Fake Plastic Fish

Time is Running Out for 2 Causes I Care About!

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:03:00 +0000

This month I've asked you guys to participate in two quick and painless campaigns to help out some worthwhile projects and organizations. This is the final stretch. The Netflix Find Your Voice Contest ends Sunday at 3AM ET and our $1 for Charity drive ends this coming Wednesday. Please take a minute to help out if you haven't already.

Help Jenny Deller's environmental feature film Future Weather win the Netflix competition and receive the help she needs to get the film made.

Jenny is not only making an environmental film, but she's trying to run her production as greenly as possible. Read my interview with Jenny Deller here. Read more about the Netflix competition here. And please vote 5 stars for Future Weather here.

Time Is Running Out to Spend a Buck for Charity

Thanks to everyone who has reached into their pocket and kicked-in $1. Hundreds of you have responded (many with more than a dollar) as eleven environmental websites team up to make the world a better place. Together, we're supporting some great organizations. And you get to help choose the two from this list which will receive 100 percent of the collected donations:

Sustainable Harvest: Helping farmers and communities in tropical regions

Kiva: The revolutionary microloan agency

Healthy Child, Healthy World: Creating safer, greener homes for kids

Environmental Working Group: The environmental watchdog

Water for People: Supporting clean, safe water for everyone

Please take a moment to look these organizations over. Pick your favorite, then go to my $1 for Charity Page and vote with your dollar. You can also donate directly through PayPal to this address: 1dollarcharity@gmail.com.

Summer is a lean time for charities

The summer months are always tough for charitable organizations: People are busy, discretionary funds get diverted to well-deserved vacations, and economic times are hard. To be honest, donations have slowed since our initial call, and we're playing catch-up to meet our goals.

We'd love to present the winning charities with meaningful checks. So would you please consider donating right now? Deadline is Wednesday, July 8th. Each of these charities matter, and every dollar counts.

Share both messages with others!

You can multiply your Netflix vote and your $1 donation by passing the messages along to others. Twitter about them; email the article to friends; post it on StumbleUpon or your favorite social media service. There's still time to help!

Thank you, thank you. I promise that once Pledge Week is over, we'll go back to our regularly scheduled uninterrupted programming. :-)

No Technology is Truly Green: A guest post from Alyssa J. Pasquale

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Before you invest in that new "green" computer or purchase those fun solar deck lights, read this insider's perspective from Fake Plastic Fish reader Alyssa J. Pasquale and consider whether buying new technology is ever truly green. If you have an idea for a guest post, please email me at beth[at]fakeplasticfish[dot]com and let me know. I'd love to feature more of your ideas here!

I would first like to thank Beth for allowing me to write this guest post. My name is Alyssa and I am a PhD candidate at a very large university in Boston. I work in electrical engineering and have a focus on photonic devices. These are generally nanometer-scale devices that use light to do something cool. Some people in my department work on biological sensors, some on solar cells, some on lasers, and some on LEDs.

I’ve been doing research for a long time (I started as an undergrad) and one thing that’s prevalent in my work is lots and lots of waste. As I told Beth, I find it awfully ironic that the technology that is being hailed by many as able to save the world is such a large producer of toxic waste. And people who don’t work in R&D or in high tech industry might not be aware of what goes into your LED flashlight or the laser that does your eye surgery.

Being a PhD candidate can be disillusioning in many ways. Not only are you constantly surrounded by many of extremely intelligent people who know more than you, but you learn about all of the limitations of everything. LEDs will always consume power. Solar cells will never be 100% efficient. Lasers will never be perfectly coherent. In other words, nothing comes for free.

My work brings me into a class 1000 clean room quite often. (A class 1000 clean room means that there are 1000 particles of dust allowed in any cubic foot of airspace. It doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s clean!) This is probably the area of my research that creates the most waste, and much of it is plastic. What follows is a list of the plastic things that I interact with in the clean room, as well as whether or not it’s reusable, disposable, or can be reused.

(Shown in photo: two bouffant caps, four nitrile gloves, a few strips of Parafilm, one small wiper, one petri dish with lid, one gel pack sample holder.)

REUSABLE (Routinely reused.)

o Gowns, booties & hoods – It is mandatory to wear a gown when you enter a clean room. It is not to protect you from chemicals; it is to protect the clean room from all of your skin cells! The ones in my lab are made of 99% polyester and 1% carbon. (I don’t know why they have carbon in them.) These are washed once a week and are returned individually shrink-wrapped in plastic disposable baggies (to keep dust out during transit, presumably).

o Goggles – These are likely made from polycarbonate.

o Face shield – Probably made from polycarbonate, these are important to wear when working with dangerous chemicals. The last thing you want to get is acid splashing on your face. They’re also a joy to wear when you have on glasses and goggles and your glasses start sliding down and you can’t touch your face. (Not.)

o PTFE tweezers – When working with acids and bases, you need an inert material to use as a tweezer because metal will corrode. PTFE is polytetrafluroethylene, better known as Teflon.

o Beakers – As I said before, some chemicals etch glass, so if you have to pour them out it has to be into a plastic jar.

MIGHT BE REUSED

o Sample holders – These can be simple like plastic petri dishes or more complicated gel packs that have a layer of sticky gel to keep samples from sliding around.

o Protective equipment covers – These are like the film that comes over your cell phone screens. I’m not sure what exactly it’s made of but I’d be shocked if it’s not plastic. These are to protect equipment from any chemicals that may be on our nitrile gloves.

o Heavy duty chemical gloves – These are for when you work with heavy duty chemicals. The plastic it’s made of depends on which you buy. Some can be PVC, Neoprene or heavy duty latex. Nitrile gloves are thin and easily eaten by acids. Heavy duty gloves can generally be reused until they start to break down after too much chemical exposure.

o Chemical jugs – Most chemicals we buy are in plastic jugs, some in glass. Some chemicals (such as HF) absolutely have to be in plastic because they etch glass. There are only two chemicals (out of many) that I use in glass jars, most come in plastic. We reuse them as waste jars but I honestly have no idea what happens to them after that.

DISPOSABLE

o Pipettes & wrappers

o Clean room wipers – These are pieces of “paper” that we use to wipe up chemicals, or write notes about things as we’re working. I was astonished to find out that they are not really paper, but a mix of 55% cellulose and 45% polyester. They are not supposed to release any fibers (dust) into the air, and cannot be easily ripped (if you do manage to rip one, no fibers are released, unlike what happens when you rip paper).

o Bouffant caps – Made from 100% polypropylene, these protect the clean room from hair. (They are like hair nets that food service workers use.)

o Nitrile gloves – The clean room uses nitrile gloves. Other facilities use latex gloves but I’m not sure if they are natural or synthetic. Nitrile gloves are a synthetic rubber copolymer.

o Parafilm – This is a thermoplastic used to seal jars and bottles.

o Tape – We use a lot of plastic tape in the lab. Vacuum tape and double sided tape are very popular.

That list just encompasses the plastic that is generated due to clean room work. It doesn’t consider any of the other waste, such as the HUGE amounts of chemical waste. (In one day I can easily use acetone, methanol, isopropanol, polymer resins, methyl isobutyl ketone, tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen peroxide, potassium iodide, hydrofluoric acid, and a lot of de-ionized water. Not to mention the gases – sulfur hexafluoride, methane, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, tri-fluoromethane, etc. etc.)

There is also a lot of plastic that comes with the life of a grad student. We’re constantly buying supplies, and most of the time they come in plastic. Chemicals especially need a lot of isolation in shipping and will generally have many layers of foam, plastic, vermiculite, and lots of warning labels to keep upright. Computers come with plastic towers (and we use a lot of computers).

Seminars and other such meetings are held an awful lot in my building, and there is also plastic waste related with this. The department provides bottled water and sodas at some events (fortunately, some events have reusable beverage urns). For some strange reason the lemons for the tea are always wrapped in plastic wrap. The food is put on plastic trays (which I assume are reused). Crackers are sometimes served and they come in plastic sleeves.

Not to mention the lifestyle of being a grad student. While I personally use my flexible hours to ensure that I have enough time to home cook all of my meals (and I always bring in lunch in a glass container with a plastic – oops – lid), many grad students opt for take-out. There’s a Subway that’s not far from my building, and many students come in between noon and one with a plastic bag holding a giant sandwich. Lots of students consume lots of bottled water. I know of a few students with Nalgene bottles or reusable coffee mugs. I have a SIGG bottle. One of my office-mates actually keeps a Brita filter on his desk. But most opt for bottled water even though we have perfectly good water fountains on every floor.

So next time you buy or read about a newly engineered “green” product – such as an LED lighting device – think about what went into it. While better than older alternatives, I wouldn’t call most technology “green” at all. Although it may sound hypocritical coming from an engineer, there’s a lot to be said for old-fashioned technology.

Fixing my Blue Plastic Umbrella

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:00:00 +0000

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.

Kathleen Egan: Surfing the Plastic Wave

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Kathleen Egan -- surfer, artist, and environmental activist -- heads up SF Surfrider's Plastics Subcommittee, which is working to end the plague of plastic pollution in our oceans. I first met her last month displaying her Plastic Wave sculpture (made from the collected plastic of 12 friends over two weeks) at Adventure Ecology's SMART Art competition.

We met again this past Friday and ended up hanging out at San Francisco's Pier 29-1/2 (where David de Rothschild is building his Plastiki boat from recycled plastic) after an unfortunate collision between a U-Haul trailer and a metal warehouse gate. Sitting and waiting for the repair people to arrive gave us a chance to see a glimpse of the Plastiki in progress, play with a couple of cute dogs, and enjoy the sun while chatting about all things plastic.

Kathleen began surfing in 2001 after moving to San Francisco and having a surfer friend take her under his wing, and the practice has become life-changing.

