Packaging Design at It’s Worst

Poor packaging design and ridiculous examples of over-packaging come in all shapes and sizes, but it doesn’t get much worse than these individually-wrapped bananas, complete with plastic shrink-wrap and (very non-biodegradable) polystyrene, spied in a U.K. grocery store.

See the slide show on TreeHugger.

What you can do;

Make or buy muslin bags for produce.

I made shopping bags out of old silk clothing; it’s very strong, but folds up very small, so I can keep one in my purse.

A nutrition client of mine lost 85 pounds, she was kind enough to give me some old, beautiful linen dresses, they made awesome shopping bags. I incorporated some of the pleats and embroidery that was part of the clothing;

More on BPA

As if you need more reasons to ditch BPA… YourTotalHealth.com reported today:

"The latest study, from Harvard School of Public Health, shows just how quickly the compound goes from bottles to bodies. College students drank from hard plastic polycarbonate bottles made with BPA. Levels of the compound in urine rose by two thirds in a week"

Read more here. (Then go check the plastics still in your cupboards.)

Use glass to store food in; Pyrex with BPA free plastic tops are my fave, stainless steel is great. Don’t buy food in cans or plastic bottles!

Stay Away From Dryer Sheets!

From Trying To Be Greener

 Doing laundry is a real pain in the neck, and I mean that literally. I live in an apartment building and use a laundry room in the basement. Because I have to haul a big bag of clothes to do this, I only do this chore once a week (which makes the bag even heavier I guess). I go up and down to change the clothes from washer to dryer and then haul them up when they’re done. When the job is done, I get a great sense of satisfaction knowing everything is clean and I don’t have to do it again until next week.

Well, I didn’t get that feeling of satisfaction yesterday because after I dumped out my clean clothes on the bed to put them away, an artificial perfume smell began to permeate from the bag. It hit me right away – I must have missed a dryer sheet that someone else left in one of the dryers!

You may think I’m over-reacting but I was so angry and still am. It’s all I smell now in my apartment. I started using Seventh Generation Baby Detergent right before my daughter was born. There’s no fragrance in it at all and I’ve really gotten used to my clothes smelling like nothing. Now all I smell is artificial fragrance which many companies use to hide the chemical smell in dryer sheets.

Here’s some of what can be typically found in dryer sheets and what these chemicals have been linked to:

• Benzyl acetate: Linked to pancreatic cancer
• Benzyl Alcohol: Upper respiratory tract irritant
• Ethanol: On the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list and can cause central nervous system disorders
• Limonene: Suspected Gastrointestinal or Liver Toxicant, Immunotoxicant,
  Kidney Toxicant, Neurotoxicant, Respiratory Toxicant, and Skin or Sense Organ Toxicant
• A-Terpineol: Can cause respiratory problems, including fatal edema, and central nervous system damage
• Ethyl Acetate: A narcotic on the EPA’s Hazardous Waste list
• Camphor: Causes central nervous system disorders
• Chloroform: Neurotoxic, anesthetic and carcinogenic
• Linalool: A narcotic that causes central nervous system disorders
• Pentane: A chemical known to be harmful if inhaled

Health effects from being exposed to the chemicals in fabric softeners include:

• Central nervous system disorders 
• Headaches 
• Nausea 
• Vomiting 
• Dizziness 
• Blood pressure reduction 
• Irritation to skin, mucus membranes and respiratory tract 
• Pancreatic cancer

If you’d like to make your clothes softer, choose instead the wonder products – vinegar or baking soda. Just add a quarter cup of either of them to the wash cycle the next time you do laundry. Then you can enjoy the sweet smell of nothing.

Sun Chips Packaging Goes Green

I perform Food Demos for a marketing company part time and the other day I did a demo for Sun Chips. As you know, I am NOT a proponent of eating junk food..everyone should eat a diet of whole food, not food out of bags, boxes or cans. But junk food isn’t going away.  What a great day it would be if everyone ate whole foods and not processed ones. But we know that foods like Sun Chips aren’t going away any time soon.

