I just stuck my finger in my eye. That wasn't the bad part, it was the stinging that came afterward and wondering what I had on my finger that could sting my eye so much. As I walk through the morning I remember clearly washing my hands after using the toilet, but not after applying my make-up. Make-up should not sting your eye like that, but I can't think of anything else that would. Alas, I didn't sit down to write today because of my eye (that just happened as I sat down to write). I am writing to ask for solutions. Does anyone have clever ideas on how to avoid plastic? I'm wondering where to find tortillas that don't come in plastic bags? Does vegetable oil even come in a plastic-less container...or should one completely convert to olive oil (that always comes in fancy glass containers)? Is there a way to make one's own sour cream and yogurt so that one might avoid the plastic container that it comes in? And I just thought about one's cheese!
Why does everything in the world have a plastic option, but not everything has a plastic-less option? This to me is folly. If plastic and disposable culture are causing the damage that I'm told think they are, why is there not some larger change?
I was thinking about McDonald's yesterday and how many fast food meals they've served (they brag about it on their signs). Then I thought about all the waste that has been created from a restaurant trying to come up with a cost-effective solution to not giving out proper plates and silverware to every Tom, Dick, and Sally that come to the drive through and expect their meal served in under 3 min. That is a lot of waste, but it's a waste that will biodegrade quicker than plastic.
When I look down the aisles at a a grocery store and see the amount of food being sold and the amount of plastic used to package it, I wonder about attacking a cooperation like McDonalds. Our grocery stores shelves are lined with plastic. I feel like I'm being dramatic. I don't like to feel that way, I want to find a solution and not blame the man. So dear reader, what ideas to you have?
4 comments:
You can make your own tortillas. They have tortilla makers, but I bet if you just followed the recipe and used a rolling pin you could roll them out and then cook them in a skillet. I'll get you that recipe. I went to the grocery today and was thinking about you because even the ingredients to make homemade things still come in plastic. I was buying baking powder for muffins and tortillas and the lid was plastic.
I'll email you tortilla recipe. I made them last week and they were so good!
I think we might have to talk in person because I have so many ideas for you. But I'll give it a shot:
One word: Bulk. Bring your own glass/plastic/tupperware/bags/boxes/anything to use to fill with stuff in the bulk isle. Just weigh the empty container beforehand (either at the little electric scale in that isle or at a front register), write the weight on the lid and off you go! At New Seasons you can buy so much stuff bulk. You can get olive oil, soap, shampoo, detergent (dry and liquid), tea, baking soda, maple syrup, cereal, flour, candy, spices, pasta, oatmeal, practically anything you would need. It takes some time to weigh and fill your own containers, but it feels so good to go home with no new waste.
As for produce, you can put lots of mass items in paper bags (right next to the plastic bags or bring your own bag) and most single items can just go right in the cart anyway (why put one or even two avocados in a bag, right?)
At my store, we are usually happy to go way out of our way to help you with your special requests. Especially if it means saving the environment. Buying deli meat? Ask for them to wrap it in paper or in a sandwich paper-wrap. Buying potato salad? You can get that in one of the brown fold-top to-go boxes instead of the plastic container. They are recyclable (I think...). Go to the cheese department. Need some parmesan? Ask them to unwrap the hunk of cheese and wrap it in paper. At the deli, bring your own containers. (Note: it is against Oregon Health Code for a deli clerk to handle and fill your container unless it is washed and sanitized first at the store, which is kind of a hassle. The way around this is to have the clerk hand you the product on a waxed paper (think piece of cheese or grilled chicken breast) or on a plate (think greek salad), then you can put it into your container on your own). Go to the Bakery department. Need some sliced sourdough? Pick up a loaf (the sandwich loaves are packaged in plastic) and hand it to a bakery clerk and ask them to re-package it in paper. They will reuse the plastic bag for another loaf. All other breads come in paper to begin with, so those are a-ok. (You can also ask them to slice almost any kind of bread for you there, so nice!).
New Seasons offers white compostable containers at the salad bar, hot-rock, deli-case, and pastry counter and you can pick up compostable to-go cutlery (made from potato starch!) in the dining area. If you are at the store and happen to stop for a sample at the Solutions counter, you can rest easy knowing that (unless they run our for some reason) all the sampling cups and taster spoons are now compostable.
As for McDonalds, just say no to fast food :) Better for the environment, better for our bodies!
I have seen recipes for making yogurt at home (I'm pretty sure sour cream wouldn't be that hard either...look it up!) and my mom has done it a lot while she's been in africa. All you need is milk and some ready-made yogurt (for the cultures). John made some ricotta cheese a while back (suuuper easy), and my coworker makes mozzarella on a regular basis, she said it's not hard at all. That would be fun! I'm sure Dave and John have a lot of information about making cheese... :) You can buy milk in glass containers that you return for credit when you buy your next half-gallon.
I've tried making tortillas at home and they are a bit of a challenge, but if you can get them to work they are soooo good. I'll bet if you found a local mexican place where they make their own you could pick some up directly from them sans-plastic... who knows.
I hope this helps. I get a lot of ideas from work, so if you have a plastic conundrum, just let me know and we'll find a solution!
Yay, good for you!
-Libby
AWESOME!
One big reason plastic is used so much is it's easy to make in any shape, size, color, etc. And it's quite cheap for companies to make things out of plastic.
Almost all plastic is based on petroleum, so the oil industry has a huge lobbying firm to get companies to make and buy things with plastic, which helps them sell more oil.
At least most of Portland and other places in Oregon now recycle all kinds of plastic and #'s coded on them between bottles, tubs, cartons, lids, bags, etc. so not as much will be going into the landfill.
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