Week 1: Let’s get mindful about a favorite St. V Day gift—chocolate.
Mmmm… chocolate. Behind this sweet, decadent and worldly favorite lie many untold, and sometimes horrendous, stories of social and environmental injustices. Thankfully, there is a way to take action.
Click here to read the complete e-mail message and share it with your friends via e-mail, Facebook or Twitter
January 2011:
Saying Goodbye to Single-Use Paper Coffee Cups
FInal week: The resources we saved with the Paper Cup Pledge and some cup-conscious Boulder coffee shops
Click here to read the complete e-mail message.
Here's a snippet:
Some Great Green Coffee Cup Practices in Boulder
Last week, we talked about how to help your favorite coffee shop green up their cups, and it got us thinking: Which coffee shops in our town give bring-your-own-mug discounts? Which ones sell reusable mugs? So we decided to start with just one part of Boulder County—our home-base, Boulder—and call around to see who’s doing what.
3 ways you can help your favorite coffee shop green up their cup practices.
1) "Medium mocha, no garbage, please!"
2) Use Your Frequent Customer Status
3) Give Feedback Any Way You Feel Comfortable (like, say, anonymously online)
HELP KEEP PLASTIC BAGS
OUT OF CURBSIDE RECYCLING BINS!
Week 1:Help! We can't say it enough: Our sorting equipment is choking on plastic bags! Please do NOT put plastic bags in your recycling bin at home or at work. The bags bind up our equipment at the recycling facility, costing the program thousands of dollars in inefficiencies ($100,000 in 2009!!) and adding to the items we have to pull out and send to the landfill. No matter where you live, plastic bags in curbside bins are rarely allowed (but check your local program to be sure).
Catch the Buzz, pass it on!
Week 2:Pesky plastic bags can't be recycled in your curbside bin, so where CAN you recycle them? If you're in the Boulder County area, visit our A to Z Recycling Guide for guidelines and a drop-off location nearest you. If you're outside the Boulder County area, click here to find a drop-off location. Many supermarkets and other retail stores will take them for free. Catch the buzz, pass it on...
Catch the Buzz, pass it on!
Week 3:Want to protect precious redwood and cedar trees? Making sure your plastic bags get recycled at the CHaRM or participating grocery stores (instead of having them go in your curbside recycling bin) plays a critical role in doing just that.
When recycled correctly, plastic bags are often made into attractive, long-lasting lumber products that eliminate our need to cut down redwoods and cedars, trees whose populations have been devastated by our demand for outdoor decking. Plastic lumber products require no staining or weatherproofing, so they avoid the annual use of toxic wood stains and preservatives. For more on these recycled lumber products, visit the website for Trex, Eco-Cycle's plastic bag recycler.
Please share this message with your friends so their plastic bags are recovered and redwoods and cedars are preserved!
We'll have more on how to avoid plastic bags in the first place in a future Eco-Buzz campaign.
Americans buy more than half a BILLION bottles of water every week, and the fad it costing us more than 17 million barrels of oil every year (to produce the bottles)—enough to fuel 1 million cars! Three liters of water is consumed for every 1 liter produced, precious public aquifers are drained to fill the bottles, and then only 20% of those bottles are recycled!
Is it worth it? Is bottled water healthier for us than tap?
WATCH ANNIE LEONARD'S The Story of Bottled Water AND SEE WHAT YOU THINK »
We’ll tally the number of pledge signers at the end of the campaign to measure our collective impact.
Stick to your pledge with these tools:
Tool #1: Safe, Reusable Water Bottles
Use your savings from not buying bottled water to invest in a few reusable water bottles for hydration on-the-go. We recommend stainless steel bottles because they will not leach harmful chemicals into your water. Aluminum bottles are lighter weight but some have a lining to prevent the aluminum from leaching, so be sure to check and make sure that lining does not have the chemical BPA. Be sure to avoid reusing disposable plastic bottles as they are designed for one-time use and can leach chemicals into your water if used over and over.
Tool #2: Pitchers and Reusable Cups
Having an event and needing to keep lots of people hydrated? Purchase some 5-gallon water jugs and use your own (or rent) reusable pitchers and cups. You can also ask your guests to bring their own bottles.