"Every wave is unique. Every time on the board is a slightly different experience. Balancing is hard, but catching a wave in the first place is the first challenge. It takes hours of practice. You can't accelerate the learning process. You just have to put the time in."

She tells me that to surf is to be totally in the moment. Multi-tasking is not possible because the sport requires total focus. You're aware of wind, water, other animals or people around you, and emotions like fear. These waves can be very scary. And then she says something I love so much, I have to make her pause so I can get the words down exactly right:

"You are where you are. You have to go through the waves to get out and through the waves again to get back in."

It's a metaphor, not only for life, but for the environmental movement and for finding ways to live sustainably. There are no shortcuts. My interpretation: we can't wait for some miracle technology to save us from the mess we've made. Each of us must do our part, every day. We can't bypass the waves; we have to go through them.

Kathleen became aware of the plastic pollution problem after a presentation given by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation over two years ago. Surfing in destinations all over the world, she's seen the problem first hand in Indonesia, Mexico, Hawaii. Now, she points at an empty plastic bottle on the dock near our feet and says that when you first start noticing how much plastic there is, and then realize how fast the population is growing, you make the connection about how much plastic each person generates, and the amounts are alarming, the problem overwhelming. "We can't reach everyone all at once, but we can focus on the people who are open to change and who just need the right information to get involved."

(Perhaps we can start a "wave" that will pick up the others as it gains momentum and grows bigger.)

As for art, Kathleen has always been creative, but she started working with plastic trash around the same time she became aware of the problem. During a beach cleanup a few years ago, the colored shards of plastic strewn across the sand reminded her of mardi gras beads and gave her the idea to create mosaics. She collects plastic from the beaches wherever she surfs. In fact, the plastic in her blue wave mosaic (on the left) is from a trip to Indonesia. She plans to create her next piece with plastic from El Salvador.

But scooping up bits of plastic for art projects isn't enough. And, Kathleen insists, all of our small personal changes will not be enough without cooperation and change from businesses. Our conversation becomes animated at this point -- me arguing that we won't get companies to change until individuals themselves change first and begin to vote with their dollars -- and Kathleen insisting that not all individuals are going to change and that a handful of passionate activists can make a big difference.

We're both right, of course. Look at the success of the Brita campaign. Kathleen wants to take a similar approach to urge Jamba Juice to give up using Styrofoam cups and plastic straws for its drinks. And she wants more visibility into what companies are doing. In addition to her avocations as surfer, artist, and activist, Kathleen has a day job involving some pretty large corporations. When she asks what motivates them to "go green," she hears answers like brand image, efficiency, government regulation. But she never hears that they want to avoid negative press. She asks, why not? Why aren't more of us out here letting companies know we won't tolerate unsustainable products and practices?

What will it take to create this wave?

Kids Less Plastic: A Guest Post from Deborah Hladecek

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Deborah Hladecek is newly committed to reducing plastic in her family's life. And living in Northern California, she's practically my neighbor. So I was thrilled when she offered to write a guest post about what she's been doing about the plastic in her child's world. Deborah writes the truly awesome Pure Mothers blog. She also participated in the Show Your (Plastic) Trash Challenge this month. It was an eye-opening experience for her. Check out her stash.

When Beth at FakePlasticFish asked for more bloggers to write about plastic, I thought, what could I possibly have to say that she hasn’t said already? She’s the plastic-free goddess! Then my toddler clamored and clawed his way on to my lap to see what I was doing on the computer and I realized that I have another perspective - the mommy view. Beth has her cats, and I have another human being using more resources and contributing to my plastic consumption. I’m a green mom trying to balance what’s good for us with what’s good for the planet, and I am learning that they don’t always co-exist.

Plastic tends to fall into five categories when it comes to babies and children; feeding supplies, food packaging, personal care products, toys, and gear.

Let’s start with feeding. Breastfeeding is the obvious green choice. My son got great nutrition and the planet didn’t suffer one bit. There was absolutely no packaging or energy used (other than my body burning up those extra calories to make milk). No bottles to sterilize and no formula bottles or cans to purchase and throw away. Once my baby started eating solid foods, I was able to make most of it from organic, local fruits and vegetables and I froze servings in reusable plastic baby cubes. Not much waste there either. I can continue to use the cubes for fruit ices and then pass them on to another mom. I did purchase a delicious, fresh, organic baby food called Homemade Baby, and it was packaged in recyclable plastic. I chose a couple of flavors from them that were more difficult or too expensive to make at home. If you buy pre-made baby food, fresh tastes better than jarred, but glass jars are more eco-friendly. The lids on glass jars are still a problem though, because they are lined with BPA, a hormone-disrupting chemical. Homemade is still the greenest choice.

The biggest problem I see out there is the use of “Toss and Go” cups, straws and plates. What a terrible concept- use it, toss it and off you go, while the plastic doesn’t ever “go”. The more we can make at home and package ourselves in reusable containers, the less will go to the landfill or end up in our oceans. We use stainless steel bottles, stainless steel baby utensils, To-Go Ware containers and reusable snack sacks that we found on etsy. This helped us do away with Ziploc bags - a staple in most homes with children. And why do I want my child to eat with plastic utensils when Mom and Dad use stainless steel? Oneida makes a beautiful baby and toddler collection.

Once my son reached toddlerhood he got picky- like most toddlers, and it’s easy for me to grab a box of cereal bars, juice boxes and prepared, organic frozen meals - all laden in plastic. As busy as my son is, I do whatever it takes to get him to eat. And, today, who has time to make everything from scratch? I’m a SAHM and I still can’t find time to make everything from scratch. This is where the dichotomy comes in. There are plenty of organic, choices available that my son will eat, but there is always some plastic involved in the packaging. I can’t always make it to the farmer’s market or health food store to get fresh fruits and veggies. A child can throw a wrench into the best-laid plans and I have to account for illnesses when I can’t get out to the store. If you have a child, you’re probably like me and keep some frozen foods on hand. It’s a necessity because they ARE convenient. But here are some ways I’ve cut back on plastic associated with my organic foods:

- I always bring my own bags everywhere - including cotton produce and grain bags for fruits, veggies and bulk bin items. Why bring your own grocery bag and then proceed to put all of your produce in those clear plastic bags?

- I also don’t purchase pre-packaged chicken anymore, because it comes on Styrofoam and is wrapped in plastic. I ask them to just wrap it in the paper and leave out any plastic. Unfortunately, I can’t purchase hot dogs and sausages directly from the deli because they use pork casings. We only eat fish and fowl, so, I have to purchase the pre-packaged organic sausages - they’re the only choice with no casing.

- When in season, I purchase fresh fruits and berries from my farmer’s market and freeze some for later. I still purchase frozen blueberries, because my son devours them!

- I am reducing the amount of juice boxes and filling up a stainless steel kid’s thermos with juice from glass bottles to take with us when we are out.

- I make homemade muffins more often and sneak veggies in there, like carrots or zucchini, to bring with us when we are out. This cuts back on cereal bars.

- I’ve started making my own yogurt. I have to work on my recipe a bit. It was a little too tart for my son’s taste, but my husband and I ate them. So, that cuts back on our store bought yogurt, which comes in plastic tubs, and are not accepted into the recycling, where I live.

My biggest frustration has been with personal care products for my baby and me. There are actually quite a few organic choices available today, but almost all of them are contained in some form of plastic. And, if they’re packaged in glass, they usually have a plastic lid. Those lids bother me. They always have, because they cannot be recycled. How many little lids exist in the world? I would bury my head in the sand on that one, but would probably choke on a plastic lid. So, what have I done in this department? For myself, I have switched to solid shampoo bars and as soon as I run out of my pump hand soap, I am using good old-fashioned bars. I learned how to felt soap to make them look prettier and they don’t leave the soap dish a scummy mess. I also signed up to take a class to make my own soap and body butters/lotions. I will make some for my child too, because I simply cannot find baby stuff in glass. There is only one company, who I love, by the way, called BabyBearShop. They make an organic shea butter balm for babies in glass (with a pesky plastic lid), body oil in glass with a metal lid and my favorite organic lip balm in a little tin. I am never buying lip balm in a plastic tube again!

The biggest personal care item has got to be diapers and wipes. Cloth diapering has made a comeback – good news for the environment. I hate to say it, but we mostly use your run-of-the-mill disposable with a splattering of all-in-ones and organic training underpants. My son is so skinny; he always tried pulling the cloth diapers off and had difficulty walking in them. Sorry Beth. Sorry Earth. I tried. I really did. My saving grace is that we use 100% biodegradable, earth-friendly wipes packaged in a biodegradable compostable chalk-based package called Nature Babycare. No plastic involved!

Toys and gear are different from the other baby categories, in that these are longer-lived items. I have some solace knowing that a fish hasn’t swallowed a stroller or a baby car seat, but I still think about the amount of plastic when making these purchasing decisions. Legally, we have to use a car seat. But other than that, we really don’t need all the “stuff” that “they” say we need. I opted for eco-friendly slings over using the stroller, but I do have a stroller; I own two, actually. First time moms will probably empathize with me. We just don’t know what will work- and I fell for the “stuff” at first. Some babies like bouncers, some like swings. They all contain plastic. From crib mobiles to teething rings, plastic abounds. We limit our plastic by purchasing used toys made of plastic and new toys made of wood, fabric or metal. Learning more about Waldorf education and their toys has helped tremendously. Some of my son’s favorite toys are his carved wooden figures of people and animals from Germany.

There are a lot more ways I can cut down on our plastic and I am finding alternatives every day. Changes like this don’t happen overnight, but they can happen and life with less plastic is not as hard as it sounds. Just take it one item at a time. So, that’s my challenge to all you moms out there. Just look at where you could find an alternative that would eliminate some plastic. Day by day it gets easier and your kids will thank you for trying to make the world we are leaving to them, a better place.

And if you know if ways you can share with me, I’m listening.

