friends on Sunday and headed up the street to Tara's Organic Ice Cream, which just opened a week ago on College Avenue (near where Safeway wants to build its mega monstropolis.) And sure enough, the boy was right! The ice cream is awesome, certified organic, but even better, the shop offers only durable or compostable containers and utensils.

The spoons are metal (for eating in the shop) or made from potato starch (for taking to go.)

Even the little tasting spoons are made from metal.

The bowls and containers are either durable dishes, like this one that held my awesome ice cream sundae,

or they are made from bagasse (sugar cane fiber.)

I was happy to see that the only compostable item made from corn (a problematic crop) were the straws.

I chuckled yesterday when I read Lisa Sharp's comment on this blog about reusable glass straws from Green Home because in fact, that's exactly where Tara bought her compostable straws. Green Home sells both types. I'm all for reusable over compostable in general, but glass straws don't seem practical for a tiny ice cream shop that's mainly take-out. For my home, I may end up purchasing a set of glass straws just so I can throw an ice cream soda party, especially since they come with a handy cleaning brush. And they're guaranteed against breakage.

Anyway, back at Tara's, the waste station does include a trash can, but really, what would go in it?

And let's not forget the ice cream itself. Awesome and interesting flavors. Ever tried tarragon chocolate?

Okay, so for those of us who are truly into zero waste, none of these compostable or durable containers are necessary. Ice cream cone's the way to go! And I do wonder what happens to the compostable containers that leave the shop. Do folks know to put them in their composting bin or will they end up in the trash?

But we've got to start somewhere, right? And I think Tara's making and awesome effort and showing other small businesses that even if the compostable option is a bit more expensive, offering these kinds of containers to customers and making a point of educating them about the difference can be done! I'm hoping Tara's Organic Ice Cream sticks around here for a while!

Year 2, Week 9 Results: 2.5 oz of plastic waste.

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:55:00 +0000

Soots has taken over many of Arya's old duties while she is out of commission, the thorough examination of my weekly plastic waste being one of them. As I write this, Arya is lying on the floor at my feet, wishing I'd take the elegant collar off her neck and let her pull out her sutures. Friday, little kitty, Friday they come out. Then, you can lick your wounds all you want. For those who miss her, I've got video of Miss Hobble Bobble, as she's come to be known, below. But first, the tally!

Plastic items used this week but purchased before the plastic project began:

Plastic wrap from the final Wholphin DVD. I subscribed to these DVDs over a year ago before starting this project, and if the notice on the envelope was correct, this will be my final one.

New plastic purchased since the plastic project began and used this week:

1 big ass bag (34 lbs) of World's Best Cat Litter. I sent an email to GPC Pet Products in July asking them to reconsider their packaging. Here's the email reply I got in response:
From: "Kissell, Luke" (luke.kissell@grainprocessing.com)
To: Beth Terry
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:49:31 -0500
Subject: RE: Contact Us: Product Performance

Dear Beth,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us here at GPC Pet Products Maker's Of World's Best Cat Litter(tm).

We appreciate the comments you have shared with us regarding our packaging. As we look into the future, we will be looking at a new type of package. It is always nice to hear what our consumers have to say about what their likes and dislikes are about our package. This type of information helps us become more aware of what our consumers are looking for in terms of packaging. We take these comments very seriously.

I will forward your comments onto the appropriate personnel for review.

Again, thank you for your comments.

Have a good day,

Luke Kissell
Customer Service Coordinator
GPC Pet Products
Makers of Worlds Best Cat Litter(tm)
TF:877-367-9225 Ext 4790
Ph:563-264-4790
Fax:563-264-4788

I know there were several other people who thought they might also send letters to this company. Did you get the same response? I wonder if they'll actually change the packaging.

Plastic from the ends of a bunch of organic bananas.

1 plastic Rx bottle and lid. Hobble had to have antiobiotics 2x per day through a syringe for a week. I haven't included the syringe in the tally as I'm keeping it for the next time one of them needs to use it. That way I won't have to take a new syringe home from the vet.

2 red plastic drinking straws. Oops. My sister and her husband were in town visiting us last week, and wow did we ever eat. Restaurant after restaurant. I almost got away plastic-free until I ordered an iced tea during lunch on Friday and was having so much fun I forgot to request "no straw." Remind me to tell you about the compostable straws I learned about yesterday.

So, one more week of plastic tallied up and put away.

And here's the promised video: Miss Hobble Bobble's Adventure.

If for some reason, you can't view the embedded video, try this link to view it on Google Video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1193517387124029086&hl=en

Oh goody! BPA in my mailbox!

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:15:00 +0000

I received the following gem in my home mailbox last week:

The American Chemistry Council is bringing out the big guns and trying to frighten Californians into opposing the state's proposed ban on Bisphenol-A (an additive in polycarbonate plastic and in the plastic lining of most food cans) in containers and canned foods meant for babies and toddlers.

The industry's scare tactics include the following language, "Soon, many common, everyday products could disappear from grocery store shelves across California," and "Your favorite Products May Soon Disappear." The brochure urges recipients to call their Assembly Member and ask them to vote no on SB1713.