Tool #3: A Water Filtration System
If your tap water isn't to your liking or has common impurities like chlorine, purchase a filter for your faucet (cost: around $50). If you like your water even more refined, invest in an under-the-sink reverse-osmosis filtration system (cost: $100 - $300), that can remove even more contaminants. If you're concerned about the water coming out of your tap, let your water provider know.
Catch the Buzz, pass it on!
Our favorite reusable water bottle: Purchase your very own Eco-Cycle Kleen Kanteen at the CHaRM for $20.
WEEK 3:
For us, kicking the bottled water habit is a lifestyle change, but for many around the world, the choice between bottled and tap is nonexistent.
Thanks to everyone who took the pledge to avoid purchasing bottled water.(Most of you had already been avoiding bottled water, so, kudos!) If you haven't yet, don't worry: It's never too late to take a stand against bottled water waste, or to spread the word to your friends!
As the stories behind bottled water become better known, the demand for this product will dwindle and send a message to water bottling companies that enough is enough. Thank you for doing your part to spread the word and participate in this month's campaign!
JULY
JUST SAY NO TO PLASTIC BAGS
WEEK 1:
We're tackling what's become the “gateway product” to our disposable culture: plastic bags.
Americans use 100 BILLION of these natural gas- and petroleum-made sacks annually. Store clerks often become bag pushers, automatically bagging even the smallest, easy-to-carry products, and we automatically accept. It's time to just say “NO” (thanks).
What's the problem?
Worldwide, we use 500 BILLION plastic bags each year. Only a tiny portion of them is recycled. The others are landfilled, burned or become litter and end up in our waterways and eventually the ocean. Once in the ocean, they and other plastic products break down into smaller and smaller pieces (but never go away entirely), harming and killing animals who mistake them for food and polluting our oceans on a scale never before seen.
The Giant Pacific Garbage Patch: Where plastics go when they won’t die. Discovered by oceanographer and activist Captain Charles Moore in 1997, the Pacific Garbage Patch is a perfect example of the disturbing, unintended consequences of our disposable culture.
Watch this short video about the giant gyre of waste floating in the Pacific Ocean and spread the word to your friends.
Catch the Buzz, pass it on!
WEEK 2: Take the pledge! And how to kick the bag habit.
Take Action Plastic bags aren't the only problem, but just saying NO to them is a great start toward ending our addiction to all disposables.
Let’s begin our three-step program to kick the disposables habit:
1) Remember to BYOB(ag): It's so easy to forget! But we found a solution we liked so much we put our name on it. Check out the new Eco-Cycle® rePETeTM ChicoBagTM. It's made from 99% recycled materials (yes!), and when you’re not using it, you can stuff the bag into the little attached pouch, use its carabiner to hook it to your bag, belt or purse, and voila! You’ll be BYOBing everywhere you go. Pick one up at the CHaRM today for $12.
2) Avoid the "unavoidables." Are some bags really that hard to avoid? Here are some solutions to the ones we found most challenging:
Bread bags? BYOB and get fresh loaves at a bakery, or bake your own bread.
Dry cleaner bags? Ask your eco-friendly dry cleaner about reusable garment bags you can continually exchange.
Newspaper bags? Read your favorite newspaper online.
3) Recycle what you didn’t avoid. If a plastic bag still made it into your pantry, make sure to reuse and/or recycle it so it goes back into the production cycle, rather than ending up in a dump or, worse, the ocean, where it will never really go "away."
Ready to kick the habit? Take the pledge to just say NO to the plastic bags and bag pushers, and spread the word to your friends and fam.
Catch the Buzz, pass it on!
Our favorite reusable bag: The Eco-Cycle® rePETe™ ChicoBag™, made from 99% recycled materials! Pick one up at the CHaRM, or purchase online for $12.
WEEK 3: What other cities and nations are doing to tackle the disposable bag problem and what our community might consider.
There have been two main approaches to tackling the pollution and other problems caused by plastic shopping bags: banning them all together or charging a fee to discourage their use.
Some places, like San Francisco, Delhi, France, Italy, Bangladesh, Rwanda and Tanzania, have banned plastic bags.
Some places, like Toronto, Israel, Belgium, Ireland, Denmark and Wales, have approved a fee forplastic shopping bags.
Some places, like Washington D.C. and the Northwest Territories in Canada, have banned or approved a fee for both paper and plastic disposable bags.