They are now advertizing that their bags now will be completely compostable by Earth Day 2010. The bags will be made from polyastic acid, or PLA, and will compost in 12-16 weeks at temperatures over 55 degrees F. 

Many products like these are consumed around the planet daily. This is at least a step in a better direction and perhaps it will prompt other companies to implement similar packaging with their own products.

I’m Speechless (and you know THAT doesn’t happen often!!)

The other day I saw a commercial that made my mouth drop open. Clorox Bleach ran a commercial saying to wash your baby’s bottles and toys in a mixture of water and Clorox to disinfect them. What?!!!

As you probably know by now, I am an extremely radical environmentalist, it is very very rare for me to use a commercial product that contains harmful chemicals.  But there are times that I have to use bleach, but on baby toys???????  

Soap and water works fine to clean with!  If something needs disinfecting baking soda and vinegar work beautifully!  Lavender oil is a natural disinfectant, also.

Stay informed and help ban BPA

Recently Coca-Cola, Campbell’s, Del Monte and other manufacturers of canned foods and beverages, met to come up with a public relations and lobbying strategy to stop the government from banning the use of Bisphenol-A, or BPA, from being used in the linings of metal lids and cans. The level they’re willing to stoop will shock you.

BPA is an endocrine disruptor which mimics estrogen. It has been shown to cause impaired brain and neurological functions, testicular and breast cancer, chromosomal and reproductive system abnormalities, early puberty, adult-onset diabetes, and obesity and resistance to chemotherapy. It can be found in some plastics with recycling code “7″, the lining of canned drinks and foods except for Eden Organics’ canned beans, canned baby formula, the lining of baby food jars, some plastic reusable water bottles, and some baby bottles (for a list of BPA-free baby bottles and other plastic baby items, click here). Canada and Suffolk County in New York have banned BPA in baby bottles and other states plan to follow suit.

Safer States is group of environmental health coalitions and organizations that works to protect citizens from toxic threats, such as lead, PBDEs, phthalates, and bisphenol A, at a state level. They believe a national chemical policy reform is urgently needed; however, they aren’t standing by waiting for it. Their site will keep you up to date with studies, new locations, and places where these toxic chemicals are being banned. Their site also has a link for you to easily contact members of congress and ask them to ban BPA from food and beverage containers.

Chocolate- How to Love It Even More- (if that’s possible!)

People who know me know that I love chocolate.  Not a little, but a lot.  So much so, that if my house were burning and I had time to grab only one thing before I headed for safety, I might waste a moment or two trying to decide if I should bring my chocolate stash with me.  Yes, that’s how much I love the product of the cocoa bean.  (Don’t worry, my children always come first in my priorities!)

If you’re reading this blog, the chances are that you are looking for ways to live a bit greener.  Maybe you’re new to this or maybe you’re an eco pro.  Either way, I’m going to talk about three different ways you can make a difference with your chocolate consumption.

Chocolate Tip #1:  Go local

In my mind, one of the best ways to be environmentally friendly is to be a locavore.  I shop locally — local stores owned by local citizens — whenever I can.  Are you lucky enough to have a locally-owned gourmet chocolate shop?   If so, shop there. Personally, I have tried to do this, but I only know of Peterbrook’s Chocolate locally and I cannot stand thier chocolate.

Chocolate Tip #2:  Go organic

Organic chocolate was grown with no pesticides or chemical fertilizers, which means a safer and healthier Planet Earth and a safer and healthier YOU.  And, if you choose organic chocolate, chances are that it is also Fair Trade chocolate, which means that the farmers growing the cocoa beans were paid living wages and worked in safe conditions.

Chocolate Tip #3:  Be wise

What if you need chocolate right now and there are no local or organic options?  Then make some smart choices.