The brochure shows photos of women shoppers looking at various products they've picked up from the shelves. Only one of these products is a can. The other two appear to be boxes, which wouldn't contain BPA in the first place. AND none of the products appears to be intended primarily for children, as the language of the bill states. Here's the full summary of SB1713:

SUMMARY : Enacts the Toxin-Free Toddlers and Babies Act which prohibits the sale, manufacture or distribution in commerce of food containers for children that contain bisphenol A (BPA) above a specified level. Specifically, this bill :

1)Prohibits the manufacture, sale, or distribution in commerce of any bottle, cup, or other container that contains BPA, at a level above 0.1 parts per billion (ppb), if the container is designed or intended to be filled with any liquid, food, or beverage primarily for consumption by infants or children three years of age or younger.

2)Prohibits, commencing January 1, 2012, the manufacture, sale, or distribution in commerce of any liquid, food, or beverage in a can, jar, or other container containing BPA, at a level above 0.5 ppb, if the liquid, food, or beverage is designed or intended primarily for consumption by infants or children three years of age or younger.

3)Clarifies that the prohibitions in this bill do not apply to food and beverage containers designed or intended primarily to contain liquid, food, or beverages for consumption by the general population.

To be sure, the brochure was annoying, but also quite helpful. Until it arrived in my mailbox, I actually didn't realize this bill was coming up for a vote, and the inclusion of the name and phone number of my assembly member on the back made it especially easy for me to call and urge Sandre Swanson to vote YES on the bill.

In fact, according to an article on Enviroblog a few days ago, the industry's strategy seems to be backfiring. Many other Californians, like me, are irritated by this misleading campaign and are doing exactly what I did.

Do you live in California and if so, have you received this brochure? If so, please call your assembly member and ask them to Vote YES on SB1713. Didn't receive the brochure? You can call your Assembly member anyway. You can find your representative's phone number on this CA Assembly Member List by clicking "Find My District" on the sidebar.

For more information about the dangers of BPA, read Environmental Working Group's Guide to Bisphenol-A and EWG's Survey of BPA in Canned Foods.

A peek at plastic in Barcelona: guest post by Bibi Rogers

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 02:36:00 +0000

In May, I wrote here about Bibi Rogers, who created the company 4U2ReUSE to try and help reduce plastic bag waste. Bibi just got back from Barcelona, Spain, where she noticed waste reductions efforts as well as areas for improvement. I thought it would be cool to have her share her story here, as she is passionate about finding solutions to the plastic problem. A round of applause, please, for Bibi!

I recently traveled from my current home in Delray Beach, Florida, to my hometown, Barcelona, Spain. It was an important trip: In addition I was going to reveal to my dear mum that after all those years in medical school, surgical college, earning my PhD, I decided to join the anti-plastic campaign. I’d ditched my job as a surgeon and founded a company called 4U2ReUSE to sell plastic bag carriers on the Internet, encouraging people to reuse their existing plastic bags instead of acquiring new ones, and raising awareness about the adverse effects plastic waste has on our environment.

The trip started well. We landed in Madrid and Daniel, my 3-year-old, decided he needed to go to the loo just before we got our passports stamped. To my surprise, the bathroom had glass soap dispensers attached to the wall, as well as non-plastic feminine hygiene products in a metal dispenser (I couldn’t help it—I actually purchased one to check).

I also noticed recycling signed bins all throughout the airport. Nice, I thought. We took another flight and shortly arrived in Barcelona, where my mum, aunt, and brother found us at the airport and welcomed us.

During my stay, I kept an eye on how the Catalan (that’s how you call the people from Catalonia on the North East of Spain) use and reuse plastic. Water: refillable glass containers. Check.

Yogurts: glass containers. Check. Recycling: many recycling containers for glass, paper and plastic and people used them. Check. Food wrap: Not so good—loads of cling filmed chicken, etc. It was similar to the average supermarket in Florida. But by and large, so far so good.

Then the inevitable happened—we had to go shopping for food. And oh my—plastic bags a galore! But even worse? “Expensive” plastic bags galore. You know the ones: the green-colored, so-called “eco-friendly” bags branded with some “eco” name, like “eco-rock,” “eco-flower,” or “eco-safe.” I say, “eco-bunk.” People were paying for these bags, and truly believed they were being environmentally conscious. But as is often the case, they weren’t looking closely at the labels: 100% non-woven polyester. I actually asked a couple of shoppers—to the absolute horror of my mum—if they knew what the bags were really made of. They all thought cotton. I had to sit down to have some xocolata amb ensaïamada, and I was relieved to see that my cutlery was non-plastic and all drinks were poured from glass bottles into glass cups.

Later in my trip, the unavoidable chat with mum eventually happened—at my late father’s studio/office of all places! (Ironically for me, my father worked in plastics throughout his life, he started as an architect but became successful as an industrial engineer designing molds for injection plastic machines.) I tried to convince mum to believe me, explaining to her how important this cause is to me.

As I a talked with her, I looked around my father’s studio and observed a large four-foot spoon and fork set hanging from the wall that looked like wood, a framed bendy striped-straw, a fake wall clock, a fake wall thermometer—all those things were the result of my father’s injection-mold designs. But if he’d known better, I know he would have joined our crusade. She was looking to me all perplexed, with watery eyes and I closed my eyes expecting to hear her yelling “Mare meva” to feel her arms start moving like windmills but no, she hugged me, she hugged me dearly.

My memorable visit to my hometown made it clear that, as is the case in the States, plastic is not completely out of Barcelona. So needless to say, there is a lot of work to be done. And fast! It’s in each and everyone’s home where one has to start their fight.

The photo above shows a sign that translates, "Don’t get the walls dirty. Cleanliness is a great sign of civilization."