Our best recommendation for our community? Tackle ALL disposable bags.
Plastic bags have a bad rap, but paper bags are hardly the environmentally-benign alternative: They use more energy to transport than plastic bags, create more water pollution when manufactured, and are frequently made from old-growth trees. So both are problematic. (Check out the Eco-Cycle Timesarticle about banning plastic bags for more on this topic.)
Rather than asking "paper or plastic," we need to shift our focus to thinking "disposable or reusable," and a ban or fee on all disposable shopping bags would act as an incentive for us to do just that.
What do you think? Post your comments and ideas on our Facebook page.
Click herefor an extensive list of who's doing what around the world to prevent disposable bag waste.
AUGUST:
BACK-TO-SCHOOL (AND -WORK) WASTE-FREE LUNCHES
WEEK 1: ( click here to view the e-mail for week 1)
Lunchables®, bagged chips, juice-in-a-bag, plastic sandwich bags... bottled drinks, to-go food containers and utensils… It’s items like these that can make lunchtime the most wasteful part of the day, whether you’re a kid or a grown-up.
That’s why in this month’s Eco-Buzz, we’re going back to school (or back to work) with a waste-free lunch!
What's the problem?
The typical American school kid creates 67 pounds of discarded lunch packaging waste per school year. That’s more than 18,000 pounds of plastic, paper and other non-food materials for just one average-sized elementary school.
Work lunches aren’t exempt from the waste factor either, especially since “adults” do a lot of grabbing lunch—and all kinds of one-time-use items—on-the-go.
The Enormity of it All
Despite the statistics we hear about waste, comprehending the enormity of our collective consumption habits can be a challenge. So we wanted to share with you the artwork of one of our favorite activists on the subject, Chris Jordan, who transforms statistics about American consumption into stunning visuals.
Which common lunchtime disposable is depicted in this Chris Jordan image? Click here to find out.
Stay BUZZED for our favorite tools for packing an eco-friendly lunch and alerts on avoiding some lunch items that are potentially hazardous.
Week 2: (click here to view the e-mail for week 2)
This week, we’re showing you how to save money by packing sustainable, back-to-school (or -work) lunches, and sharing our favorite places to buy the essentials.
Save Waste
The goal is to make our lunches look less like this…
For a small one-time investment, these reusable items can save you about $371 annually! Tool # 1: A Reusable Lunchbox
Ditch the brown bags for a safe, non-toxic reusable lunch carrier.
Tool # 2: Safe, Reusable Food Containers
Say bye-bye to single-serving disposables and to-go containers and hello to all the wonderful reusable options out there like stainless steel, Pyrex® and non-toxic plastic containers. (We’ll have more on plastics in our next Eco-Buzz e-mail.) Plus, you’ll save money by buying in bulk and portioning out your own snacks.
Tool # 3: Safe, Reusable Drink Containers
Buy drinks in bulk and fill up your own reusable bottles to avoid non-recyclable foil drink pouches and other one-time-use bottled drinks.
Tool # 4: Reusable Sandwich Wraps and Snack Bags
You’ll never need to buy another plastic baggie again with tools like organic cloth and safe plastic sandwich wraps and snack pouches.
Tool # 5: Utensils and Napkins
Reusable plastic sporks, sustainable bamboo utensils and organic cotton napkins are just a few options.
Our Favorite Places to Shop:
We’re lucky to live in a time when there are so many cool reusable options out there! Here are a few great places to buy lunch products that will match your lifestyle.
Eco-Cycle eStore
You’ll find just about any reusable lunch product at our store via Amazon.com.
Eco-Ditty
Located in the Denver-metro area; Makes safe, organic and reusable sandwich wraps and snack bags.
Ellie’s Eco Home Store
Boulder-based; Offers reusable lunch items and many other sustainable products.
Laptop Lunches
Features bento-style food containers, reusable lunchboxes, drink containers and lots of tips for parents.
ReuseIt.com
Features reusable items for every part of your life at great prices; Great place to find more facts on disposable lunch waste.
To-Go Ware
Environmentally- and socially-conscious; Offers cool stainless steel stackable food carriers and bamboo utensils.
We want to see your waste-free lunches and hear your ideas! Post a picture of yours or give us your tips on our Facebook page.