Please Give Just $1 For The Charities That You Help To Choose

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Hi all. A few weeks ago, I was approached by my friend David who blogs at www.thegoodhuman.com. He and Adam from Twilight Earth had the idea to create an easy way for a few of us bloggers to raise money for an environmental organization doing good work, asking our readers to contribute $1 and vote on which organizations will benefit. Below is the official campaign announcement. I hope you'll find it in your hearts to participate in this easy fundraiser.

As writers, we know that part of good stewardship is sharing information, but even the most intelligent among us can not make change without DOING something. So
The Good Human,
Twilight Earth,
Grass Stain Guru,
Lighter Footstep,
My Green Side,
The Smart Mama,
A Little Greener Every Day,
Fake Plastic Fish,
Allies Answers, and
Natural Papa
have teamed up to carry our message with one united strong voice. The message is that there are great organizations out there which are suffering in this economic downturn through decreased donations...and they need our help! So we have decided to give you, our readers, a voice and a choice. We have decided to take on a very simple fundraising mission, and we are asking you to donate just $1.00.

A single dollar; that's all.

Who cannot afford a buck even in these times? We know you can spare a dollar to help out our fellow humans!

But how do we all decide which charities to give 100% of all monies raised to? Well, we are going to put it to a vote and let you guys decide. The 10 websites participating have chosen 5 charities for all donors to vote for, and we are going to let you guys choose which two of them will receive the all monies donated.

Our purpose in doing this is three-fold
It gives YOU a voice. As loyal readers and stewards of our environment, we want to offer you the opportunity to make a difference without breaking the bank.

It gives the two charities with the most votes some much appreciated funds to continue their mission

It allows all of us an opportunity to connect as a community of like-minded people working for the common good of ourselves, our families and our planet.

If the community of folks who care about our planet cannot come together to rise up to a challenge, who will? That is why we are asking you for a $1 donation. While $1 may seem insignificant all by itself, by pooling our resources together we really can make a difference in these tough economic times. $1 is less than the price of a candy bar and can usually be found under the seat cushions of your couch. Won't you help 2 of these charities with your $1 donation? (Now, if you want to give more, please - feel free. We won't stop you! And by all means, send this to everyone you know so we can raise even more!)

Below you will find a poll and a Paypal donation link asking you to choose which of the 5 charities your favorite is. We ask that you please donate a dollar to the charity pool if you are going to vote, and know that even if your absolute favorite does not finish first or second, all the money donated will be going to worthwhile causes. If everyone we know who reads our sites, our Twitter feeds, our Facebook sites, etc. donates just $1, imagine the impact we can have as a group. And please, spread the word!

Click the button to make a secure donation via Paypal, or you can send your donation direct via Paypal to "1dollarcharity@gmail.com"

Please take a moment to vote for your favorite and to donate just a single dollar to these charities. Times are tough and our collective might can really help them out. The results will be tallied two weeks from today, and we will write another article detailing the amounts and the two charities who garnered the most votes and will be receiving the money collected. It's only $1, so please donate!

Organic food in plastic packaging: Isn't it ironic?

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:37:00 +0000

Arriving late to the Elmwood Theater Saturday night for the film Food Inc, Michael and I were stuck in the front row with our necks craning to see the screen. Believe me. It was worth it. Even if you've already read The Omnivore's Dilemma or Fast Food Nation, seeing images of downed cattle, abused chickens, and mistreated factory workers up close brings the subject home on a visceral level.

But in addition to needing a reminder of why I should avoid fast food and support our farmer's markets, I had an ulterior motive. I wanted to see if the film addressed any issues of plastics in the environment and in our food supply. And it kind of did, in a very subtle and ironic way. One of the interviewees in this film is Gary Hirshberg, founder of Stonyfield Farm Organic, the third largest producer of yogurt in the U.S. A glimpse of the Stonyfield plant as well as a walk through the Natural Products Expo in Anaheim, CA showed row after row of plastic containers. And it makes you wonder:

Why do producers and consumers of organic products, who are concerned about pesticides, herbicides, hormones, and antibiotics in our food, ignore the packaging encasing the food after it's produced? How can Muir Glen canned tomatoes, for example, be certified organic when the lining of the can contains BPA?

And avoiding packaging that contains BPA is not enough! That's just one ingredient we happen to know about. How about what we don't? We demand full disclosure of ingredients from food companies. How about possible ingredients leaching from the containers? Plastic is not just plastic. It often contains additives that affect its strength, flexibility, color, and even resistance to bacteria. And there's no labeling law requiring disclosure of any of that.

When our current Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was passed in 1976, 62,000 industrial chemicals were grandfathered in, meaning they were never required to be tested for safety. Since then, another 20,000-30,000 chemicals have gone on the market. And in 30 years, only 5 have been banned. The law is so weak, that the EPA has not even been able to ban asbestos.

How do we know that the chemicals added to plastics are safe if they are not required to be proven safe before entering the market? How can we make decisions if we don't even know what these chemicals are??!!

And how can manufacturers of organic products tell us they want to protect the environment and "save the earth" when they are relying on plastic wraps, plastic containers, plastic bottles, and plastic bags without question?

I want to see safe product packaging added to the criteria for organic certification. I want producers to ask what "food grade" really means and for manufacturers of plastic products to be required to reveal all of their additives. I want all manufacturers to follow the principal of Extended Producer Responsibility and plan for a practical cradle to cradle life cycle for their products and packaging BEFORE putting them on the market.

So what can we do? Today, I'm going to share my thoughts with the following organizations:

1) Organic Consumers Association

2) USDA National Organic Progam

3) My senators

4) My representative

5) Stonyfield Farms. To Stonyfield's credit, they have extensively researched their packaging and are working on finding a more sustainable solution. You can read what they have to say about their plastic yogurt containers here:

http://www.stonyfield.com/EarthActions/Environmental%20Practices/EnvironmentalPackaging.cfm

Still, I didn't see anything in their packaging statement about what chemicals are in the plastic, so I'll be writing to them as well.

Several Bay Area farmers markets have already taken the initiative to purge themselves of plastic. I'll be writing about them later this week. And I plan to pursue the issue of organic food in plastic packaging on an ongoing basis. Plastic may be the lighter weight alternative. But unless we are told what chemicals are in the plastic, how can any of us know if it's safe?

Confession of a Fast Food Addict who ate at Amanda's and forgot to BYO.

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:26:00 +0000

The theme of the Green Mom's Carnival this month is Eco-Confessions. And I have a big one. I love fast food. Every time I pass a McDonald's I have to close my eyes and count to ten to keep from going in and ordering a double cheeseburger. This fact probably grosses some of you out. And when I think about what a McDonald's double cheeseburger is made of, it grosses me out too. But it's hard to think about the cows and environmental degradation wrought by the meat industry (and the mono-culture GMO corn industry) when I catch a whiff of those burgers sizzling on the grill.

But that's not really my confession. Because mostly, I manage to resist that McDonald's urge that was instilled in me as a child through no fault of my own. I resist and resist. And the few times a year I succumb, I get out with no bag, no napkin, no cup or straw or ketchup pack. I do try to mitigate the damage as much as possible because I'm always prepared with my reusable to-go accoutrements.

Except a few weeks ago, I had this for lunch and didn't include any of it in my plastic tally:

It's not McDonald's. It's Amanda's in downtown Berkeley. The fries aren't actually fries. They're baked. The burger isn't meat (although Amanda's does serve beef). It's only the best veggieburger I've ever had in my life (made from walnuts and mushrooms.) The soda is homemade ginger ale very lightly sweetened. Because Amanda's is part of Berkeley's Eat Well program, which mandates that participating restaurants meet a set of criteria including using no trans fats, offering a fruit or vegetable side dish, and offering a drink option other than soda.

Amanda's desserts include roasted nuts or very small cookies. Nothing is super-sized or soaked in grease. In fact, Amanda was inspired by the film Super Size Me and book Fast Food Nation to create this restaurant and make a difference.

And all that plastic? It's compostable. Made from corn or potatoes or other natural fiber.

And that's my real confession. I was out in the world. I was hungry. I didn't have my to-go accessories with me that day because I didn't plan to be out so long. And I had just successfully resisted the urge to slip into McDonald's down the street. I knew that I could put all the waste from Amanda's into the handy compost bin provided and that it would all actually be composted by the City of Berkeley.

But I still felt guilty as sin.

Because why waste all this material... even for compost... when we don't have to? Why doesn't a restaurant like Amanda's that is trying to do such a good job (and IS doing a great job compared to fast food resturants) provide reusable plates and utensils for customers staying to eat their food in the restaurant? And why didn't I remember to bring my own mug and utensils and napkin to avoid this waste myself?

As Captain Moore said a few weeks ago, "Refuse" is the first "R." Well, we can't refuse to eat. But we can follow the second R, "Reduce" before opting for Recycling or Rotting in this case.

And then of course, realizing that I was doing the very thing that I urge you guys not to do... i.e. feel guilty for not being perfect... I started to feel even guiltier! It's madness. Madness, I tell you. All this eco-perfectionism. It doesn't help, does it?

So, those are my confessions. I sometimes eat at McDonald's when I can't resist temptation. I sometimes forget to bring my own and end up generating unnecessary waste. And I sometimes feel guilty for not being perfect. In other words, I am human!

We had a great time sharing eco-confessions on this blog back in March. Do you have any more or new confessions to share? For inspiration, check out the Green Moms carnival which will be hosted on Wednesday, June 24, at The Green Parent blog.

The Discovery of a Challenge: A Guest Post from Carrick Bartle

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:00:00 +0000

The following is a guest post from Fake Plastic Fish reader Carrick Bartle who finds that pretending she's on the show Little House on the Prairie is a fun green motivator. Carrick joined the Show Us Your (Plastic) Trash Challenge a few weeks ago. Check out her plastic stash.