Thanks for your story, Bibi. And speaking of cleanliness, this month's Carnival of Trash is up over at Mrs. Green's blog, My Zero Waste. Check it out. The carnival will be hosted here at Fake Plastic Fish next month, so please send your trashy posts via the carnival submission form. The deadline is September 12.

Dear Music Today Feedback Department...

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 06:51:00 +0000

August 11, 2008

Music Today
Feedback Department
5391 Three Notched Road
Crozet, VA 22932

Dear Music Today:

I am returning to you this plastic padded mailer in which I received my ticket for the Outside Lands concert. I am trying very hard to reduce my plastic consumption and overall waste, and while I appreciate your wanting to get my ticket to me safely, I do believe that this package is a bit too much protection. My paper ticket is certainly not going to break during shipment.

I feel very strongly that care for our environment depends upon both sellers to reduce the amount of packaging and shipping materials they use and consumers to choose products with the least packaging. While shopping, I bring my own reusable bags to avoid taking disposables. I also carry tap water in a reusable bottle to avoid plastic bottle waste and bring my own containers for take-out food.

Plastic, as I’m sure you know, is made from fossil fuels and is not biodegradable. The manufacture of new plastic is fraught with environmental hazards, as is plastic recycling. Therefore, I urge you to rethink the type of mailers in which you send your tickets. A simple recycled paper envelope would suffice.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth G. Terry
http://www.fakeplasticfish.com

Suddenly Sustainable

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:16:00 +0000

I asked Michael, the Latin scholar, what is the derivation of the word "sustain?" He said "to hold up from underneath." Pretty smart, that guy. The Online Etymology Dictionary says almost the same thing. Why did I ask? Because the topic of the very first APLS blog carvival is, "What does living sustainably mean to you?" So I thought I'd start by digging up the roots.

APLS stands for Affluent People Living Sustainably. I'm one. You probably are too. Think you're not affluent? Check your income on the Global Rich List and then decide whether you are affluent or not compared to the majority of the world. We're not comparing ourselves to the CEOs of Microsoft or Clorox but to the 85% of the world who earn less than $2,182 per year.

The APLS blog carnival will be a monthly collection of posts related to living sustainably in an affluent society. Anyone can contribute, whether you have a blog or not. See the FAQ. And as I mentioned, this month's carnival (which will be published at Better Living on August 15th) asks what living sustainably means to us.

You might assume I'll write about how unsustainable plastic is. It's made from a non-renewable resource, its manufacture often leads to pollution of our air and water, it may contain toxic additives that can leach into our food, and as waste, it lingers in the environment indefinitely harming wildlife and attracting oil-based toxins that accumulate up the food chain. No, plastic is not sustainable, and that's why I am working very hard to lessen my dependence on it and to find plastic-free alternatives.

But that's not really what I want to write about. Because, while plastic is not a sustainable material, avoiding it and blogging about it and campaigning against it might not always be sustainable practices either.

How's that?

Let's get back to the root. To sustain is to hold up from below. From the depths. From the core.

How is it sustainable to stay up all night obsessively blogging and end up too tired the next day to eat a wholesome meal? How long can one last on 4 hours of sleep per night before burning out?

How sustainable is it to become so preoccupied with writing a presentation about environmental issues that one stands in the shower for 20 minutes letting the water flow down the drain until it runs cold?

How sustainable is it to live in an "us vs. them" world in which we are the good guys picking up litter and carrying our own bags and everyone else are the bad guys tossing empty cups out car windows and double bagging each item? How can we live in a world like this without losing our minds?

How can we sustain ourselves and the planet without going crazy?

I'll share with you the deepest thing I learned from my vision fast a few weeks ago. Sitting in the woods, staring at (and kinda chatting with) the eucaluptus trees, I suddenly had the experience of not just being with the trees, but actually being the experience of those trees, the cold breeze, the crackling bark. I realized that without me, this experience would not exist. And that all I am is my experience of the world around me, every day, each moment. And that each moment I have a choice... to fully live it or to hide in my head.

In February, I wrote about loving what is and giving up the struggle against reality. Last month, I had the experience of being reality, of realizing that the only struggle is against ourselves. That's wacky. And it's not sustainable. But it's sooooo easy to fall into again and again.

So for me, what is sustainable is simply practicing being the awareness of my experience each moment and seeing what actions arise from that awareness, rather than planning the actions and carrying them out from a place of frustration or anger or separateness from the reality of life.

Each day, I practice. 10 minutes of meditation first thing in the morning. That may not seem like much, but for me, it sets an intention for the rest of the day. The intention to show up for life.

I'm learning to use the computer as a tool rather than an obsession. When I find myself falling back into compulsive behaviors, I'm learning to sit still and ask what it is I really long for. And when I notice anger arising from someone else's unconscious act, I ask myself what it is that separates him from me and whether the division is real or simply an idea in my own head.

I'm learning how much of the world I experience IS only an idea in my head and how, when I drop assumptions and judgments for a bit, compassion arises for both myself and the perceived "other."

When that happens, when the separation between me and life dissolves, all my actions, whether blogging about plastic or making a Power Point or playing with my kitties or eating chocolate or taking a shower, are suddenly sustainable.

Year 2, Week 7 & 8 Results: .9 oz of plastic waste.

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:57:00 +0000

The last week was all about cats and fudge sauce. Kitty was hurt and mama was stressed. And mama still had half a case of fudge sauce calling out to calm her nerves. All she needed was a big spoon.