Next time, we’ll cover some potentially hazardous reusable lunch items to avoid.
Week 3: (click here to view the e-mail for week 3)
This week, we’re covering how to steer clear of lunch supplies containing poison plastics like PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and BPA (bisphenol-A). These materials can be harmful to your health, your child’s health and to the environment during the manufacturing process and after disposal. Click here and here to read more about the problems with these poison plastics and other hazardous chemicals.
What to look out for
When you’re purchasing reusable lunch boxes…
Watch out for PVC.Many lunch sacks have a PVC lining to help with insulation. Avoid products that say “vinyl” or have the letter “V” with a #3 recycling symbol on them. If you can’t find a label, check with the manufacturer.
Your safest bet: Look for the keywords “PVC-free,” “vinyl-free” and “lead-free,” or purchase stainless steel, fabric or neoprene (the wetsuit material) lunch sacks. Safe plastics include #1 PET, #2 HDPE, #4 LDPE and #5 PP. (In other words, avoid #3 PVC or V, #6 PS and #7 PC)
Another wonderful resource: Check out the CHEJ Back-to-School Guide to PVC-Free School Supplies for more on how to identify PVC, as well as a comprehensive list of retailers and manufacturers selling non-toxic school supplies that covers everything from binders to raincoats.
When you’re purchasing reusable sandwich and snack bags…
Watch out for PVC.Avoid products that say “vinyl” or have the letter “V” with a #3 recycling symbol on them. If you can’t find a label, check with the manufacturer.
Your safest bet: If you prefer plastic, make sure your item is made of one of these types of plastics: #1 PET, #2 HDPE, #4 LDPE, #5 PP or nylon, and look for the keywords “BPA-free,” “phthalate-free,” “lead-free” and “PVC-free.” Hemp and organic cotton wraps are also a great alternative.
When you’re purchasing a reusable water bottle…
Watch out for BPA. This known hormone-disrupter has made its way into all kinds of products and is often found in plastic drink bottles and in the liners of aluminum bottles.
Your safest bet: Purchase a stainless steel water bottle. They don’t have liners, and they won’t leach. If you want a lighter alternative, try an aluminum bottle, but make sure the liner is BPA-free. If you prefer plastic, avoid #7 PC (polycarbonate) and choose a reusable bottle made of one the following instead: #1 PET, #2 HDPE, #4 LDPE and #5 PP.
Did you know? When plastics are exposed to heat, they can release chemicals and contaminate your food or drink. To prevent this, wash your plastic reusables in cold water only and never put them in the dishwasher or microwave.
Our favorite places to shop Check out e-mail 2 of this month’s campaign for a list of our favorite vendors providing safe supplies.
Next time, we’ll share some cool waste-free lunch projects happening in Boulder County and around the world.
Week 4: (click here to view the e-mail for week 4)
We want to wrap up this campaign by showing how some communities are doing their part—by educating students with school-wide waste-free lunch projects and instituting PVC bans— to help folks pack more sustainable lunches and live healthier lifestyles.
Sustainable Lunch Projects
In Boulder County
With the help of Eco-Cycle, Boulder County and school districts, there are many cool school programs happening locally to help keep waste down and teach future generations about the impact of their everyday lunch choices. Here are just a few:
In other parts of the U.S. Click here to check out sustainable school lunch projects happening around the country.
Tackling PVC
Now that you’ve learned how prevalent PVC is in school lunch supplies and kids’ products in general, you might ask, “Why is this stuff legal”? Good question. In some places, it isn’t. Check out what some other communities are doing to rid themselves of PVC.
In the United States: Glen Cove, New York: Banned city retail food establishments from selling, giving or providing eating utensils or food containers to any consumers if such eating utensil or food container is composed of polystyrene or PVC.
Rahway, New Jersey: Prohibits the use of PVC or polystyrene by retail food vendors located within the city and requires them to use degradable packaging.
Around the world: Figi Islands: Ban on the sale of children’s items made of PVC.
Norway: Ban on the production, distribution, import and export of toys and other products aimed at children under three years old and containing phthalate plasticisers.
Week 1: (click here to view the e-mail for week 1)
Are 100 million trees really worth it?
We all deal with it. Credit card offers, “You’ve just won!” sweepstakes, random catalogs and the like find their way into our mailboxes, only to be chucked under a heavy sigh. Complain, next day, repeat.
