In Uncategorized August 31, 2021

More Ways to Say “No” to Plastic.

Disclosure: Portions of this post were provided by New Hope Network and are from Melaina Juntti’s article, “10 Ways to Say No to Plastic.” I am a member of the New Hope Influencer Co-op, a network of health and wellness bloggers committed to spreading more health to more people. New Hope is NOT related to #PlasticFreeJuly, which is based in Australia. Also yes, I am well aware that July ended more than a month ago–thanks for notice!

While working on the first part of this article, I learned that the most-used “throwaway” plastics are single-use plastic bags, straws, bottles, and coffee cups. Not only do these items last literally forever, they are also items you rarely actually need.

Leave Plastic At The Store

Fewer stores these days let you keep plastic clothes hangers, but plenty will still ask if you’d like them at checkout. Unless you’re in dire need of new hangers at home, say no and encourage the store to reuse them. Personally, I re-did my entire closet in the Bed Bath & Beyond version of Joy’s Huggable Hangers; my closet looks sharp and more clothes fit inside. I took my wire hangers to the drycleaners for re-use, and donated my plastic-tube-type hangers to charities that deal with clothing donations (always phone first–not all charities want your plastic hangers). Are you buying from brands/stores that insist you take the hangers, or tell you that they “can’t” re-use them? WRITE A LETTER–preferably on paper (since no one does that anymore)–and tell them they need to do better. Then vote with your dollars.

Say “Nope” to Single-Use Plastic Bags

Dry cleaning bags. Speaking of clothing, if you have a lot of clothes that need dry cleaning, the plastic waste adds up fast. See if your dry cleaner will let you leave your own garment bag with your items. (Don’t have a garment bag? The thicker plastic hanger bags that stores like Macy’s and Nordstrom use to cover long dresses and suits can be reused almost indefinitely–I have several that are two decades old.) If they say no, consider shopping around for a new dry cleaner that’ll let you skip the single-use plastic bag.

Grocery Bags. Ideally choose cloth reusable grocery bags. I’m partial to Chico Bags, as they take up almost no space and are easy to stash in your car, backpack, or bike pannier. Bonus, they will take back bags that are dead and ready for their next adventure. If you choose paper bags, you must reuse them. Why? Producing paper bags create more pollution during their manufacture, consume four times more energy than plastic bags during manufacturing, are somewhat inefficient to recycle, and more. While plastic lasts longer and has more environmental consequences, you have got to re-use those paper bags to make them “better for the environment” than plastic. Consider the entire lifecycle of the bag!

Produce bags. Do you need them? Probably not. You’re going to wash those apples before you eat them, right? If you really think you must have a produce bag, try using a zippered net lingerie bag (bonus: lets the stuff inside breath and is easily washable). There are mounds of choices at Amazon and other online retailers, and Good Housekeeping wrote an article on their top picks.

Ridwell–for when you’re stuck. I don’t know whether you can get Ridwell, but if you can, by all means SIGN UP! (If they are available in your neighborhood, I might have a single pick-up I can gift you.) Ridwell is an amazing service that takes items your local waste service cannot recycle and keeps them out of landfills. While it includes more categories–and may be enough to help you downsize your garbage service!–the one I use most often is “plastic film.” That includes those annoying air pillows that come with the things you ordered online, the all-plastic mailers Amazon started using, bubble wrap, bread bags, the bag my Sunday newspaper comes in, and more. (Ridwell also takes items that are reused by charities or properly recycled, including batteries and light bulbs. The rotating categories include all sorts of things from sporting goods to bottle caps to wine corks.)

Sweeten Your Sip

Straws. Before I get accused of being able-ist, hear me out: some people genuinely need plastic straws. Did you know that the popular bendy straws were developed for use in hospitals? True story. If you truly need a plastic straw, use one without guilt. Those of use who do NOT actually need them can avoid them. For the rest of us, here’s what to consider:

(1) Do you really NEED any straw at all? Again, save for a small portion of the population, you can drink from a cup without a straw. (Starbucks recognized this and switched to sippy-lids for cold cups, just like they have for hot ones). Could you just say “no thanks” to all straws?