I’m a single girl in my twenties in Los Angeles, working in what’s essentially the legal department of an entertainment company. The building I work in is actually quite progressive in the “green” arena—they just installed a ginormous field of solar panels--and it was an article in the weekly company newsletter that jumpstarted my current obsession with minimizing my carbon footprint—which, of course, includes avoiding plastic. (Getting the word out DOES make a difference!)

The article was on green issues and mentioned a few blogs -— like No Impact Man —- written by people who weren’t content with just chucking things in the recycling bin like I was: instead, they took the leap to decide that if disposable items were bad, they would examine every facet of their lives to try to rid their lives of them completely. I had had no idea there was such a vibrant online community about this. And the more I read, the more apparent it became that I wasn’t doing nearly enough.

I just plain didn’t know exactly how damaging plastic -— and other consumer materials -— was to the ecosystem. Of course I knew enough to frown upon it, but I certainly didn’t realize, for instance, how damaging it was to ME, directly -— e.g. that it was soaking into my skin from cosmetics and could cause CANCER. I learned about a bunch of things that kick you right in the gut -— like the Mae West turtle and the Pacific Garbage Patch and the prediction from some scientists that the entire North Pole may melt completely in just a few decades. I realized that things like not buying a soda in a plastic bottle wasn’t just nice -— it was imperative.

I became an addict -— poring through every article of every blog I could find (like Fake Plastic Fish) for tips on changes to make. And I was surprised to find how maddeningly hard eliminating plastic was. Cans have a plastic liner?? You can’t get medication in anything other than plastic?? There are no electronics not made with plastic?!?!

It became an exciting challenge. One website, Crunchy Chicken, even runs awesome (hardcore!!) challenges that kickstart you into changing or amping up your habits. I’ve always been a bit of an ascetic, a bit of an eccentric, and a bit of a luddite, and this new obsession drew those qualities right to the surface. Not that you have to be those things in the pursuit of becoming more eco-friendly - —that's just what I found most fun about it.

I love pretending I’ve entered the world of Little House of the Prairie. Instead of washing my dishes with a plastic sponge, I started using a hand-crocheted cloth -— just like in ye olden tymes! I brush my teeth with baking soda, line-dry my laundry, make most of my meals from scratch, buy only used clothing, use the bulk bins, etc., etc., etc.

(In the kitchen pic, I’m cooking with my used pot and new but bamboo cooking spoon and wearing a skirt I got at Goodwill for 5 bucks! The other picture is me holding my toothbrush (with baking soda on it) and my baking soda deodorant concoction -— recipe courtesy of Fake Plastic Fish.)

Of course, I still have a long way to go. My next anti-plastic project is to get a crockpot and a tortilla press so I can indulge in my craving for refried beans and tortilla chips without having to toss out yet another can and plastic bag. But at least I’m now fully aware of these issues, which is, of course, half the battle. And the changes I’ve made have become so ingrained that I barely notice them anymore—I don’t feel deprived or anything; I feel the same as usual.

Check out Carrick's Blog, where she describes picking up plastic trash along the L.A. River and other adventures.

Plastic-Free Stain Remover & other Laundry ideas

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:01:00 +0000

Lunch at Oliveto with my friend Simone last Saturday was great fun. Too much fun. I laughed so hard, I spilled coffee all over the table and all over my sleeve. Normally, I'd just take it home and "Shout it Out." But not this time. This past week, I ran out of the plastic bottle of Shout I'd been using for the last two years and was determined to find a plastic-free alternative.

But the plastic bottle was not my only concern. Do you know what chemicals are in Shout? Terrible nasty ones or perfectly benign? Unless you work for S.C. Johnson, you're as clueless as I am because the company doesn't reveal it's ingredients. Here's the FAQ from the Shout web site:

Q. What are the ingredients in Shout®?
A. We can't give away our "trade secrets," but we can say that Shout® Laundry Stain Removers are detergent based with powerful cleaning agents. Shout® does not contain any phosphates or bleach.

Can't? Or won't? This is the problem with so many chemicals that we use on a daily basis. Not only are they not tested for safety before entering the market, but manufacturers don't even have to tell us what they are in the first place! No thanks.

Here are the plastic-free, less toxic laundry products I'm currently using:

1) Ecover laundry powder comes in a recycled cardboard box and contains a recycled cardboard scoop, unlike most powder detergents that come with a plastic scoop. And the company lists its ingredients on the box as well as the web site: Sodium carbonate, Zeolite, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Fatty Acid Methyl Esters Ethoxylates, Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Sulfate, Sodium Carbonate Peroxide, Sodium Poly Asparaginate, Sodium Disilicate, Sodium Citrate, Cellulose Gum, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Subtilisin. Now, I'm not a chemist and this does seem like a lot of ingredients, regardless of the fact that they are plant based and not tested on animals. So we have been alternating with the next item.

2) LaundryTree soap nuts until recently came packaged in a plastic bag. No more. Read the awesome story about how Lisa at LaundryTree made the switch to plastic-free packaging. Soapnuts contain one natural ingredient: soapnuts. The only reason we don't use them exclusively is that we stocked up on Ecover a while back and are still using it up. Also, I think the Ecover does a better job on seriously dirty gym clothes.

3) Borax turns out to be a great stain remover! I like that it comes in a cardboard box and also that it also contains only one ingredient: borax. Of course, it's not without its environmental impact, as it's a mineral that has to be mined from the earth. That's why we use it sparingly only for tough stains.

To clean my jacket sleeve, I used the instructions from The Naturally Clean Home, a little book I picked up a while back from our local bookstore. While I do a lot of research on the Internet, sometimes it's nice to have a book handy to grab for solutions, and this is a good one. Here's what the author says to do for coffee and tea stains: Immediately flush with cool water. Then soak in a borax and water solution before laundering.

Not having soaked my jacket immediately, I thought maybe something a little more intense was in order. So I actually made a paste of borax and water (stored now in a glass jar for future stain-removal needs) and and rubbed it into the stains with an old toothbrush. Several hours later, I rinsed off the borax, and the stains were gone!

Of course, there are other ways to get rid of stains, depending on what kind they are. Carbonated water (free of plastic bottle waste with my Soda Club soda maker) is another alternative. And The Naturally Clean Home lists more.

But lest you think our laundry room is completely plastic-free, think again. We still have a few more plastic bottles, acquired before I gave up buying new plastic, that we are very, very slowly working our way through:

WIN detergent for athletic wear, Seventh Generation oxygen bleach, and a can of spray starch with a plastic cap. At some point, these too will end up in the plastic tally, unless I finally just decide to give them away on Freecycle. (I'm not even sure if we use the spray starch. Maybe Michael uses it on his collars. Hmmm...)

What are your favorite non-toxic and plastic-free ways to clean clothes?

FPF Anniversary! Year 2, Week 51 & 52 Results: 6.9 oz of plastic waste

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:22:00 +0000

It's Fake Plastic Fish's 2-Year anniversary of collecting trash. Plastic trash. I'm planning to change things up a little after today, but here is the tally for the last two weeks.

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

1 bottle Woolite plus cap. We've had this bottle for over two years and finally used it up. It will not be replaced. I've got info on plastic-free laundry products coming up in a blog post this week.

1 bottle of Shout stain remover plus sprayer. Just like above, we've had this stuff for over two years and finally used it up. Will write about plastic-free stain removal this week as well. And I plan to reuse this bottle for the homemade air freshener I'm going to make when our current bottle of natural citrus air freshener runs out. (That bottle unfortunately can't be refilled.)

1 nasty chewed up synthetic sponge. We are using up a few more synthetic sponges for yucky jobs, but mostly use Skoy cloths now. See link below for info on Skoy.

1 travel size bottle of hairspray plus sprayer. I don't use hairspray anymore and haven't since reading about all the toxic chemicals in personal care products (see below). But this has been sitting in the cabinet and I used it up this week trying to get paint off a sweatshirt. (It didn't really work.)

1 used up ball point pen. I mostly use pencils and a refillable fountain pen. (Info on fountain pen below.) But I'll still grab the occasional disposable pen from our stash when I need something fast, and this one died this week.

1 plastic bag of Trader Joe's walnuts. Yes, this had been sitting in our freezer for over two years, and Michael finally added it to some banana bread last week. We now buy nuts from the bulk bins at Whole Foods and Berkeley Bowl with our own containers.

Plastic window from a box of cheap steel wool soap pads. I hate these things and rarely use them because they rust so fast. We finally used them up this week. I now use Chore Boy copper scrubbers instead, which come in a cardboard box with zero plastic and last a much longer time.

New plastic waste:

7 plastic envelope windows. From Financial West Group (4), ING Direct, Franchise Tax Board, & GE. One of the Financial West Group envelopes is a proxy voting ballot for Winslow Green Funds, which now offers all their paperwork electronically. So I have made the switch this week and should have reduced this paper/plastic by at least one. The GE mailing list is another one I can remove myself from. Everything else is unavoidable at this point.

2 plastic wrappers from Financial West Group. These are those biodegradable plastic wrappers I talked about a few weeks ago. One is from Winslow Green and shouldn't come anymore. They are both made from petroleum-based plastics, so are added to the tally. Follow the link below to learn more.

Timing chip & 2 plastic ties from Bay to Breakers. These should have been added to the tally last time, but I forgot to take it off of my shoe. More on plastic running chips below.

Plastic packing tape. From a case of wine I received from a friend.

Piece of tape from a bar of handmade soap. Another of the bars we bought in Santa Cruz a few weeks ago.

2 doses of Frontline flea treatment for the cats. Read about the Frontline saga below.

So, I end Year 2 with a bang. Next week begins Year 3. But I don't think I'm going to post a tally every week. As you've seen, I haven't actually been doing it weekly for the last couple of months, and I'd like the flexibility to post other kinds of things on Mondays. But I still think the tally is useful and valuable. So I'm going to switch to a monthly report. I'll still collect it all, but I'll only post it here once a month.