This month, we’ll show you how to stop junk mail and keep it away.
A Waste of Time
Each of us will waste an average of eight months of our lives dealing with junk mail.
A Waste of Resources
It took more than 100 million trees to create the more than 41.5 billion pieces of mail advertisements that were produced and distributed in the U.S. in 2005. That’s the equivalent of deforesting the entire Rocky Mountain National Park every four months! 5.8 million tons of catalogs and other direct mailings ended up as trash in landfills or incinerators in 2005. All this comes at a cost to our climate as well: The production and disposal of junk mail consumes more energy than 3 million cars.
Recycling the junk helps, of course, but the damage is done before the mail hits your box. We need to go for Zero Waste and focus on preventing it in the first place.
Reclaim our resources, our time and our mailboxes, and stop junk mail!
Stay Buzzed for our 9-step program to rid yourself or a loved one of unsolicited mail, and how to keep it away.
Week 2: (click here to view the e-mail for week 2)
This week, we’re giving you two options for stopping the junk mail onslaught.
Option 1: Let someone else do it for you
We’ve partnered with the eco-conscious folks at 41pounds.org to help you stop the 41 pounds of junk mail you (and every American) receive every year. And, there's a chance to support Eco-Cycle in the process!
For just $41, 41pounds.org will do the legwork to stop 80-95% of your unwanted mail for five years. Then, they'll donate $15 to the non-profit of your choice (your chance to support Eco-Cycle). How easy is that? Click here to learn more and sign up.
Option 2: Do-it-yourself with 3 quick tips
1) Start at the source: Get on do-not-mail lists
DMAchoice helps thousands of companies around the world manage their direct mailing lists and provides consumers with ways to change their mail preferences. Visit www.dmachoice.org to add your name to one or all of their do-not-mail lists. Be sure to provide each name receiving mail at your address, including misspellings (no matter how comical).
2) End credit card promotions
If you own a credit card, chances are you get tons of credit card offers in the mail (with those annoying little plastic cards that are NOT recyclable!). To stop them, call 1- 888-5OPT-OUT or visit www.optoutprescreen.com.
3) Stop unwanted catalogs
Visit www.catalogchoice.org to opt out of unwanted catalogs for free. When you receive an unwanted catalog or publication in the mail, call the 1-800 number on the piece and ask to be removed from the mailing list (keep the catalog in hand as they often need information from the mailing label). They’re happy to remove your name; it saves them money.
To get rid of even more junk mail, check out two bonus tips (including avoiding phone books!) at the end of this message, or visit www.ecocycle.org/junkmail.
Help your friends stop junk mail and share this message! Simply send along this link: www.ecocycle.org/ecobuzz.
Next time, we'll cover how to keep junk mail away once and for all.
________________________
If you’ve got the time to stop even more junk mail, here are a few more of our best tips.
Stop junk promo products
If you've had it with companies sending you products or disks in the mail that you don't want, there is an option. First, look for any of the following phrases:
* return service requested
* forwarding service requested
* address service requested
* change service requested.
If you find any of these phrases, write "refused, returned to sender" on the unopened envelope. Mail sent to "Resident," "Current Resident," or "Current Occupant" can be refused if it contains one of the above endorsements, or is sent First Class.
Dial out of unwanted phone books
Did you know more than 660,000 tons of phone books end up in the trash every year? If you’re one of the many folks who refer to the internet for phone numbers these days, call the numbers below to remove your address from phone book delivery lists:
* DEX: 1-877-243-8339
* Yellow Book: 1-800-929-3556 -- renew every two years
* Verizon: 1-888-266-5765
Week 3: (click here to view the e-mail for week 3)
This week, we’re giving you 5 tips for keeping junk mail from making its way back to your home.
The #1, Must-Practice Tip: Use the magic words "Please do not rent, sell, or trade my name or address." These are the magic words you’ll want to use when you’re filling out forms like warranty cards, subscriptions, raffles, customer information cards, credit card applications, memberships for an organization, or pretty much any time your submit your name and address to anyone. Write them out next to your personal information, and repeat these words when making purchases over the phone or on the internet, and Voilá! You'll stay off mailing lists. Click here to learn why you’ll want to avoid most warranty cards all together.