So, if you'll recall, I did attempt to get rid of some of the fudge sauce by bribing the Californians to write to your reps about the AB2058 plastic bag legislation. Three CA readers heeded the call: Arudous, HomeSchoolMom, and Green Bean. But Arduous and Green Bean already received jars of fudge sauce. And a couple of people who don't have the privilege of living in California, Small Change and Bobbi, wrote letters to their local officials anyway. So, I'd love to send jars of fudge sauce to HomeSchoolMom, Small Change, and Bobbi. If you all want this treat, please email me directly at beth [at] fakeplasticfish [dot] com and let me know your mailing address.

With that, here's the tally for the past two weeks. Plastic items used this week but purchased before the plastic project began:

1 broken plastic frog found in a cactus pot. When I first started container gardening, I thought it was fun to buy little plastic animals to live with my cacti and other plants. Wasn't thinking about any of the ramifications of plastic back then, and didn't even realize that the plastic would photodegrade over time. It does. It gets brittle in the sun, breaks down, and ends up crumbling into the soil. But it doesn't biodegrade. So we just add tiny pieces of plastic to our potting soil or ground. As the kitties say, "Not so great, ackshully."

And the new plastic waste:

1 outer wrapper from a case of Instinct canned cat food.

3 plastic tag hangers. Unfortunately, I don't remember what they came from. I don't remember buying anything new last week or the week before, but I must have to have ended up with some tag hangers. Sigh.

3 plastic seals from around necks of 3 jars of Fudge Is My Life fudge sauce. See comments above.

1 piece of plastic packing tape from box of My Water flavor essence. My Water flavor essence is sold by Soda Club to flavor homemade soda water. These two bottles were sent for me to sample. Flavor essence is made from the peels of fruits and contains no sugar or any other ingredient. And really, it doesn't actually add flavor (since the tongue can only detect sweet, sour, salty, and bitter) but rather aroma for your nose. It's for people who want just a tiny touch of fruit without sweetness. It comes in glass bottles with small plastic caps and is shipped nearly plastic-free except for a bit of tape on outside of the box. (Perhaps this is a good example for the fudge sauce lady. If these glass bottles don't break with nearly zero packaging, perhaps the fudge sauce jars wouldn't either?)

That's all the plastic for the last two weeks. There has been some generated by Arya's traumas and vet visits, but it won't be tallied until it's used up.

CRRA: They know how to do a conference!

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:12:00 +0000

As I mentioned, I had the privilege of presenting the Take Back The Filter campaign as part of a panel on zero waste grassroots activism at the conference of the California Resource Recovery Association this past Wednesday. I'll tell you more about the presentation itself in a second. But first, I need to gush a bit about how the waste was handled at this conference, vs. the Blogher conference I attended a few weeks ago, and how easily other organizations could adopt this model for their gatherings.

Granted, CRRA is all about zero waste. It's the whole point of the organization, after all. But so what? Just because other organizations might not cite waste reduction as their purpose for being in existence doesn't mean they can't make it one of their values and strive for zero waste at their gatherings. So, that said, here are a few things I saw that made me smile:

The requisite recycle/compost/trash stations throughout the hotel:

Water stations in every meeting room with actual glasses and no bottled water in sight. There were (unfortunately) bowls of plastic-wrapped hard candies. I wonder how many people actually took them.

Amazingly, there were even compost bins in the bathrooms for paper towels!

At the front registration desk was a box for returning the plastic nametag holders to be reused, as well as a white board tallying how much recycling, composting, or trash the conference has generated over it's 4 days and the total diversion rate, which by Wednesday was an impressive 94.9%.

And by the way, the lunch was served on durable tableware with cloth napkins. There was not a disposable anything in sight. I was told there were 800 registrants at this conference. (Blogher had 1,000.) So, it is possible to feed a large number of people sustainably without resorting to disposable boxes, whether those boxes are compostable or not.

Our presentation itself went really well! Here's the description from the conference brochure:

Working Together Toward Zero -- Grassroot Outreach Efforts/Coalitions With National Impact

In Carbonopoly, whatever card you select, collaboration is the key. To pass Go and to collect a functional future, coalitions, grassroots efforts and the new media — social networking websites like YouTube, Myspace, Facebook, as well as email and even cell phones — are some of the best ways to implement change in your community.

* Sierra Club National Zero Waste Committee, Ann Schneider,
* Clorox/Brita - Take Back The Filter, Beth Terry
* Zero Waste, the "New Media" and The Success Of The Story Of Stuff, Portia Sinnott, LITE Initiatives/Waste Reduction Project
* Zero Waste Los Angeles, Reina Pereira, City of Los Angeles
* Moderator: Stephanie Barger, Earth Resource Foundation

Each of us had about 15 minutes to present the work that we have been doing with a question/answer period at the end. I wish I could tell you more about it, but I was so nervous -- about presenting and also about my kitty -- that once it was over I promptly forgot the whole thing. Kinda like my wedding day. Fun and exciting and I wanted to throw up. Can't wait to do it again! (Present the campaign, that is, not get married.)

Plastic tallies for last week and this week coming up Sunday night, barring anymore unforeseen disasters. My sister and her husband are coming from Maryland to visit, so I may not post a lot next week either. But I do have at least one guest poster coming up, so stay tuned. And if anyone else wants to fill in with a guest post, let me know. I'd be happy to take a little break.