How are you guys doing on your own plastic challenges? A few more people have added their tallies to the Challenge Web Site. Please visit and give them your feedback!

Related posts:

Find out what envelope windows are made from.

Plastic-free Skoy cloths.

Chemicals in personal care products.

Refillable (from a bottle of ink!) Lamy fountain pen.

About Financial West Group's biodegradable plastic mailers.

Rant on disposable timing chips.

The Frontline saga.

What do you think about cell phones? Should I switch to Credo?

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 17:36:00 +0000

Cell phones. I have one. Through AT&T. It's a Sony Ericsson Z525a that I bought 3 years ago, choosing this model because compared to the others offered at the time, it lasted the longest before needing to be recharged. (Talk time up to 9 hours and standby time up to 400.) It's not special. It does have a crappy camera, but that's about the only "extra." No fancy keyboard. Not much in the way of web browsing. It's fine. And it still works just fine.

Okay, now I know cell phones give off radiation and we are advised to keep them away from our heads. (I still don't have a headset for mine. Just like I rarely use sunscreen. Tempting fate?) And I know there are all kinds of environmental issues around manufacture and disposal of cell phones, the very least of which is that they are made from plastic. Most of them are also full of toxic heavy metals.

I hadn't even considered trading in my perfectly good phone (and am constantly urging others to really think before upgrading to the latest and greatest gadgets) until this morning, when I received an email from Green America (formerly Coop America) titled "5 Environmental Questions About Your Phone Company," promoting Credo Mobile. Here's what the email says:

If you're concerned about the environment, you ask questions about the things you buy. Here are five questions to ask about your phone company:

1. How much has your phone company donated to Greenpeace?
2. Does it donate to plant trees for each ton of paper used?
3. Does it work to stop new coal-fired power plants?
4. Does it oppose drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?
5. Does it support legislation to drastically cut CO2 emissions?

Credo's answers to all these questions is a resounding, "Yes." And if that weren't enough, check out their Green Statement.

For those who don't know, Credo used to be called Working Assets. It's a socially responsible company that gives large amounts of money to progressive causes. In fact, Credo/Working Assets has been my long distance carrier for "16 long years," according to the customer service rep I spoke to this morning, and I've always felt good about this ethical choice. But back when I bought my first cell phone, Credo wasn't in the cellular business, so I went with AT&T (then Cingular.)

Seems like a no-brainer to switch to Credo for my cell plan, right? But there's a catch. I'd have to trade in my old, perfectly good phone, for a new one. Why? Because Credo is on the Sprint network, which uses different technology from AT&T. I asked. I was all set to write a post about how I opted to forego the brand new free phone this morning. Not possible.

Question #1 -- What do you think is the greener choice? Obviously, not having a cell phone in the first place. But I'm not willing to do that. So should I turn in my 3-year old phone (which will be refurbished & donated -- Credo participates in Collective Good's cell phone re-use/recycling program and offers several refurbished cell phones to customers to minimize cell phone waste) or should I stick with AT&T until this phone dies, even though it is a multinational corporation that may not share my values?

What would you do?

Question #2 -- If you do think I should go ahead and switch to Credo, should I choose one of the very basic refurbished cell phones or should I upgrade to a smart phone like a Blackberry or Motorola Moto Q in order to be able to access the Internet and blog while away from home without having to lug around a laptop? Have any of you used one of these gadgets? Are they a good idea? And since I would have to replace my phone anyway, wouldn't this be a good time to upgrade as well?

I'd love to find a used phone via Craigslist. Unfortunately finding a Credo-compatible phone via Craigslist will be difficult. Right now, there are none listed. And the customer service rep at Credo tells me that simply finding a Sprint-compatible phone will not work. Here is a list of the phone choices available to me if I switch. Should I pick one of these?

Or do nothing and continue to support AT&T. Would that be so bad?

Future Weather: Environmental Finalist for Netflix FIND Your Voice Contest needs your votes!

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Back in April, I interviewed green filmmaker Jenny Deller about her current project, Future Weather, a coming of age film that deals with both personal as well as environmental crises. This month, we all have an opportunity to view and vote on a representative clip based on the project in the Netflix Find Your Voice film competition.

Visit this link if you're unable to view the video here.

What I love so much about this short clip is the poetic connection of internal childhood angst with external environmental destruction. Do neglect of our children and neglect of the planet stem from the same emotional source? And is the deep need for parental love the same urge we have for connection with mother earth? Perhaps if we can get to the root of these human emotions, we can find our way back home on a global scale.

This clip seems very simple at first. Deceptively simple. See what happens as you watch.

I am just so impressed with what Jenny has created and would love to see her win this competition and receive the much-needed funds to continue filming. Please watch the clip and, if you are as moved as I am, give the film the highest star rating you feel it deserves. (I gave 5 stars.) Then use the tools provided to share the video with others. The competition is very steep. Please help this film get made.

You can also join the Future Weather Facebook cause and follow Jenny's blog, the Future Weather Report.

I would walk 500 miles: A guest post by Sunny Yukon

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:00:00 +0000

The following is a guest post from Fake Plastic Fish reader Sunny Yukon. All I can say is that I wish I were this funny!

Coincidentally I was listening to this song by The Proclaimers yesterday.

By the end of the day I fell down at my door. I was exhausted!

I helped my son with a fundraising activity his scout troup was doing yesterday evening. Roadside clean-up. We were assigned a 3+ kilometre stretch of highway, given orange vests and garbage bags, and told it should be about three hours of work for our group to earn $500. And off we went!

Three hours later, we were a little over 1/2 done. The full-sized pickup we had was filled with bags of trash. The leader said it was the most trash he'd ever seen doing this fundraiser.

There was
a bike with a trashed seat.
fast food wrappers
newspapers
paper cups
Styrofoam
hubcaps
blown tires
gas caps
gas cans
plastic wrapping
bungee cords
wire
plastic lids from paper cups
straws
underwear
pop cans
beer bottles
flyers
plastic bags
Broken windshield glass from at least two different accidents, amongst several other plastic car parts

I could go on, but I think you get the idea.

I do want to say though:

Mr. X: I found page two of your tax assessment form. I know your full name, address, birth date, and SIN (SSN). It wouldn't take much effort for me to assume your identity and wreak havoc to your credit report. Lucky for you, I'm not like that. But we never found page one...

XYZ Auto Parts: I haven't seen your delivery truck with the lit-up plastic yellow ball cap decorating the roof of the cab roaring past my workplace lately. Now I know why - apparently your driver rolled it sometime this winter. I picked up the pieces of that plastic ball cap. And your product catalog. And some bumper, and headlights, and windshield glass. I guess being an auto parts store you knew you could get it all replaced and had no need to clean up after yourself.

And finally, to the guy walking around without your ginch... seriously, you had to remove your undies and toss them in the tree? Oh, wait, you were the driver of the auto parts delivery truck? Wet your pants and didn't want to be embarrassed when you were picked up huh. Oh, well, that's sooo okay then.

Pardon me, I didn't mean to drool my sarcasm on your monitor.

The clean up is done, and a little stretch of the highway that I go by daily is a little greener. More importantly, my resolve to continue reducing and eliminating my plastic is stronger. In my little corner of the world I am finding it to be a huge challenge, but everyday I'm doing something different.

Even more importantly, there is a group of 11-14 year olds who also got quite an impression of the waste in our area. There were several comments of disgust coming from all of them. Who knew an 11 year old boy could get disgusted? I didn't; I still live with a daily barrage of burps and farts!

So, I didn't walk 500 miles yesterday, but I got a start. This weekend I'm joining the same scout troop for an overnight hike. We practice "Leave-no-trace" camping. At my side will be another garbage bag. You never know where you'll find more trash, even if it feels like you're out in the middle of the nowhere.

What about you? Why not grab a small bag and just make a five minute stop on the roadside. Every little bit helps! Teach your kids that just like at home, we can all pitch in to help tidy. Many hands make light work!

I think if we all took a few extra steps, it wouldn't be long for that 500 miles to add up.

Sunny lives in Northern Canada where she and her husband raise two boys and try to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible. She runs a retail lumber yard where you can find her doing everything from the bookkeeping, forklift operating, equipment maintenance, to scrubbing the toilet. You name it; it's probably on her to do list. Trying to lead by example, at home she has greatly reduced her plastic and cleaning chemical consumption and is enjoying the benefits of less recycling and trash to have to haul away. At work she has reduced and reused many items while still maintaining a professional polish that many customers have shown appreciation for. With so many items being shipped north from other climates, plastic is very prevalent because it reduces the packaging weight. Costs for recycling any materials are also much greater. She has found plastic reduction to be very daunting but is babystepping her way through the challenge.

Captain Moore has one word for you on World Oceans Day: Refuse!

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Captain Charles Moore is one of my personal heroes and the man whose work discovering, studying, and bringing the world's attention to plastics in the oceans changed my own life completely two years ago. So you can bet that when I was invited to attend his presentation at Google in Mountain View last week, I rearranged my work schedule, rented a Zip Car, and got my butt down there.

Captain Moore's story is the subject of the article commonly known as Plastic Ocean. If you haven't read it yet, stop what you're doing and read it now! But be sure to return to this page afterwards to listen to his important message for all of us.

Moore is not much taller than I, but his presence is captivating and the force of his conviction, palpable. Wearing a necklace made of plastic found out in the North Pacific Gyre, he is a man who has looked into the abyss, not once but repeatedly, and returned to warn us about it. His eyes twinkle, but they also look deeply tired. He has been trying to get us to wake up to the the damage we're doing to our precious planet for over ten years, and the world is just now starting to listen.

Moore's presentation included many samples of the types of plastics found in the Pacific Ocean and that wash up daily on the world's beaches, as well as a hat knitted out of some of that plastic, which he sometimes wears.