Tip # 2: Get on “in house” credit card lists Contact your personal credit card companies and ask them to place your name and information on their "in house” list that is not sold or traded to other companies. This will prevent more credit card offers from being mailed to your home.
Tip # 3: Prevent charity solicitations If you contribute once a year to a charitable organization, ask them to send you only one donation request per year, or see if they can send you a paperless request via e-mail. Click here for a sample letter that you can send to charities to reduce solicitations.
Tip # 4: Watch out for contests and free offers Their purpose is often to obtain your name for mailing lists or to sell you something. If you do sign up for one, be sure to use the magic words.
Tip # 5: 1-800-NO THANKS We shared this tip with you last week, but it's worth repeating. When you do receive a catalog or publication you don’t want, take the 30 seconds it requires to nip it in the bud. Call the 1-800 number to have your name removed from their list to stop the spreading of your name before it starts again.
Help your friends stop junk mail and share this e-mail! You can use the “Share This” icon above or simply send along this link: www.ecocycle.org/ecobuzz.
Next time, we’ll show you what communities are doing to help folks stop the junk mail onslaught.
Week 4: (click here to view the e-mail for week 4)
This week, we’re covering what communities are doing to help people stop junk mail and how you can voice your support.
Here are some communities taking action to protect consumers and enact Do Not Mail registries
Communities working toward Zero Waste, like Seattle and San Francisco, have passed resolutions calling for state and federal Do Not Mail registries similar to the national Do Not Call list. More than a dozen states, including Colorado, have introduced bills to maintain a Do Not Mail database, though no bills have yet become laws. The U.S. Postal Service is leading the charge among marketers and business groups against these bills, citing “standard” mail (their term for junk mail) as the lifeblood of their business and a source of jobs. Get the facts on a National Do Not Mail registry and voice your support for the environment and consumer choice at www.donotmail.org
Polystyrene foam (aka "styrofoam"): It makes restaurant owners happy by saving them cash. But it makes environmentalists cringe because this “cheap,” puffy plastic costs a fortune when it comes to the environment.
This month, we’ll show you the best ways to stick it to styrene and how to help your favorite restaurants do the same.
Week 1: (click here to view the e-mail for week 1)
Why the fervor over the foam?
First off, let’s call it what it is. Most use the term styrofoam to describe the puffy white material used for many to-go containers and cups. But its correct name is actually polystyrene foam (that’s why you’ll usually see a “PS” next to this #6 plastic). Styrofoam® is the brand name of a product used for home insulation. So as not to slam the wrong product, we’ll call this enviro-scourge PS foam.
The “UP” side By UP side we mean “upstream,” as in before the product even gets to you. PS foam production is basically pollution production. It’s made from ozone-destroying CFCs (and a warning to the green washers, HCFCs are only moderately better). Toxic and hazardous chemicals, including styrene, benzene and ethylene, are also used and are byproducts of PS foam production. Each of these chemicals is among the nation’s top 25 toxic air pollutants. Click here to learn more.
The “DOWN” side
In the “downstream” part of the production-consumption-disposal cycle, after it’s disposed of, PS foam releases toxins as it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces and never goes away. That’s right, the same product you use for maybe ten minutes will be here long after we’re all gone... and after our great-great-great-(get the point?) grandchildren are gone. Food-grade Styrofoam isn’t recyclable anywhere, and we really don’t want such a toxic plastic to go back into production cycles, anyway, so it’s always going to be bound for the incinerator or landfill.
Oh yeah, and it can pollute YOU
Foods we eat or drink that are packaged in PS foam can leach styrene, a known neurotoxin and suspected carcinogen, into the food or drink and thus into our bodies. Click here and here to learn more about the adverse effects of styrene.
Have enough info? Now, let’s take action!
Next time, we’ll get into how to avoid picking up PS foam when you’re taking food home or picking up food on-the-go.
Week 2: (click here to view the e-mail for week 2)
Welcome to week 2 of… sticking it to styrene!
This week, we’re highlighting 3 tips to skip polluting PS foam (also known as, but not really called, “styrofoam”).
Tip #1: Bring your own “doggie bag”
The easiest way to avoid picking up PS foam when taking home leftovers from a restaurant is to simply bring your own. If you know you’re going out to eat, quickly throw a container in your bag. It can be a piece of Pyrex® glassware, a stainless steel container, or even a reusable container from another restaurant. The point is, make it part of your routine by keeping it in your purse or bag, alongside your reusable water bottle and shopping bag.