Clif? Are you listening?

Arya's Big Plastic Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 06:46:00 +0000

Oh, da hoomiliashun!

Well, what can you do when little kitties just lick off the bitter lotion we put on their sutures to keep them from doing just that? Bitter! Yum Yum! Anyone need a plastic bottle of bitter lotion? My cat thinks it tastes like dessert.

At least Arya's fur will grow back. Some cats look like this all over... on purpose.

Arya would thank you all for your nice words and wishes for her recovery, but she's a cat and too busy trying to figure out how to get that darned lampshade off her head (and plus, she's kinda stoned right now, the little druggie), so I will thank you all instead. Thank you so very, very much.

The CRRA Conference presentation went really well today despite my lack of sleep last night and weekend of kitty worries. Hope to write more about that and get back to my regular blogging schedule very soon. (Maybe I'll combine plastic tallies for two weeks this coming Sunday.)

Oh! And I keep forgetting to mention that I was happy to be included as an honorary contributor to the new monthly Green Moms Blog Carnival, the first of which was hosted by Organic Mania this week. The organizers dubbed me and a few other child-free women "mothers of the earth," but I actually think I prefer "kitty mama" at this point. Each month, the posts on the carnival will all address a particular topic, this month's being global warming. I liked the challenge of relating plastic to global warming in the post I wrote this month and look forward to finding further ways to stretch my understanding of the impacts of plastic on the environment.

Happy Weekend, Sad Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 05:31:00 +0000

Hi all. Not feeling much like blogging about plastic because of something that happened last night. Want the happy news or the sad news first?

Happy #1: Wonderful picnic Saturday afternoon in Dolores Park, SF with other green bloggers: Green Bean, Arduous, Kale for Sale, Jennconspiracy, Car(bon)free in California. The picnic was wonderful. You can read about it on Jenn's blog here, as I don't have the energy to write much tonight. (Oh, but I do have to publicly confess that Jenn was right and I was wrong about the weather. I expected to freeze at 4pm in SF. She expected it to be beautiful. She was right, although I did have to put on my sweatshirt.)

Happy #2: Michael ran the SF Half Marathon this morning and came in at 1:43! Awesome. That's 6 minutes faster than his Disneyland time in September, and SF has major hills! (BTW, he ran the FIRST half, for those who know what that means.) Michael rocks.

Sad: My little baby Arya, about whom I've been bitching for weeks, fell off Michael's high shoulders yesterday afternoon onto the hard kitchen floor and broke her front leg. We've been crying off and on since last night. Took her to emergency vet. The break is too high up for them to stabilize the leg with splint/cast, so she needs surgery. Can't do anything until tomorrow, so she's on pain meds until then.

Arya spent the night in her cramped little cat carrier because we had nothing else to put her in at 1am when we finally brought her home from pet hospital. This morning, I put her in bed with me and held her and petted her while Michael was out running his 1/2 marathon. When he got home, we went out to Pet Food Express and bought her a brand new metal cage (yes, with a plastic floor.) The idea of going through the hassle to find something used on the weekend when my baby was in pain was unthinkable to me. I wanted her out of that tiny carrier and into a nice big cage where she could see and interact with us but be protected from herself and Soots (who doesn't understand why she can't come out and play.)

Arya's going to have to live in that cage for several weeks until her leg heals. Right now, I think she prefers it. It makes her feel safe. When out of the cage, she wants to crawl behind the sofa to hide. But what's going to happen as she gets better and the pain subsides, but we still can't let her out to run around and climb on things? We're going to have to figure out ways to entertain her so she doesn't go stir crazy.

Oh my poor baby. I wish I could trade places. Really.

Happy #3: Oh! Not to leave you down in the dumps. I just remembered that we're starting to get actual tomatoes on our plants. We saw two of them today. One is the size of a small plum. The other is smaller than my thumb. (I rhyme!)

Okay, back to being sad again.

Take Back The Climate

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 06:00:00 +0000

I've been asked to present the Take Back The Filter campaign (urging Clorox to take back and reuse/recycle used Brita water filter cartridges) as part of a panel at the California Resource Recovery Association's (CRRA) annual conference next week. I am excited to have the opportunity to share the campaign with this audience, and when initially asked, wasn't at all nervous about speaking: I've been talking about not much else for the past 3 months!

Not nervous, that is, until I found out that the theme of the conference is CARBONOPOLY: Climate Change Is Not A Game We Can Lose.

Oh dear. I know about zero waste. I know about the problems of plastic. I know why I don't want Brita filter cartridges to continue to be landfilled or incinerated. But I hadn't related the issue to climate change. In fact, I actually knew very little about global warming except that we're all supposed to use less energy, buy fewer things that need to be shipped, and purchase locally to avoid fuel costs. I've been on the Low Carbon Diet with some friends for several weeks now. But still, I hadn't ever thought about the connection between recycling and global warming. What the heck was I going to say to this group of industry professional?

Thanks to Ann Schneider of Sierra Club's Zero Waste Group for referring me to a fantastic report called, "Stop Trashing The Climate," a joint effort among the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, Eco-Cycle, and Global Anti-Incinerator Alliance, which was published in June of this year. This report describes the multiple ways that waste affects our climate, some obvious, and some that may not immediately come to mind.