(2) The Straw is NOT your friend. Did you know that people who drink from a straw drink MORE than those who do not? (That’s why so many “how to drink more water” articles list “use a straw” as a tip!) Or that the plastic straw may leach chemicals into your beverage? (I’m not a big scaremonger, but when the Washington Post writes about it I’m at least willing to hear it out.) Straws may also increase tooth decay, and more. Think about that the next time you’re offered a straw for your sugary and/or acidic soda.

(3) Some restaurants and bars offer wax-coated paper straws. These are compostable in some locations, but not all locations–what can be recycled or composted varies from municipality to municipality. If you don’t need a straw, you can still say no.

(4) Instead of a disposable straw, how about a reusable one? If you’re going someplace where you think you’ll need a straw, or driving, take The Final Straw with you. It’s reusable many times, washable, compact for travel, and a straw. Done!

Bottled Water is for Emergencies

Unless you live in an area where the tap water is unsafe, there is no reason to drink bottled water. Train yourself to think of bottled water as a product that is made for emergencies–like Flint, Michigan (water system scandalously ruined by the government and no, in 2021 there is still no safe tap water in Flint) or a post-hurricane location (pumping stations require electricity which may not be available; water tables may be damaged or polluted)–and not for you.

You might be surprised to learn that bottled water is less regulated than your tap water! Tap water is required by law to be tested for a variety of substances, and many local water utilities publish the results online, like the East Bay MUD (California) does. If you are worried about lead (maybe you have an older home) many water utilities will help you get your water tested, just like Multnomah County Oregon does. Further, did you know that some bottled water is literally just bottled tap water? True story.

Think your tap water “tastes funny”? You still don’t need to waste your money (and our collective resources) on bottled water. Invest in a quality filtering pitcher like the Camelbak, a fridge with a filter (do NOT forget to change the filter!), a re-usable filtration bottle, or a tap filtration system. Yes, the filter may be plastic–but you’ll still use LESS plastic than all those bottles.

Cat Lady reusalbe cup — Cat Lady Box cup. Plastic, but has been used hundreds of times–including the straw! Double-wall guarantees it won’t “sweat” all over my work.

Use a reusable cup of any kind at home. Carry and use a reusable water bottle when you’re at work or on the go. My office has reusable cups, mugs, and glasses, but I have also taken in my Cat Lady Box tumbler. (It has a screw-on lid and reusable straw, which prevents me from inadvertently dousing my files.) Pro tip: choose an insulated brand like Takeya or HydroFlask so it doesn’t “sweat” on you; you have lots of options.

#ButFirstCoffee

About those Coffee cups. This one seems like a no-brainer, because it’s a two-fer WIN: (1) no plastic lid goes into the garbage, and (2) the paper that goes into the cup and sleeve can be used for anything else but instant garbage/compost. It can be a little trickier in practice because you have to remember to your own coffee cup with you, and to clean it on a daily basis, but you’ll also save some cash: most cafes offer a small discount if you use your own cup. (Five cents many times a year turns into real money quickly!) While I like my Whirly mugs with their sturdy handle and snap-on lid, a spill-proof coffee vessel is essential when commuting and to avoid adding a mocha scent to everything in your work bag. HydroFlask is my go-to for coffee on the go.

What have you tried doing to cut down on single-use plastic in your life?

In In the Kitchen March 5, 2017

Is Your Produce Game On Point?

How much food do YOU waste?

Yes, I agree that “clean your plate” is a dated rule (better option: “watch how much you put on your plate in the first place”), but I’m betting that’s the first thing the term “food waste” brought to mind. Most Americans likely associate food waste with at-home table scraps, or restaurant leftovers that go from plate to trash. The problem is much, much bigger than that. In August 2012, the Natural Resources Defense Council published an issue paper titled Wasted: How America is Losing Up to 40% of Its Food From Farm to Fork to Landfill. You read that right, FORTY percent. What I found most shocking is that most of that 40% has nothing to do with throwing out leftovers or not doggy-bagging your restaurant leftovers!