Another great option: We love To-Go Ware® tiffins (pictured), which are stackable, stainless steel, do not leach and, come with condiment containers! Visit www.to-goware.com for more cool products (bamboo to-go utensils, anyone?) and to find a local retailer.
Tip #2: Picking up food to go? You can still bring your own container!
Some restaurants are willing to pack up your food in your own reusable container. When placing the order, just let them know that you have your own container that you would like to use instead of taking one of theirs. If they don’t oblige, ask them to place your order on a plate as they would for a “for here” order, then pack it up yourself.
Tip #3: Ask for a recyclable or compostable container
Some restaurants carry both recyclable/compostable materials and PS foam and other icky plastics, so ask your server what the supply is before saying, “Sure, I’ll take a box!” Almost all restaurants have aluminum foil on hand, so if you’re only option looks like PS foam, ask for a sheet of foil instead.
Next time, we’ll show you how to help your favorite business understand why this “cheap” PS foam isn’t worth the savings.
Week 3: (click here to view the e-mail for week 3)
Welcome to week 3 of… sticking it to styrene!
This week, we’re showing you how to encourage restaurants to ditch polluting PS foam for some eco-friendlier alternatives.
TIP #1: If you don’t buy it, they won’t sell it.
One great thing about a capitalist society: the consumer is king (or queen). You don’t have to be victim to ANY business’s choices. If you (and all of us) won’t buy it, they won’t make it. If PS foam is the only “to-go” option, just don’t take it. Take your business elsewhere.
TIP #2: Tell them how you feel.
Businesses want to please their customers, so the more we all voice our opposition to PS foam, the more they’ll consider an alternative. If you’re comfortable bringing up the issues in person, let them know that 1) you’re a fan of the restaurant, 2) why you don’t like PS foam and 3) what recyclable and compostable containers they could be using instead. You can let the server know or request to speak with a manager.
One way to say it:The food was delicious! I (we) was disappointed, though, that you offer PS foam for your to-go containers. They're polluting to produce, they aren't recyclable and they will last forever in a landfill. As a customer, I want to be able to choose to do the right thing for the environment. Please supply a recyclable container (like aluminum) or a compostable container [ONLY APPROPRIATE FOR COMMUNITIES WITH CURBSIDE COMPOSTING SERVICE]. I would even be willing to pay a little extra for eco-friendly containers. It's important to me that the businesses I support do their part to support the environment.
TIP #3: Use the power of the written word.
Many people aren’t comfortable broaching this issue in person. Use comment forms or e-mail addresses on restaurants’ websites to give them feedback. This can be even more effective than what will likely be a quick in-person comment that could easily be forgotten in the restaurant rush. Just don’t forget to do it!
TIP #4: Let the restaurant know their alternatives.
The restaurant biz is a busy one. Sometimes what’s really needed for a business to change is info on what they should be doing instead, but who has the time to research it? When you write or comment, suggest locally-based Tundra Specialties or National Eco Wholesale as a source for eco-friendly to-go containers.
Next time, we’ll cover what communities are doing to chase PS foam out of town.
Week 4: (click here to view the e-mail for week 4)
Welcome to the final week of… sticking it to styrene.
This week, we’re looking at communities around the country who are banning the foam and putting a STOP to the use of these toxic, wasteful containers.
SOME communities just aren’t going to take it anymore. In an effort to decrease air pollution upstream and ocean pollution downstream, cities across the U.S. have banned polystyrene take-out containers. From Portland, OR to Freeport, ME, many of these ordinances have been in place for 20 years! Lately, in places like Seattle, these rules are being expanded to require that restaurants provide only recyclable or compostable take-out containers.
A PS foam ban is not a new idea, so why is Boulder County or your community (if yours is also lagging) behind the curve?
Recyclable and compostable alternatives are readily available, numerous public events are Zero Waste and curbside composting programs are springing up around the county. No matter where you live, it’s about time we took action on this toxic, ubiquitous disposable, don’t you think? Join our discussion on Facebook and let us know how you think your community should stick it to styrene.
Next month, we’ll cover how your holiday season (yup, it’s comin’ up!) can be filled with joy and celebration…not waste and environmental devastation.