First, of course, there are the gases produced by landfills and incinerators. These gases are the direct effect of dumping or burning our waste. According to the report, "Landfills are the largest source of anthropogenic methane emissions in the U.S., and the impact of landfill emissions in the short term is grossly underestimated -- methane is 72 times more potent than CO2 over a 20-year time frame." But what about methane captured for energy? At the Hay Road landfill that I visited with Janice Sitton last January, we were told that the methane from the landfill is captured. But according to the findings of the Stop Trashing The Climate report, "The portion of methane captured over a landfill's lifetime may be as low as 20% of total methane emitted."

And incinerators emit not only CO2 but also nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas that is 300 times more potent than CO2 at trapping heat in the atmosphere. In fact, the authors of the report recommend that "Existing incinerators should be retired, and no new incinerators or landfills should be constructed." But what about filters on incinerators that trap the gases and other pollutants?

Here's where we come to the main point of the report, the indirect results of landfilling and incineration that trapping the gases and other discharges from landfills and incinerators doesn't address: "Wasting directly impacts climate change because it is directly linked to resource extraction, transportation, processing, and manufacturing."

The more materials we send to the landfill or incinerator, the more materials must be extracted in order to replace them. And transported. And processed. And every step along the way uses more energy and produces more greenhouse gases than reusing or recycling the materials we already have.

In the case of Brita filters, that means more drilling for oil to make plastic and all the problems associated with that process. It also means transporting the oil, usually from places that are very far from where the oil will be used. And then processing the oil into new plastic pellets. And then shipping the new plastic. Then creating the new plastic filters. And then shipping the filters.

If Brita filters were designed to be reused instead of trashed, many, many greenhouse gas-generating steps in the process could be avoided. And even if, due to regulatory impediments related to the purity of plastic that comes into contact with drinking water, the filters themselves can't be reused, Clorox's development of a way to recycle the materials would still slow the need for more oil and creation of new plastics for other products.

It becomes clear to me that folks who criticize this campaign, or any other extended producer responsibility campaign, on the grounds that it takes energy to ship the used products back the manufacturer are not taking into consideration the environmental costs of creating brand new products to replace those that are trashed.

Of course, there are other major environmental costs to creating new plastic which I haven't addressed in this post, since the focus here is on global warming. I discussed some of them (including harm to the marine environment) in my post, "Plastic is made from oil." But the new (to me) information from the Stop Trashing The Climate report both heartens and saddens me. The link between waste and global warming re-energizes my commitment to source reduction and recycling and gives me an additional argument in support of the Take Back The Filter campaign. But the information also grieves me to think of one more way that we are trashing our world.

Calling Californians: please take a minute to support plastic bag legislation!

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:00:00 +0000

Hi all. Last week, I got an email from Californians Against Waste urging me to send a letter in support of AB 2058, the California bill to protect the environment from plastic bag pollution. I wrote and faxed my letter last week and didn't even think of forwarding the request here. Duh! Here's a copy of the letter I sent, which is partially copied from the sample that CAW sent me.

This afternoon, I received an email from my friend Benn at Chicobags urging bloggers to spread the word. So this is me doing just that! Here's the letter from Benn. Please follow the links to either send your own letter or use the form on the Heal The Bay web site provided. It will only take a few minutes. This is important legislation and necessary, since the plastic bag industry has taken legal action against towns like Oakland and Fairfax that have tried to pass their own bag bans.

Action Alert: Please consider sharing this important plastic bag news with others via blogs, email, etc.

Big oil and plastic bag manufacturers are digging into their deep pockets to fund a campaign against AB 2058. They bought radio spots on stations in LA, and probably beyond. They're spreading misleading information about the bill and plastic bags.

We're in the home stretch for AB 2058, a California bill that will protect the environment from paper and plastic bags! Bills must be out of the legislature by August 22. Click here to get your representative's contact info and let them know you support AB 2058. It doesn't take much, just write "I support AB 2058 and urge you to vote yes," and you've done your part for the environment!

Please post and distribute this message on blogs, websites, list serves, etc. We need letters and support to get the bill passed!

It's easy to support AB 2058!

Under AB 2058, large grocery stores and pharmacies would be required to charge a 25 cent fee for paper and plastic grocery bags, the proceeds of which would be used for local litter reduction, cleanup and prevention programs. This fee-based approach has encouraged shoppers to bring their own reusable bags and has reduced plastic bag consumption in Ireland by over 90%.

Can I count on you Californians to do it? Here's an incentive. I've got 3 jars of Fudge Is My Life chocolate sauce (the best fudge sauce in the world) with your names on them. At the end of the week, I will send them to 3 randomly selected readers who leave a comment on this blog stating that they sent the letter to their representative and that they passed along the info to at least 5 other people. Do this bit for the environment and make your mouth really happy at the same time!

Why Twitter?

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:40:00 +0000

Yay! I used intense reasoning and peer pressure to get Burbanmom to join Twitter, and she hasn't really tweeted yet! That's okay. It took me months to start tweeting, and it wasn't until all the fun at the Blogher conference that I realized what the crazy progam was good for. So now that I do, I thought I'd share my thoughts about Twitter, in the hopes that more greenies will join and add their green voices to the Twittersphere.

Before I continue, I want to say that I am receiving no compensation or other incentive from Twitter to talk it up. My whole reason for writing this post is that I have a dream of a big green Twitter community able to send and receive information from each other, plan activist strategies or just lend moral support, using a tool that is a bit more direct and raw than blogging. And I hope that after reading this post, many of you will be inspired to join up if Twitter sounds like a tool that would work for you.

