Mindful Momma

Links to Make You Think....About Plastic

Someone asked me recently what the most difficult green change was for me to make.  I told her it was using less plastic. I'm hyper-aware of all the plastic I buy even when I try not to.  Today's trip to the grocery included a big plastic tub of yogurt, a chunk of watermelon wrapped in plastic, cheese wrapped in plastic, a whole chicken wrapped in plastic...it goes on and on.

I'm not going to spend a lot of time beating myself up about it (I did bring my own shopping and produce bags!) but while I'm on the topic of plastic, here are some more ideas to ponder...

Plastic-Free Farmer's Markets?  Beth from Fake Plastic Fish wrote an article for BlogHer about the prevalence of plastic at farmer's markets.  She talks about how ironic it is to go to a market to get fresh, local food and then to come home with so much plastic packaging.  Fortunately for Beth, a number of farmer's markets near her (California, Bay Area) are going plastic-free.  But what about the rest of us?  Is your local farmer's market plastic-free?  If not, do you bring your own bags? 

The case of the disappearing plastic bag.  Have you ever had mail arrive at your house wrapped in a plastic bag?  It's annoying enough to get junk mail but even worse when there is wasteful packaging involved.  A solution to this problem may lie with a new 'plastic' material that dissolves completely in water!  Apparently it's non-toxic and will also readily biodegrade in your compost pile if you choose not to melt it in the sink.  (I know what my kids would choose to do!)  Read more about it on Treehugger.

Pepsi Bags.  I don't have a link for this one, but I'm wondering what you think of this:  Apparently Pepsi has partnered with Envirosax to produce reusable bags that are made from recycled Pepsi bottles.  Is this a good idea or greenwashing at its finest?

Fun things to do with plastic.  EcoEtsy has some good tips for using fewer plastic bags AND links to some super-cute ornaments and hair pins made out of crocheted plastic bags!

{photo credits:  Fake Plastic Fish and EcoEtsy}

Conserving Resources with the Green Moms

When I proposed the topic of conserving resources for this month's carnival, I knew it was pretty broad and somewhat tricky to define.  The term conservation originally referred to the management of natural resources and the preservation of wilderness areas but many now see it as an ethic of resource use that includes materials and energy conservation.  One thing I knew for sure was that the gals of the Green Moms Carnival would know how to slice and dice this meaty topic and turn it into something we could all learn from!

As I read through the posts they fell into two natural buckets:  1.)  Conserving energy and our natural resources and 2.)  Conserving materials through what we choose to buy.

Conserving Energy and Natural Resources

Alline from Ecovillage Musings shares the realities of what it's like to live completely off the grid.  Come take a virtual tour of Dancing Rabbit ecovillage and learn some great tips on how to conserve - even if you don't have your own wind turbine!

Linda from Citizen Green writes about the benefits of using the power of the sun to dry your clothes.  Her post includes lots of great tips for how to be a successful "hanger outer" including how to position things on the line for best results.  And if you must use the dryer, she's got some good ideas for how to conserve energy there too.

Katie from Kitchen Stewardship challenges us to make a conscious effort to conserve energy while cooking and baking and shares her top 10 tips for how to make it happen. 

Diane from Big Green Purse reminds us that our country's wilderness areas are critical to preserve.  These untouched, open spaces not only provide habitat for endangered species but also give us a place to escape our crazy, busy lives.  Diane shows how we can use our feet, our voice and our purse to help protect the wilderness!

La Mama Naturale from Recycle Your Day discusses the meaning of conservation and the little things that each and every one of us can do to conserve our natural resources.

Jenn from Puddle Jumping takes us back to the colonial days to remind us what conserving resources used to entail and then brings us back to the present to discuss what Congress is doing on the energy front and the personal steps she has taken to combat global warming. 

When I think about conserving resources I typically think about tangible things like specific ways to save energy or using less of some certain product.  Karen from Best of Mother Earth looked at it differently.  In her carnival post she talks about the importance of conserving her OWN energy in order to be more efficient and balanced in her life.  It's smart thinking and something we can all learn from! 

Conserving Materials

"So, what's the best way to conserve resources? Stop buying and stop using stuff."  That's what Deanna from Crunchy Chicken has to say. She admits that it's not very sexy but using less of everything goes a lot farther than replacing one thing for another.  P.S.  Be sure to read the comments on Crunchy's post - her readers have a lot to say on this topic.

Beth of Fake Plastic Fish fame steps beyond her usual realm of all things plastic and takes a hard look at conserving resources in the rest of her life.  She talks about avoiding food waste, taking care of her own waist and more...

Michelle aka Green Bean from The Green Phone Booth had a dilemma.  She couldn't think what to write on the topic of conserving resources.  So she took a break to stir her homemade pasta sauce and take a peek at her garden.  As she reflected on her day filled with cooking, gardening, carpooling and reusing, she realized that her life is resource FULL!!