Why you care about food waste:

80% of the fresh water used in the United States is used for agriculture (source) and roughly 25% of the entire fresh water supply is used to produce food that gets wasted (source)
roughly 50% all produce in the United States is thrown away—some 60 million tons (or $160 billion) worth of produce annually (source) and up to 1/3 of all food produced world-wide (source)
about 1 billion unpeeled/unopened food items are discarded annually in American schools (source)
wasted food that goes to landfills–not all of us have access to composting–generates methane (source); food waste has a carbon footprint of 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gases, making food wastage the third top GHG emitter after the U.S. and China (source)
the United States produces enough food to sustain roughly 860 million hungry people, more than twice the amount needed to feed the true population of the United States (source) yet in 2015 42.2 million Americans lived in food insecure households [that means, roughly, they are not certain that food will be on the table for all upcoming meals] including 29.1 million adults and 13.1 million children (source)
Food Waste and Hunger Facts

But forget about the doggy-bagging and leftovers, as a whopping 38% (source) or more is wasted before it even has the opportunity to be eaten! Ever wonder why all the apples, in the grocery store are about the same shape and size? Or the carrots are all straight and about the same length? It’s because the nonconforming, weird-looking, too-big, too-small pieces are THROWN AWAY. It’s bad for farmers–they don’t get paid for the goods they grew–and it’s bad for the environment and the planet.

How can YOU reduce food waste?

Easy! Buy ugly produce! In California (SF Bay Area, now rolling out neighborhood by neighborhood in LA!), and UPDATE! Oregon too! check out Imperfect Produce (scroll down to score $10 in free goods!). In Baltimore, D.C., Virginia, Philadelphia, New Jersey and the surrounding areas check out Hungry Harvest (see below for a discount code!). Both are small businesses fighting food waste AND hunger. What do they sell? Hungry Harvest calls their produce “recovered” and explains it this way:

“Recovered” produce comprises fruits and vegetables that are perfectly fine to eat, but would have otherwise been thrown away. Recovered produce is often discarded because of aesthetic imperfections (think misshapen eggplants or off-color apples) or logistical inefficiencies (when grocery stores over-order produce, they can reject truckloads, and that usually gets thrown away).

Imperfect Produce calls their produce “ugly” but wants to assure you it tastes the same:

The produce we source is rejected purely for cosmetic reasons, meaning that taste and nutrition aren’t affected. Common reasons for produce being classified as “ugly” are: too small, wrong color, misshapen. We only source the most delicious fruits and vegetables, and we have strict quality-control measures in place to ensure that what ends up on your doorstep is fresh, delicious, and nutritious. If we wouldn’t eat it, we won’t sell it. We’re redefining BEAUTY in produce, not taste! And if for whatever reason you’re not satisfied with an item in your box, we will either replace it or refund the cost of the box that week.

It’s a win-win-win. Farmers get paid for produce that would otherwise become garbage. You get cheaper produce that may (or may not) look funny. Both companies donate produce to fight hunger, too! It works something like this:

My Imperfect (Perfect!) Experience

My neighborhood’s delivery day is Saturday, so I have until 3:00 Wednesday to customize my box. I get a small box of fruits and vegetables, since I travel a lot and live by myself. The basic cost (if I get whatever was assigned to the box that week) is $11-13 plus a small delivery charge ($2.99). On Monday or Tuesday I get a reminder email to check in and customize my box. (There is an option to not customize the box–surprise!–but since I’m picky I don’t often use that; you can also opt for just only fruit or only vegetables.) One of the things I like is that I can decide how much of something to get, and the Imperfect site tells me why it is “imperfect” as well as where it originated. Right now, Imperfect works mostly with larger family farms in California, but they are also working to source produce from Mexico and smaller family farms. I’m really excited to see what they can do!

