BBC Blog Network

User Profile

FakePlasticFish

Listed below are comments made by FakePlasticFish between Wednesday, 27th August 2008 and Tuesday, 2nd September 2008.

«Newer
Older»

Back to plastic? 04:35am on 02 Sep 2008 Yogurt is very, very easy to make yourself without a special yogurt-maker. You just need a thermometer and a Thermos. Here are details of my successful attempt. I got this recipe from Melanie Rimmer at Bean Sprouts, a blog you should check out if you haven't yet.
Top tips from plastic-free bloggers 09:49am on 31 Aug 2008 #2 In my neck of the woods (San Francisco Bay Area) we have many artisan bakeries that sell fresh bread in paper rather than plastic. And yes, while paper is also a resource we need to conserve, at least it's recyclable or compostable at the end of its useful life, unlike plastic which is only possibly "downcyclable."

While baking and cooking your own food can be satisfying in so many great ways, I do agree that from a purely waste standpoint, it's not always the most efficient. The packaging for the small quantities of ingredients we each buy to cook at home adds up to a lot more waste than the bulk packaging that commercial operations buy.

UNLESS we can buy ingredients from bulk bins where we bring our own reusable containers. I'm sure that Life Less Plastic is buying flour and other bread-making ingredients without any packaging waste at all.
In the bathroom cabinet 09:06am on 27 Aug 2008 #18 idontmuchbut

You wrote, "It's also worth pointing out at this point that typically plastic containers vs. glass containers offer a 20% lower carbon footprint." and "We have all stressed the need for consideration of the wider impacts in our quest to reduce weight. Just because glass feels like it must be better environmentally does not make it so."

I fear that these days many people are so focused on global warming and lowering our carbon footprint that they overlook many other environmental hazards in the quest to reduce weight and transport costs.

But plastic comes with a host of other environmental problems: non-biodegradability, the fact that it attracts and accumulates oil-based pollutants, and the leaching of toxic additives, to name just a few.

If glass is heavier and therefore requires more energy to ship, then instead of switching to plastic, we ought to reduce the amount of products we consume in the first place. And we should focus on finding as many locally-produced items as possible. Let's not simply substitute one environmental problem for another!

And Chris, I just want to weigh in on shaving and deodorant!

1) Baking soda really, truly works as a deodorant! I've been using it for months and actually have experienced less odor than previously using deodorant! Don't be afraid! :-) Plus, it's a lot cheaper than Lush deodorant bars or alum crystals.

2) I do shave... but not with plastic! I use a metal safety razor and double-edge blades. I purchased the razor in an antique shop, but you can still buy them new online or used on eBay. And I bought a box of 100 blades from a guy on eBay. These blades last a very, very long time. And the box was just simple cardboard. If you're interested, I'll dig up his contact info.

Oh, and metal safety razors aren't scary either!

Cheers.

Beth

«Newer
Older»

^ Back to top

BBC MMVI

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

BBC.co.uk

BBC Blog Network

Find and talk to the BBC's bloggers.

User Profile

FakePlasticFish