Okay. What is it? Twitter is a social networking program that works kind of like a bulletin board service. The catch is that each message, or "tweet" can only be a maximum of 140 characters long. (Some people flaut this rule by breaking up their missives into multiple tweets, but that misses the point.) The character limit forces you to condense your thought to its essence and get it out to the world in real time, capturing the fun ways that our minds actually work when we're not planning and editing longer emails and blog posts.

What's the first thing to do when you join? Find other members to follow. Does a tweet really make a sound if no one's there to hear it? I'm thinking not. So use the Search to find other members on Twitter. I'm following other green bloggers like Green Bean, Mama Bird, Green LA Girl, and No Impact Man, to name just a few. I'm even following my new bicycle Barak Obama, although he doesn't tweet as often as I'd like. Once you find one person to follow, check the list of people they are following to find others. Or invite new people from your personal address book to join.

Okay, you're set up with your account and your people. What next? If you are a blogger, you can also link your blog feed to your Twitter account. Twitterfeed can automatically post an announcement for you every time you publish a new blog post. But be warned: If you ONLY use Twitter to announce new blog posts, you will lose followers. People want to know what you're thinking about the world as you live life.

If you want to carry Twitter with you and be able to send and receive messages in real time, you can set up your mobile device to receive text messages from the Twitter members of your choice. I was doing that for a while but was finally overwhelmed with texts and turned off the feature. And since I have Internet access on my phone anyway, I can just login to the mobile version of Twitter (m.twitter.com) to check messages through the web site.

Next, read what folks are saying and tweet yourself. You'll soon learn ways that it can be useful to you. Use it to spread messages about your passion. Have a campaign (like Take Back The Filter, for example)? Tweet about it, and ask others to Tweet about it too. Need help with a gardening or repair or software problem? Ask your question in a tweet and see how many responses you get. Have a great idea and want to let your people know right away? Tweet it as you think it.

If it sounds like Twitter could be an addictive time suck, you are right. It can be. But I don't think it's any more time-suckingly addictive than any other online tool. And used in a responsible manner, it can be just that... a great tool. Maybe you, like me, need to limit yourself to checking it only certain times during the day. Maybe you need to set a timer. Or maybe you are a healthy, non-addictive person who can manage just fine without restrictions. The point is, Twitter is what we make it. And there are so many crazy messages being blasted out there, why not add a few sane ones of our own?

Okay, my messages are not always sane. I did tweet about the fact that Michael likes our friends' plastic cat litter scoop so much, he wants to marry it. But as a result, I got some suggestions about other non-plastic cat litter scoops to try. So crazy doesn't always beget crazy in return. Your mileage may vary.

My Twitter ID is fakeplasticfish, of course. What's yours? Please leave comments here about your experiences with Twitter and other ways to use it for good or evil. I'd love to hear what you think.

Year 2, Week 6 Results: .2 oz of plastic waste.

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:42:00 +0000

I took my mini plastic stash (.2 ounces! Yes!) outside today to hang out with my...

MASSIVE TOMATO PLANTS!

Okay, okay, don't laugh. You guys told me I was an idiot to think I could grow 4 tomato plants using one cage, so I bought 3 more. The plants may not be humongous yet, and certainly not like Allie's plants that are reportedly taller than she. (Of course, I've never seen what Allie looks like. Maybe she's really, really short.) But don't forget, I got them in the ground weeks and weeks after Jennconspiracy gave them to me, so I'm confident I'll be up to my eyeballs in tomatoes by this fall. And learning to can them. Thanks for all your great advice.

Okay, here's last week's tally. It's all new plastic waste:

2 plastic tags and 2 plastic tag hangers from tomato cages. One of the three new cages was missing its tag, so I only ended up with two.

Plastic cap loop and foam cap insert from a bottle of fresh maple syrup. Michael's sister visited us last week and brought a big bottle of dark maple syrup fresh from her neighbor's trees in Western Massachusetts. Mmmmmmmmmm! The bottle was plastic, but we decanted the syrup into a glass jar, and she took the plastic bottle back home with her in hopes that her neighbor would be able to reuse it. We'll find out.

Address label from the card that came with my Fudge Is My Life fudge sauce. Somehow I missed including this in the week that all that fudge sauce arrived.

1 plastic seal from around the neck of a jar of Fudge Is My Life fudge sauce. So far, I've given away two jars and opened one for myself. Trying to limit my consumption to one moderate spoonful per day. We'll see how that goes!

Plastic from the ends of a bunch of organic bananas.

Gotta get going to feed and pet Soots and Arya's brother Robb and step brother Ginger. Our friends are out of town, so we have new kitties to play with and torture. (Just kidding, Laura!)

Blue Sky Cleaners: Non-toxic and Plastic-free?

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 17:45:00 +0000

Nowadays, I stick to buying clothes that can be washed at home rather than dry cleaned. Dry cleaning is expensive and environmentally harmful. But I do still have several items of clothing, as well as some wool blankets, that cannot be machine laundered at home, and for those I need a good outside cleaner.

In the past, I have taken clothes to the dry cleaner down the street, not thinking about much more than the fact that I didn't want any plastic bag covering my clothes. The cleaner would comply with my request, and I'd do an extra bit by returning my used hangers to them. This takes care of the waste problem, but not the more serious problem of the toxic chemicals used in the cleaning process itself.