McMilker from The Not Quite Crunchy Parent is sick of all the unhealthy, individually packaged snacks handed out at kids sporting events.  She's got plenty of ideas for how to improve on the nutrition front but she's looking for help getting past the waste issue.  Let her know how you handle the soccer snack dilemma! 

Anna from Green Talk has had it up to here with school supply lists!!  She shares tips for extending the life of supplies you already have and gives recommendations for how schools can reduce paper waste throughout the year.

School lunch reform is what's on the mind of Lynn from OrganicMania.  Not just improving the food but reducing the waste generated by the school lunch system.  She talks about her own experience with school waste at her son's school and also gives us the scoop on meeting Chef Ann Cooper - "The Renegade Lunch Lady"!! 

A change in a recycling program in Portland caused Heather from EnviroMom to rethink her purchases of products that come in those crinkly plastic bags, like cereal, tortilla chips and pasta.  Since these bags can no longer be recycled in her area, she suggests some earth-friendly alternatives.

Lisa from Condo Blues realizes that there are many shades of green and she doesn't claim to be the greenest gal on the planet.  But she does share some kick-butt tips for reducing household trash.  Read 'em and see what you can do to conserve in your own home!

Here's another challenge from Kitchen Stewardship:  use less aluminum foil by thinking twice before you pull it out of the drawer and using it more than once when you do.

When I read the post from Lisa at Retro Housewife Goes Green I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at her creative illustration of just what's wrong with our consumer culture.  See for yourself...

Finally, here's my post about how I try to turn off my "I want" button by following the Less is More shopping mantra. 

What does conservation mean to you and how do you conserve resources in your own life?  Please share - we all have more to learn!! 

(Looking ahead....the next Green Moms Carnival (for October) is on Green Standards and will be hosted by Mary from In Women We Trust.  You may submit posts to greenmomscarnival@gmail.com )

Adopt-a-River Trash Sculpture

Each year for the Minnesota State Fair, the DNR commissions an artist to create a sculpture from trash picked up through their Adopt-a-River program.  All year long, volunteers collect trash found along the shorelines of Minnesota's rivers.  Between 1989 and 2007, over 5 million pounds of rubbish have been removed.  Sad but true.

Camp Crafts

My son came home with this from camp yesterday....a catching game made from a plastic bottle with a bit of tin-foil for a ball. 

 

Which reminds me - if you're looking for some harmless entertainment - it's a great time of year to make a plastic bottle bubble-maker!!

 

Do you have any other plastic bottle craft ideas?  Please share!

Quick & Easy Reuse Tip: Crayon Holders

We've been reorganizing the kids' rooms lately and I needed some dividers for crayons, markers and pencils for desk drawers.  I remembered that I had saved some plastic 'to-go' containers from a restaurant visit awhile back.  It did the trick!

  

Eco-Confessions!!

When I heard that the topic for the Green Mom's Carnival this month was Eco-Confessions I laughed out loud!  Sometimes I think that should be the name of my blog!  There are so many things that I think I should do or could be better at...it's not funny. 

But I have to remind myself that I'm really not an always kind of person.  In fact, the word never is not a part of my vocabulary.  I'm more of a middle-of-the-roader and I like it that way, thank you very much.  I'm mindful of my impact on the environment...but not obsessed about it.  I read a great article awhile back about people who are taking green to the extreme and driving their families nuts!!  I'm proud to say - that's not me!  

But in the spirit of 'fessing up', here are the eco-confessions that are top of mind today:

• driving instead of biking - to kids soccer games for instance, or the YMCA which is only a few blocks away

• plastic produce bags - at the grocery store (just can't seem to get in the habit of bringing mine very often)

• non-recycled paper products - if I run out of TP and I'm at Target, I pick up the virgin stuff instead of making a separate stop to get recycled.  (Target - why oh why don't you carry recycled?)

• long showers - but oh how I love me my showers! 

• food in plastic containers - try as I might to avoid them, plastic containers keep sneaking into my house 

• paper towels - yes I use them, but only for the messiest of messes

• disposable wipes - only in the bathroom.  I have two young boys so I hope you'll understand. :)

I try hard not to feel guilty about my eco-sins...but sometimes it's hard not to be when I read about the amazing efforts of people like Beth at Fake Plastic Fish who buys little to no plastic or Crunchy Chicken who has been known to water her plants with her own urine.  I regard them as eco-superheros - a great example to us all - but not your average green Jane.

What's your approach to green living?  Are you a green superstar?  Do you lament your eco-sins daily? Or are you a middle grounder like me? 

This is my entry for the Green Moms Carnival hosted this month by Jenn at The Green Parent.  Stop by her blog next week to read more eco-confessions!!