Does anything in here look “imperfect” to you?? (My box this week)

My box this week had 1 pound of organic brussels sprouts, a blood orange, 2 pounds of carrots, 1 pound of creamer potatoes, a grapefruit, 1 pound of onions, a 1/2 pound of red bell peppers, romaine lettuce, 1 pound of mangoes (rejected for being too small, I can easily hold one in my hand), and 1 pound of organic lemons. I paid just $15.39, including the delivery charge. There were a ton of other choices, too. Each box also includes the “Weekly Beet,” a card that introduces a team member, gives a quick fact about one of the items offered that week (the asian pears offered the week of September 19th would have been rejected due to scarring and were grown in Kingsburg, CA), and a tasty recipe. Some of the recipes I have received are Blue Cheese and Asian Pear Tartines, Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps, Celery Root and Carrot Soup, Lebanese Pumpkin Hummus, and Fuyu Persimmon Salad. (You can find more recipes at imperfectproduce.com/recipes)

Some of the cards from my Imperfect Produce boxes

The pre-Thanksgiving box included a recipe booklet. Imperfect Produce does fun things, too. Once we got googly eyes in the box to decorate for a contest, and they recently sponsored a contest with Cape & Cowl, donating an additional five pounds of produce to the Alameda County Food Bank for every entry. I can easily set my box to “temporary stop” for vacation. I try to remember to set out my empty boxes Friday night, as Imperfect Produce can re-use them.

To score a $10 discount on Imperfect Produce: when you sign up for your first delivery, put my name (Elizabeth Bain) in the “referred by” box at checkout. (I hope you don’t mind that as an Imperfect Produce customer, this gets me $10 too.)

Hungry (for a) Harvest?

Clearly, I don’t live in Baltimore, D.C., Virginia, Philadelphia, New Jersey and the surrounding areas, so I’m not a Hungry Harvest customer–but if I lived there, I would be! I found Hungry Harvest on Twitter, and I’m thrilled to see there are other organizations doing the work Imperfect Produce does in other parts of the country. (I was extra excited to see they scored a deal on Shark Tank, which also helped fund some of my other favorite small businesses, including Wild Friends nut butters and Bombas socks.)

So while I don’t have first-hand experience, it looks like Hungry Harvest shares pretty much all of the characteristics of Imperfect Produce. Delivery days are assigned by zip code, and there is a modest delivery charge. You can even have your produce delivered to your office! Hungry Harvest also offers add-ons (Imperfect Produce has these on a variable basis). Add-ons include products from other food makers that could go to waste while still being perfectly good to consume: fresh baked bread, coffee, granola, peanut butter, jam, pesto, and produce staple add ons (lemons, limes, etc.).

Like Imperfect Produce, Hungry Harvest sources mostly local produce but is also reaching out to prevent food from going to waste, offers organic options, allows you to customize your box (and choose a size), has easy cancellation/temporary hold, and shares recipes to use your yummy produce. For every box they deliver to a paying customer like you, Hungry Harvest donates 1-2 pounds of produce to those in need. Hungry Harvest has a unique partnership called “Produce in a SNAP,” a partnership with Baltimore City Public Schools to bring fresh, affordable produce to food deserts to promote healthy eating and fight hunger. The program allows food-insecure families and individuals who could benefit from affordable produce, including those on government assistance programs such as SNAP/EBT, WIC, and SSDI, to stretch their food budgets and put nutritious produce on their dinner table. (I cribbed that from their website, because I couldn’t say it better.)

Hungry Harvest can’t reuse the boxes, but can pick them up for recycling if you don’t have access to recycling. (No recycling? Seriously, the 1970s called and they want their wasteful environmental policies back.)

To score a discount on Hungry Harvest: enter code TRAINWITHBAIN at checkout.

Beyond Eating?

You know you can also support your local farmers’ market, especially if you don’t have an Imperfect Produce or Hungry Harvest nearby. (Most don’t have beauty pageant standards for their produce, so the weirdos can show up there.)

You can commit to less food waste in your household: freeze small amounts of vegetables for use in soups and stews, chop and freeze that onion before it goes bad, share with a neighbor. Compost food scraps using a commercial service if available, or a backyard compost or under-sink worm bin.

Local and state laws have a HUGE impact on how much produce gets wasted. The NRDC report details a few items you might watch for and ideas to reduce food waste. These include tax breaks for farmers that donate produce instead of trashing it, laws that allow individuals to donate produce from their home gardens directly to food banks (this is huge in California, where one lemon tree can shower an entire block with lemons), and changes in food labels’ use of terms like “sell by,” “best by,” and “use by” (currently under discussion at the federal level in the United States).

How do you save the vegetables?

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