And he is a living testament to his convictions. His bag, knitted from plastic grocery bags, is a reminder of plastic in the environment, while his naturally-corked stainless steel water bottle demonstrates his dedication to reducing his own personal consumption of plastic. I must say, I've taken many, many steps to lower my plastic footprint, but seeing that cork in his Klean Kanteen blew me away.

Natural alternatives to plastic may be well and good to an extent. But Charles Moore's message is not about running out and buying "green" products. Just the opposite. In fact, from the things he said during his presentation and in the meeting with him afterwards, I don't believe Charles Moore believes that plastic itself is the main problem in the first place.

The plastic pollution problem is the visible manifestation of the crisis of our civilization. (There's so much more that is invisible.) Progress is not what we're after here. Everything has to be redesigned. We need a new paradigm that subtracts from the consumer lifestyle rather than adding to it. We're after difference. The Great Refusal.

I asked Captain Moore what he thought was the most important thing we as individuals can do. Here is what he said:

Click here to view the video on YouTube, where I've also posted a complete transcript.

Today is World Oceans Day. But according to Moore, the crisis we are facing is about more than the oceans or plastic or pollution. Plastic pollution is a symptom of a way of life that is completely unsustainable.

Today, I plan to get still and meditate. How about you?

Read/view the group's statement on plastic pollution developed by activists, artists, and evironmentalists after Moore's presentation at Google.

WOD is coming next week! What are you doing about it?

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Friday, June 5, is World Environment Day, which has received a lot of deserved attention, but did you know that a few days later is World Oceans Day?

World Oceans Day has been unofficially celebrated since its inception in 1992, but 2009 is the first year it's been officially recognized by the U.N. A plethora of events will be held in the world's coastal regions all next week to observe the day and learn about our connection to and effect on the world's oceans. From beach cleanups to film festivals to educational presentations, there are many ways to get involved.

This Sunday, June 7, 10a-12p, I'll be joining the Ocean Beach cleanup in San Francisco (Judah Street Entrance), wearing my Plastic Sea Monster costume. This event is sponsored by Oceanhealth.org and San Francisco Surfrider Foundation. I'd love to see some of you Bay Area folks there!

June 8, Monday, 6:30p-9p
World Oceans Day Film Festival
Montara Lighthouse, Montara, CA

June 10, Wednesday, 6p doors open, 7p Films
World Oceans Day Film Festival
Victoria Theatre, 16th St. & Mission St., San Francisco, CA
Buy $10 advance tickets: http://www.victoriatheatre.org or at the door

Complete information about the beach cleanup and film festivals, including how to RSVP, can be found at Oceanhealth.org.

There are many other events taking place all over the world. Check the World Oceans Day schedule for events taking place in other areas.

Now, how about you landlocked folks? Think you don't have an effect on the oceans? Think again! No matter where we live, everything we flush makes its way to an ocean eventually. Everything we litter, the products we buy, the fish we eat, and the CO2 we emit all affect the health of our oceans.

So what are you going to do to observe World Oceans Day next week and every week thereafter?

Convenience is a Luxury: A Guest Post from Linda Anderson

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:00:00 +0000

The following is a guest post by Linda Anderson, author of the blog, Citizen Green. Linda recently joined the Show Your Plastic Trash Challenge. Here's her tally. Inspired by Laura Zilverberg's post, Waste Is A Luxury, Linda explains that convenience is also a luxury.

Thirty years ago I lived in Brazil and experienced the same sort of culture shock that Laura Zilverberg spoke of in her guest post on FPF, May 13. My wake up moment came when our maid was looking for a cleaning rag in the rag bag. Yes we had a maid, it was expected of the affluent. At 25 years old, I did not even know I was affluent. Julia, the maid, found a discarded manʼs shirt in the rag bag. I had put it there to be a rag, but only after I cut the buttons off to save for sewing repairs. I did not cut the threads of the buttons, I cut the fabric so that everywhere there had been a button, there was a little diamond shaped hole. Julia wanted the shirt, with holes, for her father.

She took the shirt home and somehow repaired it into a perfectly good shirt. I was so ashamed at how wasteful I had been. Also, I was surprised at how the poor people used every container that I threw away. Plastic butter tubs or any other container went to waste in the trash. People picked it out and took it home. At the market, there were no plastic bags (there are now). The veggies that you bought were wrapped in newspaper and stuffed in your reusable shopping bag. That year in Brazil taught me a lot about life in the US.

Laura said “Luxury is a waste.” How true! I would like to add that convenience is a luxury which is a waste. As I look for ways to cut back plastic waste and as I write about it in my own blog, I see that most of it is all about convenience. I have decided that convenience and being green do not coexist well.

In the US, we are all about convenience. That is why we have so many disposable products - like razors, lighters, containers, That is why we have so much packaging - like individually packaged servings of snacks. That is why we have so much fast food. Everything must be convenient so it can be fast. To become greener, we must take the time to live without so many conveniences. They are a shortcut to what? More time that we cram more work or activities into? More money so we can buy more conveniences?

Itʼs not worth it when all that waste goes to the landfill or litters our oceans.

Linda's most recent post, You Don't Need to Buy Bottled Tea! illustrates just one of the many unnecessary conveniences polluting our world.

Update: Show Us Your (Plastic) Trash Challenge

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:00:00 +0000

As I mentioned yesterday, many of you have taken the challenge... so many in fact that I felt a separate sub-blog was in order to collect all the tallies. And so (drum roll please) I hereby announce the inauguration of the

which can be found at http://www.showyourplastic.fakeplasticfish.com.

Here is a recap of the challenge rules as well as two ways to post your photos and tallies to the blog. It's not too late to join the fun or just leave comments for the other participants with your ideas, suggestions, or bursts of inspiration. I'm sure those who have posted already would love some support.

THE RULES:

1) Collect all of your own plastic waste, both recyclable and non, for a minimum of one week. If you want to go for more than one week, great! Just keep each week's collection separate.

2) What qualifies as yours? Anything that benefits you. So, if your housemate or significant other brings home a tub of yogurt that you both share, the tub goes in your tally. But if you hate yogurt, never touch the stuff, and wouldn't have bought it for yourself in a million years, it's not your responsibility. What about stuff for your kids? I'll leave that up to you. Whatever you decide, just be consistent about collecting it. Personally, I'd be very interested to see how much plastic waste is generated by babies, since I don't have children myself.

3) Live normally in the first week. It doesn't help to artificially reduce your plastic consumption for the sake of a one-week tally if you will go back to living with more plastic afterward. Think of this exercise as a scientific experiment. Nothing more.

4) Guilt is not encouraged. Nor are comparisons with other people whom you perceive to be doing "worse" or "better" than you in terms of plastic waste. This exercise is for purely educational purposes. Guilt doesn't help.

5) Take a photo of your stash and list out the items at the end of each week that you participate. You might also want to include details about what things are recyclable in your community or not. If you have a sensitive food scale, you might consider weighing your plastic as well. A bathroom scale won't really be accurate because plastic is so light weight.

6) Guilt is unnecessary.

7) There is no time limit for doing this exercise. This is an ongoing challenge.

8) Guilt will only get in the way of understanding. It's not needed for this challenge.

9) Seriously.

POSTING YOUR RESULTS:

After you have completed the exercise, there are several ways to post your results. First, complete the following questionnaire. Then, choose Option A or Option B.

Show Us Your Plastic Trash Results Questionnaire

1) Week #:
2) Name:
3) List of Recyclable Items (write out in list form and include the recycling # at the bottom and how it gets recycled in your community, as far as you know.)
4) List of Non-recyclable Items
5) Total number of items
6) Total weight of plastic stash (if you are able to do this)
7) Analysis. Answer the following questions as best as you can.

What items could I easily replace with plastic-free or less plastic alternatives?

What items would I be willing to give up if a plastic-free alternative doesn't exist?

How many of these items are from "convenience" foods that could be made from scratch with less packaging but might take more time to prepare?

What items are essential and seem to have no plastic-free alternative?

What lifestyle change(s) might be necessary to reduce my plastic consumption?

What one plastic item am I willing to give up or replace this week?

What other conclusions, if any, can I draw?

8) Personal description (As much of the following information as you feel comfortable sharing -- Geographical location, gender, housemate/relationship status, work status (at home or away from home), children living with you, etc. These factors might influence the amount of plastic waste you generate and would be interesting to know, but are completely up to you of course.)

POSTING METHOD A:

If you are familiar with blog software and are willing to post the results yourself, hurray! I'd love to give you access to www.showyourplastic.fakeplasticfish.com so you can not only enter data for your first week but also continue to track your plastic on the site in future weeks if you choose to do so. Just email me at beth[at]fakeplasticfish[dot]com. Send me a photo of your plastic waste (so I know you are a for real person) and let me know you'd like a log in. I'll send you an invitation from Blogger to post to the site.

When posting, please include your photo first and then answers to the questions afterwards.

***If you have your own blog, feel free to post your tally, etc. there as well. And include the URL to your blog in your post here. Feel free to promote yourself! I will add your blog to the Blogroll on the sidebar.

POSTING METHOD B:

If you are not a blogger or simply don't have the time to do the posting yourself, go ahead and email your photo and answers to questions to beth[at]fakeplasticfish[dot]com and I'll post your tally for you.

Questions? Comments? Can't wait to get started? Let me know!

Year 2, Week 48, 49, & 50 Results: 4.1 oz of plastic waste

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Well, here is three week's worth of plastic waste. I'm back on track. And your tallies (Show Us Your Plastic Trash Challenge) have been coming in so fast, that I have created a special new place for them. More on that tomorrow.

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

1 bandaid. I cut my finger with a sharp knife while making my Plastic Sea Monster costume. I really don't have the energy to explain how this happened. :-)

Expired Credit Union debit card. I have cancelled this account, mainly because I never use it.