I personally don’t buy  chocolate made by Hershey’s and Nestle because I have issues with some of their corporate practices.  Instead, I prefer Cadbury’s and Ghirardelli. What you do or not buy is up to you, but if you’re committed to making a change to benefit Planet Earth, do your research.  Find out where different companies buy their cocoa beans.  If they buy from Central America, do they buy Fair Trade cocoa beans?  Or do they get their cocoa beans from the Ivory Coast, which has a sordid history of human rights violations and use of child labor in the cocoa industry.

If you follow just one of the tips above part of the time, you’ll be making a difference while still eating delicious chocolate. For more information on organic and Fair Trade chocolates, click here.

As you can imagine, I have some favorites.  Okay, that’s an understatement, but here is a list of my five favorite chocolates that are either 100% or partially organic or the companies have corporate ethics that I admire.

• 
• Newman’s Own Organics — From signature gourmet chocolate bars to peanut butter cups to Newman-O’s, these yummy treats are certified organic.  Plus, we all know that Newman’s Own and Newman’s Own Organics give their net profits to charity.  So you’re doing a good thing when you eat NOO chocolate!
• Whole Foods — Like most grocery stores, Whole Foods has its own in-store brands; unlike most grocery stores, these chocolates are made with organic ingredients.  Try the truffles, you won’t be disappointed.
• Vosges — Vosges makes a variety of gourmet treats.
• Green & Black Chocolates–  The Maya Gold Bar is my fave!!

So that’s the skinny on chocolate from an eco-friendly chocoholic!  If anyone else has any recommendations, please leave them in the comments so that we can all give them a try.

Easy Ways to Go Green

1. Make Repairs
   Why throw away something that costs $50 dollars when you can repair it for $15?  Fix-it shops which have long been on the brink of extinction are seeing a resurgence. Repairing your gear is a lot greener than replacing it, because it uses fewer resources. You’ll also save a bundle of money, especially if you take the time to repair things yourself.
2. Energy-Efficiency
   You don’t have to buy solar panels to reduce your electric bills. Doing small things, like using CFL light bulbs, putting padded drapes, insulated blinds, plastic, or bubble wrap over the windows, turning off lights, putting appliances on power-saver mode, sewing draft snakes and a host of other cheap solutions will save you a few hundred dollars a year.
3. Water Conservation
   The water that flows to you home comes at a price. Reducing the amount of water you use, will reduce the amount of money you spend. Don’t flush every time, build and use a sawdust toilet, use organic soaps and re-use that grey water for the flowers outside, don’t water your grass.
4. Gas Mileage
   Simple things like keeping your tires inflated, taking heavy objects out of the car and not letting your car idle are all eco-friendly ways to reduce emissions. They will also save you money. Use a bike!
5. Renting/Borrowing/Buying Used
   Do you really need a brand-new copy of 50 First Dates? I mean, how many times do you need to watch it to make it worth $24.99? A movie ticket doesn’t even cost that much? You can watch movies online through NetFlix or you can find them used for a fraction of the price. You can also just borrow a copy from a friend and spend no money.
6. Make Your Own
   Why buy it when you can make your own? You can make your own shampoo, your own sawdust toilet or just about anything if you put your mind to it.
7. Reuse
   Why throw it in the trash bin if you can put it to practical use? You can reuse almost anything!
8. Home-Cooked Meals
   You can make a meal from scratch rather than buying a prepackaged one. Most meals are cheap if you make them out of their base materials, and you will be able to make more for less. It’s also healthier than buying a lot of that processed junk.
9. Drink Tap Water
   A filter on your tap is a relatively cheap investment. It reduces waste significantly. And if you’re drinking five or so bottles of water a day, it will yield significant savings. You can also just drink straight from the tap with no filter, and you’ll probably be fine. I mean, if there is a health problem with your water, your water provider is legally obligated to inform you.
10. Alternative Travel
    Traveling by plane is expensive, it’s also not that great for the environment. Not vacationing, vacationing locally or taking the Greyhound and in some cases the train are all less expensive and eco-friendly ways to travel.

You don’t have to buy anything to go green. You just have to put in a little effort.