Little Things Do Count

You may not think much about the packaging of the mundane household and beauty products that you buy every once in awhile.  But on the large production scale of major manufacturers - little changes count...A LOT!

Take this example:  Burt's Bees recently stopped putting plastic shrink wrap around their lip balms and lip shimmers.  In just one year, they've eliminated 1800 miles of shrink wrap film - that's enough to wrap around the statue of liberty 100 times!

What's the Scoop on Compostable Plastics?

I'm sitting here with an empty takeout container on my desk...wondering what the heck to do with it.  I picked up a salad at my favorite neighborhood cafe and it came in this container labeled "This container is made from corn and is 100% compostable."  It's a material called PLA (polylactic acid) and comes from a company called NatureWorks.

My first thought was GREAT!! - I'm so happy to see an alternative to the usual plastic takeout containers (most of which can not be recycled in our municipal recycling program)!!! 

But my elation was short-lived.  I thought I could just toss it into my home compost pile, but it turns out that these containers are really only compostable under commercial compost conditions (where they will break down in 45 to 60 days).  Since I don't have access to a commercial compost facility....what should I do with this thing?

As I see it, here are my options:

• Recycle It- I was tempted to just toss the container into my recycling bin, assuming that 'they' would know what to do with it.  But I looked into it and found out that PLA is currently NOT recyclable and in fact can contaminate the recycling process if it gets mixed in with PET plastic bottles (which can be recycled.)  When PLA is found in recycling centers it is simply tossed into a landfill or burned...but not composted. 
• Compost It  - Just for kicks - I might just throw the container into my own home compost pile to see what happens.  Problem is, I don't use a compost tumbler or anything - I just have a big compost heap.  And I really don't want my backyard to look like the neighborhood dump.
• Reuse It - I will probably reuse the container a few times (for cold foods or maybe for something else around the house) but it is not a very durable container so I doubt it will last long.
• Toss It- Ultimately, this thing is going into the garbage can.  Sad, huh?  To make things worse, PLA exudes methane (a potent greenhouse gas) when it decomposes in the landfill. 

What's the solution?  Uhhhh...don't buy takeout?  That's not a practical solution for most of us but we can do our best to use less of it.  Beth from Fake Plastic Fish (who is hosting this month's carnival on plastics) is the only person I know who actually brings her own stainless steel container to the store to fill up with food.  She's setting a great example.  Ten years ago who would have thought we'd all be carrying our own bags to the grocery store?  Bringing our own takeout containers could be the next big grocery revolution!

Please visit Beth's site later this month NOW to read more lively discussions about plastic from the gals at the Green Mom's Carnival.  You may think plastic is a boring topic, but I guarantee you'll learn something you didn't know and something that impacts your daily life...most likely with a dose of humor thrown in for good measure.

The PVC-Free Bathroom Remodel

Your big bathroom remodel may have to wait in these rough economic times.  But that doesn't mean you can't give your bath some sprucing up.  A little PVC-free redecorating will brighten your bath and be good for your health as well. 

PVC, the "poison plastic" tends to sneak it's way into our bathrooms without our permission.  To avoid subjecting your family to those nasty fumes, check the label before you buy bathroom accessories that just might be made with PVC. 

Shower curtains and liners- PVC is ubiquitous in the shower curtain department.  Your best defense is to buy a shower curtain made from a natural material instead of plastic.  If you must use a plastic shower curtain, consider picking one up at Ikea.  They have a great selection of shower curtains made from PEVA - a chlorine-free plastic that is a safer alternative to PVC.   If you're up for ordering on-line, VitaFutura has some fun graphic designs.

I've got a machine washable cotton shower curtain but there's no avoiding plastic when it comes to the liner.  I picked up my liner from Ikea but Target sells PVC-free shower liners made from EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) as well.    

Bath rugs - Many bath rugs have a non-stick backing made of PVC.  Look for rugs with a natural latex backing instead like this one from Target.   Or pick up an organic cotton rug without a non-stick backing at all - like these from West Elm.

Bath toys - I'm not going to reinvent the wheel here.  The Soft Landing did a great review of PVC-free bath toys.  Click on over to their site for more!

Gimme 5

   

Woo hoo!  Finally a place to recycle plastic yogurt tubs!!  Whole Foods has started a program for recycling #5 plastics by partnering with Preserve (best known for their recycled plastic toothbrushes),Organic Valley and Stonyfield Organic.  

The program is called Gimme 5 and it is still in the pilot stage but I just discovered that it is up and running here in the Twin Cities!  Check here for a list of all participating locations! 

Bring in your yogurt tubs, cottage cheese containers, medicine bottles and even Brita water filters  - just look for the #5 on the bottom.

FYI - One of my blogging friends, Beth of Fake Plastic Fish was influential in getting Brita filters included in the program through her Take Back the Filter campaign!  Rock on Beth!!