New plastic waste:

8 plastic envelope windows. From Financial West Group, ING Direct, Comcast, PG&E Solar, USE Credit Union, Bay to Breakers, Green Sangha, & a payment from a bookkeeping client. As I've mentioned before, I am working to be removed from as many mailing lists as possible. Most of these envelopes were unavoidable. Since I'm on the board of Green Sangha, I will mention the possibility of changing the types of envelopes the organization uses.

Plastic wrapper from new check order. I opened a brand new checking account at New Resource Bank in San Francisco and am trying to wean myself from my Bank of America account. New Resource Bank is local and invests in the community. They provide financing for solar energy projects as well as CD's that are used solely to fund those projects.

Race number from Bay to Breakers. Race numbers are made from Tyvek, a type of plastic. See link below for more information.

Bit of plastic from the ends of a bunch of organic bananas. See below for more info.

Piece of tape from a bar of handmade soap. Michael and I bought several bars of handmade soap from a roadside vendor during our trip to Santa Cruz last weekend. It wasn't until we opened the wrapper that we realized the tissue paper was held together with a tiny piece of scotch tape.

Plastic bag of World's Best Cat Litter. Yes, we know there is a brand that comes in a paper bag. Read the saga below.

Plastic spout and cap from a huge metal can of olive oil. Okay, before you go crazy on me (monkeyjen) about why in the world I am buying huge cheap-ass cans of olive oil instead of organic olive oil in glass, please allow me to explain. Over a year ago, I thought I would try my hand at making soap. I bought all the ingredients, including a huge can of olive oil, and then lost the energy and desire to actually make the soap. We can get great local handmade soap here plastic-free. Why should I spend my limited time making my own? So the can sat on the shelf for months until we decided to just go ahead and cook with it. Now that it's gone, I'll be bringing my glass bottle to Whole Foods to fill up from their organic bulk olive oil container.

Learn what plastic credit/debit/gift cards are made from and how they can be recycled.

Find out what envelope windows are made from.

Learn about Tyvek and how it is recycled.

Ever wonder why organic bananas have plastic on the ends?

Why we don't use SwheatScoop cat litter that comes in a paper bag.

Let Them Eat Plastic: SMART Art - Trash Into Treasure

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:00:00 +0000

If Marie Antoinette said, "Let them eat cake," back in the 18th Century, I wonder what she'd say now confronted with sea birds and turtles starving on our plastic waste. Such were the kinds of thoughts I had last night viewing the new exhibit, SMART Art -- Trash Into Treasure, at the Lincart Gallery in San Francisco. A project of David de Rothschild's Adventure Ecology Sculpt the Future Foundation, the SMART Art competition invited artists to show the world how discarded objects could be reused and reimagined into works of art. Tim Dey's "Ghost of Versailles" was one of those entries. Made from used plastic packing supplies, bubble wrap, drop cloths, aquarium tubing, and soda bottle bottoms, his costume put my Bay to Breakers Sea Monster to shame.

But personally, I was rooting for the work of plastics activist surfer and new friend Kathleen Egan's "Plastic Wave." Made from plastic collected from her friends for two weeks, the wave is her personal statement about plastic in our oceans.

(Please click on all images to see larger versions. The small size does not do them justice!)

Check out Kathleen's video about creating the wave and about the kinds of plastic that surfers find on our beaches.

Unfortunately, Kathleen's piece did not win. There was some stiff competition from other trash artists. First place was awarded by the panel of judges, which included de Rothschild as well as The Story of Stuff's Annie Leonard and WiserEarth's Paul Hawken among others, to Harriete Estel Berman for "Grass'gras," a "lawn of grass" created from repurposed metal cans. Yes, it's sharp, and is a statement about the environmental impacts of our consumer culture and desire for green lawns.

Second place was awarded for my other favorite piece, "Certain is Nothing Now," an ethereal creation made from junk mail collected by artist Julia Goodman from her neighbors over the course of a year.

And besides this visually stunning statement about junk mail, the exhibit included ForestEthics's petition calling for a National Do Not Mail registry. As someone who has been trying to reduce my own paper mail for the last two years, I was more than happy to add my name, and I urge you all to do so as well. Please visit DoNotMail.org to add your signature. While there are organizations set up to help us get off mailing lists, companies are not under any obligation to honor third party requests and may actually be discouraged from doing so by the Direct Mail Association. We need governmental support to help us cut down on the paper and plastic waste associated with unwanted mail.

Third place was awarded to Scott Oliver for "The Valley," a landscape seemingly dreamed up out of the seat of an old chair. According to the artist, "The Valley" is Hetch Hetchy Valley (here in California) "before it was dammed and flooded in 1923 to provide fresh water for San Franciscans." Reminds me of the haunting Polish Brothers film Northfork, one of the few I've loved enough to own.

Like much of the work in this exhibit, "The Valley" leaves me both saddened by the waste and awed by the transformative power of the human imagination. The following piece, on the other hand, just tickles me.

The dress, worn by exhibit coordinator Heidi Quante during the evening, was created by Drew Kleiner out of use bicycle tire tubes and air gaskets. It's got Project Runway written all over it, doncha think?

And finally, I was happy to meet up again with Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen, who made this exhibit one of the stops on their JunkRide bicycle journey from Vancouver to Tijuana to spread the word about plastics in the ocean. For Anna and Marcus, their lives ARE their art! Here they are with one of the samples of plastic-filled water from the North Pacific Gyre they are handing out to educators and elected officials on their way down the coast. They are hoping to get one to SF Mayor Gavin Newsome before they leave the Bay Area. I hope they succeed!

Is it True?

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:33:00 +0000

Got back from Santa Cruz and have been going non-stop ever since. Have some really cool plans for Fake Plastic Fish and no time to execute any of them this week. Don't even have time to post any of your guest posts! Gotta run. In the mean time, how about taking a few minutes to think about (and comment on, if you want) the following question:

Is there one main reason/excuse/explanation you tell yourself to get out of doing things that seem like a challenge? (A couple of mine, for example, are that I'm too tired or that I have too much to do. See above. *Smile*) And then ask yourself sincerely, "Is it true?"

General Housekeeping & off on vacation

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:00:00 +0000

I've got a bunch of random housekeeping items to share (in no particular order) and then I'm off with Michael to get away from the computer for a few days and enjoy trees, fresh air, ocean waves, and perhaps a terrifying roller coaster ride or two. Can anyone guess where we're going?

Item #1: "Show Us Your (Plastic) Trash Challenge" update: Your plastic tallies have been flying in this week. Hurrah! I haven't had time to look at all of them yet, but I've got them and will start posting them next week. I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys have come up with and what ideas you have about the plastic in your lives. (If for some reason you don't want your tally posted here publicly, please be sure and let me know!) And if you haven't taken the challenge, there's still plenty of time to join up. Read the original post for the rules.

Item #2: I've been getting lots of offers for guest posts here, and I'm really grateful for those as well. I'll probably post one per week, so if you have sent me a guest post and don't see it here right away, please know that I have it and will let you know before it goes up. I'm happy to make Fake Plastic Fish less about Beth Terry in Oakland and more about a community of people attempting to live responsibly and sharing ideas about how to do it.

Item #3: Regarding yesterday's Bulk Bins post, many people have asked how I avoid paying for the weight of the container when I bring my own jars and cloth bags to the stores to fill from the bulk bins. Here's the answer. In the stores where I shop, the cashiers are able to deduct the weight of the bag or container (aka tare weight) from the total weight of the item. Different stores handle this in different ways.

At Rainbow Grocery, customers weigh their own empty containers at a station in the store and write the weight on a sticker on their container before they fill it with food. At Whole Foods, the staff at the customer service desk weigh customers' empty containers. At Berkeley Bowl, the employee at the bulk counter can weigh your empty container. At my butcher shop, the scale has a tare feature for deducting the weight of the pot. Basically, the butcher puts the pot on the scale, then zeros it out, and then fills it with chicken, and the scale only registers the weight of the chicken. Oh, and my cloth Ecobags have the tare weight printed right on the label, so I can just show it to the cashier when checking out.

The point is that many stores that sell food in bulk bins have ways to deduct the weight of the container. You just have to find out what method they use before you buy.

Item #4: Last week, I was happy to be interviewed for a cool project that my friend Manuel is working on to find out what happens to Bay Area recycling. You can listen to the Interview here on BlogTalk Radio or read a condensed version of the interview on the Spot.us web site.

Item #5: Oh, nevermind. This one had to do with Adam Lambert, "Beth I Hear You Calling," and how to get Michael to wear guyliner. Not really appropriate for Fake Plastic Fish, so forget I mentioned it. (But seriously, you should have seen me spastically flapping my arms in the air Wednesday night as Adam sang to me.)

Have a great weekend. See you on Tuesday with a double plastic tally.

Bulk Bins: If you had them, would you use them?

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Thu, 21 May 2009 15:00:00 +0000

When I talk about buying in bulk, I'm not talking about huge containers of dried oregano from Costco or massive bags of chips. I am talking about this...

Rows of bins containing pasta, beans, grains, flour, sugar, chips, dried fruit, cereal, and sometimes tofu, peanut butter, olive oil, and personal care products like shampoo or soap, from which you can fill up your own reusable bags and containers, eliminating packaging waste. Last Week, Chicago blogger Jeanne from Life Less Plastic wrote about being envious of San Francisco Bay Area stores that provide so many of these bulk options.

But even here in the Bay Area, we could use more bulk options. Just this week, I wrote to a co-president at Whole Foods asking that they expand their bulk section to match some of the other bulk food stores in the region. (I asked, of course, for my own selfish reasons. Whole Foods is closer to me than Berkeley Bowl, the king of bulk in the East Bay.)