Thanks to Big Green Purse, I've learned a lot about dry cleaning recently. Which is great because I was almost taken in by the "green cleaner" down the street. Rockridge Royal Cleaners on College Ave has posters in its windows touting the DF-2000 "green" alternative to perchloroethylene ("perc").

Granted perc is nasty stuff which, according to Big Green Purse, has been linked to reproductive problems, disorders of the central nervous system, and has been listed by the EPA as a probably human carcinogen. In fact, the state of California is phasing it out.

But DF-2000 is not the answer. Manufactured by ExxonMobil, it is a petroleum product that "may present a fire hazard and emit volatile organic chemicals that contribute to smog." And another supposedly green method, GreenEarth (siloxane D5) may not be the answer either. The EPA is assessing a possible link to cancer.

The only two processes considered environmentally preferable by the EPA are 1) Wet cleaning, which uses water and biodegradable detergents, and 2) Liquid CO2 cleaning. The problem is that businesses using these methods are currently hard to find. In my neighborhood, there are none at all. But checking out the East Bay Eco Metro Guide, I did find a company, Blue Sky Cleaners, which uses both non-toxic methods and which picks up and drops off clothing at your doorstep. Certainly, walking my clothes down the street would be environmentally preferable than having a van pick up and drop them off. But until more companies switch to less toxic methods, this is what we'll have to do.

So, we've got the toxic chemicals out of the way, but what about the plastic? Blue Sky leaves its customers a reusable bag for their dirty clothes. But the clean clothes are delivered in plastic bags. When signing up for the service, I did request no plastic, but I guess the message wasn't relayed.

So I called Blue Sky and discussed the issue. I wondered why they couldn't skip the hangers and simply fold my clothes and return them to me in the blue bag. But they didn't want to do that since the blue bags have contained soiled clothing. I've suggest they have "clean" reusable bags as well as "dirty" reusable bags. In the meantime, they have promised to deliver my clothes folded in paper bags that I can return to the company for reuse, with no plastic.

I plan to hold onto these particular plastic bags and send them back to the company the next time, which will actually be a very long time from now, we so rarely dry clean.

Have you found non-toxic dry cleaning in your area? Or have you given up all clothes requiring dry cleaning in the first place? I can't bring myself to get rid of perfectly good clothes that I love and that I already own just because of the cleaning method. What do you think?

Blue Chair Fruit Company: plastic-free at the farmer's market

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:55:00 +0000

Our Temescal farmer's market was beautiful this Sunday, all the colors and crowds alive with the joy of summer. So many fruits to sample and enjoy on the spot. And, sadly, still so much plastic in evidence... bags & containers. Last year I wrote about plastic at the farmer's market and the effort to educate vendors and patrons about alternatives. This Sunday, one vendor left me pleasantly surprised.

Blue Chair Fruit Company produces extraordinary jams and preserves that are packaged in glass jars with metal lids. That's fine enough. But what caused me to stop at their table were the tiny metal tasting spoons they were using to give samples. While other vendors of prepared foods (including the women hawking her pesto spreads in the next booth) used disposable plastic spoons or even (to a lesser degree) disposable compostable spoons, Blue Chair used durable spoons that would be washed and reused.

I chatted with Rachel Saunders, the jam-maker herself, about the choice to use metal spoons. Her response was something like, "Plastic spoons turn me off. I don't want to taste anything on a plastic spoon. I don't want it anywhere near my mouth." (Since I didn't take notes, those might not have been her exact words, but pretty close.) I found myself hoping the woman next to her was listening and would catch the hint!

So I bought a jar of the strawberry marsala jam with rosemary and enjoyed some with local Feel Good Bakery bread and Food Mill peanut butter at the conclusion of my vision fast. Wow. Delicious. But really, I think today I need to have some of that jam on plain bread without the peanuts to compete with. Yeah, I need to do that!

Read more about Blue Chair Fruit Company in the SF Chronicle, where you'll also find several jam recipes, if you're inclined to save the whopping $10/jar and make your own. Rachel's got a jam cookbook coming out in 2010. Maybe by then I'll be ready to test those waters myself.

This year, tomatoes. I'm thinking that perhaps they will be my first canning project. We go through soooooo much store-bought tomato/spaghetti sauce. Ideas? Can I do it without investing in a canner?

I went to the woods...

noreply@blogger.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 05:03:00 +0000

...because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. Henry David Thoreau, Walden.

I spread a sheet on the ground and set up my chair in a eucalyptus grove overlooking Lake Chabot. I sat in that chair from 12:30pm yesterday to 11:00am today, not quite 24 hours. It was cold and foggy most of the day, and very cold last night. Thank goodness for my mummy bag with hood, which kept me warm enough.

I drank water and listened to the rumblings of my empty tummy. Thoughts were thought and visions beheld, although not of the fantastical burning bush sort. The sound of eucalyptus bark peeling from trees was like a chorus of creeky doors opening and closing, inviting me over and over again to wake up. And the leaves fluttered all night like little birds over my head. After dark, a skunk and I were mutually alarmed by the presence of the other, but after a few seconds of nervous staring, we parted ways (the skunk turned and ran off) neither the worse for the encounter.

That's all I'm prepared to say right now. The deeper experience feels too raw and precious to share publicly... at least for a while. Here are a few more pictures. Yes, I brought my camera, but it spent most of its time in my backpack.

The view from my chair:

Early Tuesday morning:

Lake Chabot from the bench where I sat and ate my lunch Tuesday after fasting for a full day. The best PB&J ever!