November Eco-Buzz:
HOW TO GREEN YOUR THANKSGIVING
The ghosts and goblins have gone home, and that means it’s the beginning of the holidays—time to celebrate the harvest, changing seasons and each other.
In our culture, the holidays also herald a time of a WHOLE lot of waste. So much so that every year,trash rates go up 25% during the holidays. Yikes! But this glorious season doesn’t have to be a trashy one.
This month and next, we’ll show you how putting a little “green” into the holidays can make them more meaningful and less wasteful, and we’ll start with how to green your Thanksgiving.
Week 1:Holiday waste statistics, and what we're helping to avoid this year:
• More than 1.5 billion cards are sent over the holiday season in the U.S., which requires 300,000 new trees to be harvested per year.
• The extra energy Americans use to power their holiday lights between Thanksgiving and Christmas is equivalent of every U.S. household using their electric oven at 350 degrees for 2.5 days!
Click here to read the rest of our holiday waste stats.
Week 2:Tips for eco-friendly entertaining and meaningful celebrating this Thanksgiving.
Fall-esque décor Skip plastic, one-time-use doo-dads and instead...
• Use mini pumpkins, gourds, pine cones, ears of dried corn or apples as centerpieces that you can eat or compost afterwards.
• Use a wide, glass vase as your centerpiece and find sticks, fallen leaves, pine cones and more to put inside. This is a great one for kids to participate in!
Making the Most of Your Food
(including where to recycle your cooking oil!)
Don’t make too much This guide can help you plan your portions right.
Make Leftover Dishes
Find loads of veg and non-veg leftover recipes at the Food Network and allrecipes.com.
Send guests home with leftovers
You can invite them to bring their own to-go food containers, or be prepared to offer your own by purchasing some inexpensive containers to give away. Old yogurt tubs and the like also make great, reusable to-go containers.
Recycle what you can (including cooking oil!)
If you have leftover food after all these tips, be sure to compost them in your curbside compost bin (if you have one) or compost veggie scraps in your backyard or worm bin. Recycle your leftover cooking oil at the CHaRM, where you can also bring all your food scraps (even meat) to be composted at an industrial facility.
Black Friday is almost here and about to kick off the busiest shopping season of the year. And while many of us would rather skip the mall madness, it can be hard to know how to show a loved one we care without getting on the buy-buy-buy bandwagon, and without going broke! So here are some solutions.
First, our favorite guide for giving meaningful, inexpensive gifts
It’s from New American Dream, and its extensive list is sure to get your creative juices flowing. Click here to check it out.
Next, we’ve got some in-house ideas
We asked Eco-Cycle staff to share how they celebrate the season with meaning and without stuff. Here are some of their tips:
15 Ways to Show You Care without Buying Stuff
Create a spa day: Using natural ingredients, make scrubs, soaks, oils and creams from citrus, avocado, essential oils, shea butter, and vegetable oils. Find recipes online or in books; here are some to get you started.
Sew warming pillows: You can warm these easy-to-make pillows in the microwave and throw them in bed with you on cold winter nights. Sew pillow cases out of soft scraps from well-worn clothing, and fill them with buckwheat hulls. You can also add lavender or other floral petals for a natural scent.
Make a Recipe Book: Gather all those scraps of paper and organize your recipes into your own digital or paper booklet. This is a great gift for kids going off on their own or a way to gather family memories (like Aunt Matilda’s peanut brittle), or a chance to help the busy family with quick-to-prepare dinner ideas. You can get really creative with this and include quotes, pictures or even drawings.
This month, we’re sharing the wasteful holiday antidote:
Eco-Cycle’s 2010 Zero Waste Holiday Guide!
Our 4-page annual issue includes our Green Gift Guide with some of our favorite ideas and online resources, 10 Ways to Have an Eco-Friendly Holiday Season, and an A-Z Guide for Recycling Holiday-Related Items like light strings, wrapping paper and trees. Check it out and share it with your pals.
This year, we also included a little ditty about giving the gift of Zero Waste.
As we’ve learned, one of the easiest ways to help our friends live a more eco-conscious lifestyle is to get them started with some trusted, essential, reusable tools like bags, travel mugs, to-go containers and more. We even stuck our logo on our favorite bag and water bottle!