And then I got to thinking... if Whole Foods did expand their bulk offerings, would shoppers buy? And would they bring their own containers and bags? We have such opportunities to live with less packaging out here, and yet I still see so many customers buying their granola in boxes (with plastic inside) or choosing olives in a jar vs. the olive bar or plastic bags of dried fruit. And of the folks I see buying from the bulk bins, most are taking new plastic bags each time rather than bringing their own reusable bags or containers from home. Why is this?

Two reasons come to mind. The first is convenience. Bringing your own containers requires forethought. You have to plan your shopping trip and bring the appropriate containers with you. One woman I met at Berkeley Bowl had an ingenious system. She told me all about her "plastic bag file" in which she files her plastic bags in alphabetical order (based on what product she puts in that bag) and brings the same bags back to the store to refill with the same product each time. That way, she doesn't have to wash them as often. For instance, why rinse out her white flour bag when she's just going to refill it with white flour each time? I've started a version of this, keeping the labels on my glass jars and bringing them back for prunes, trail mix, couscous, etc.

Well, this washing or lack of washing brings me to the second reason consumers might avoid bulk bins... the perception that they are not sanitary. Some bins are located up high and have an opening on the bottom, under which you hold your bag or container to catch the food as it runs out. These are probably the most hygienic since human hands never touch the food in the bin. But the bins lower down are another matter. These are the ones where you measure out your portion with a big scoop or tongs, and into which you could stick your whole hand if you wanted to. And I think these are the ones that freak some people out.

I'm not really worried. Certainly not about food that is going to be cooked anyway. Dry pasta? Rice? Beans? Go ahead and run your grubby hands all over them. They're going to be boiled! But what about my prunes? Not going to cook them. And not going to wash them as I would fresh produce. I guess I just choose to assume most people will be responsible, and I don't worry about it too much. Should I? I'm not the best example of health, what with all the illnesses I've picked up this last winter, but I attribute those more to lack of sleep and burning the candle at both ends than buying food from bulk bins.

What do you think?

Do you have these kinds of options for buying with less packaging in your area? Have you checked to see what's available?

If you do have some bulk bins available, do you use them? Why or why not?

If you do, do you bring your own bags or containers? Why or why not?

I'd love to be able to ask for more options in bulk, but it won't happen if we don't support them.

My Kids -- The Joy and the Plastic: A Guest Post from Amber Strocel

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:00:00 +0000

The following is a guest post by blogger Amber Strocel who contends with child-related plastic. She's found quite a few plastic-free alternatives and would like to hear your suggestions for ways to further reduce.

I'm Amber, and I'm a married mom living in Metro Vancouver, Canada. I am a big fan of Fake Plastic Fish, so I am very excited to write a guest post! You can normally find me on my own blog at Strocel.com where I write a lot about my life in the suburbs with my two beautiful children. My daughter Hannah is four years old, and baby Jacob is 9 months. They are the light of my life, the source of great joy, the apple of my eye. All that good stuff. They also use a lot of plastic. Potty chairs, car seats, baby bathtubs, dishes, toys, the list is more than a little overwhelming.

I've always been environmentally conscious, or at least moderately so. I didn't have many concerns with plastic in particular, though, until April of 2008. At that time Health Canada, a very main-stream government agency that advises Canadians on health issues, announced that it would be banning the use of bisphenol A from baby bottles and formula cans. Bisphenol A is a chemical found in certain types of plastic. I was pregnant at the time, and I had a 3-year-old. I certainly didn't want to expose my baby or my preschooler to a potentially harmful substance. I also wondered what other chemicals might be found in the plastic items we used every day. The items my children love to play with and suck on.

My daughter Hannah puts a plastic toy in her mouth
When the announcement came about bisphenol A I had already been taking steps to reduce my plastic consumption, along with my consumption in general. I was using cloth shopping bags, for example, and cutting back on packaged and processed foods. I also breastfeed, which eliminates formula cans, baby bottles, and associated plastic. To further reduce our plastic use I decided to get rid of our bottled water delivery and drink tap water, and I bought stainless steel water bottles and sippy cups. I started buying milk in glass bottles. When the kid's plastic cutlery wore out I didn't replace them, and instead bought some small stainless steel spoons to use with the baby.

The potty - an example of the plastic baby gear that fills my home
The most significant reduction I made in disposable plastic happened when I decided to use cloth diapers and wipes on my son. The disposable diapers and wipes I used with my daughter generated a lot of garbage. We used a diaper disposal system that twisted dirty diapers into long diaper sausages wrapped in scented plastic film. The 'refill packs' of plastic film were large, made of plastic, and non-recyclable. And of course there was the packaging and all that jazz that came with the diapers and supplies.

Baby Jacob and the pail to hold his cloth diapers
Even as I was working to reduce plastic, though, my preschooler was acquiring more. At 4 my daughter is very familiar with popular children's characters, and loves them deeply. She also loves plastic toys that make noise and light up. These toys are very appealing and I would have loved them as a 4-year-old, too. Hannah is not shy about telling everyone she wants a singing doll or a trip to a fast food restaurant with its accompanying free toy. And her adoring relatives just want to make her happy.

A pile of cheap plastic toys
My daughter's love of plastic leaves me feeling conflicted. How can I strike a reasonable balance? I fear that if I take the hard line it will just mean years of therapy later. Laying the weight of the world's problems at the feet of a 4-year-old doesn't exactly seem fair. On the other hand, when I look at the packaging that comes with a single plastic doll, which is quickly broken and ends up in the garbage, I feel a little ill. This is not an ethic I want to support. In fact, producing mounds of cheap plastic using dubious manufacturing standards is exactly what got us into our present environmental mess.

We also have plastic baby gates
I think a lot of parents struggle with the question of how to impart their values to their children in a balanced and reasonable way. Especially when the children are too young to really understand the bigger picture. For now I have decided that I will do my best to be a good example. I will work to reduce the plastic we consume, as well as the plastic we give to others. I will choose sustainably and ethically manufactured toys, made from natural materials. I will explain my choices to my children in age-appropriate ways. And I will understand if my children's grandparents really want to gift them with a special toy. In the long run, I hope that my example is what they will remember, long after the cheap plastic toys have died.

But if anyone has a better suggestion for getting rid of the cheap plastic stuff that litters our house, I am all ears.

Leatherback Sea Turtle friends Plastic Sea Monster at Bay to Breakers 2009 and both win!

beth@fakeplasticfish.com (Fake Plastic Fish) — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:00:00 +0000

No plastic tally this week. Didn't have time or energy to do it Sunday after WINNING THE COSTUME CONTEST AT THE 2009 BAY TO BREAKERS!

(I'll add last week's plastic to my next tally.)

Eli Saddler of Oceanhealth.org and I participated as a leatherback sea turtle and the plastic that kills it in an effort to bring awareness to the problems of plastic in the ocean and encourage Bay to Breakers attendees to bring their own bottles... next time. Mostly, we just had fun. Well, I did. Eli was sweating buckets in his sea turtle costume made of polar fleece from recycled plastic bottles. Who knew the weather in San Francisco would suddenly be so warm?

Click the above image to see our costumes up close. Here's a short video of the day. We had a blast, and winning in the "Green" division of the costume contest is worth the sunburn I've got now. (And yes, I had my sunscreen with me, and no I didn't remember to apply it until too late.)

Click here to see the video full-sized or if you are reading this post via email or reader.

Some things you might be wondering...

1) Beth, how do you buy plastic-free sunscreen? I don't. I gave up and bought a plastic tube of Alba Botanica fragrance-free mineral sunscreen, which is 7% titanium dioxide and free of parabens and nanoparticles. Of course, the plastic isn't really worth it if I forget to put it on until after I'm already burned, huh?

2) Beth, how did you securely attach all those plastic pieces to your costume to ensure you didn't leave a trail of plastic behind you on the route? With plastic, friends. Plastic fishing line and plastic strapping tape, all of which I already had in the house. No new plastic was purchased to make this costume.

3) Really? What about the plastic fish hanging from your helmet? Freecycle and thrift shops. Like I said, no new plastic.

4) What about the plastic bottles, cups, and straws? I don't remember seeing those in your plastic tally. I had a grand time the day before collecting plastic from the streets of Oakland. I wanted my costume to truly reflect the most common types of plastic waste, especially the cold drink cups and straws that are ubiquitous at Starbucks this time of year. Sad that I was able to find the stuff so easily, huh?

5) What's a leatherback sea turtle? I thought Eli looked like a dinosaur. Or a cockroach. Nope, he looks like a leatherback sea turtle, which is different from the green sea turtles you may be thinking of. Leatherback shells can be 6 feet wide. In fact, Eli tells me they are the world's largest reptiles (or something like that.) And sadly, they die from eating plastic that they have mistaken for food.

6) Were you able to stay hydrated without resorting to bottled water? Almost. Eli had his reusable bottle and I had my reusable travel mug. I filled up at a cafe along the route. But once in the park, water stations serving Crystal Geyser from large plastic bottles were the only option, and I did fill up once from one of those bottles. I believe Eli made it the whole way plastic-free. Then, we celebrated with overpriced beer from the festival, served to us in our mug and water bottle.

We are wondering why the water stations used large bottles of water instead of larger jugs to save on waste. We're going to suggest this change for next year. And in the video, you'll see the thousands of paper cups (lined with plastic, of course) littering the raceway. This is a pretty common sight at all foot races, and I don't know if there is a solution, especially when the weather is as hot as it was on Sunday.

7) Did you really wear that costume to and from the race on BART? Yep! And I'd do it again. Luckily, I hadn't attached anything hard to the back of the costume, so I was able to sit down. Riding in to San Francisco in the morning, I was just one among many costumed freaks. Coming home was another matter. I gave the tourists something to talk about over dinner.

8) What about Michael? Did he participate? Of course! He ran it in under an hour and was finished before Eli and I had even started up the Hayes Street Hill. And if you're going to ask how we managed on the Hayes Street Hill, just don't. We're not talking about it.