Funny, but sadly true video to check out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLgh9h2ePYw

The end! But just the beginning

Happy Easter, dear friends.

I made it all the way through Lent with using very very little new plastic. Yes, I slipped a couple times. Yes, bartenders gave me straws very often. Yes, I am sure there was plastic I didn't even know I was creating but didn't see. However, I tried. I think I did a darn good job.

I will post tomorrow with more reflections and photos of my plastic pile (I have kept almost all the plastic I accidentally incurred). But today, being Easter and the nicest day out ever, I will just say Happy Easter to you all, and check back tomorrow for my "what I learned from Lent" post as I gather my thoughts, now that it's all done.

But really just begun!

Day 43: Made to last for ever, designed to throw away

My sister in the struggle Logan sent me this link today. There are apparently 5 plastic gyres. Who knew.

http://5gyres.org/

What are we doing to our planet? How could we do this?
Why do we act with out understanding the impact of our actions?

This is a good website to read.


In other news, this just in from the Draino front: Amanda up in Rockland suggests a wire hanger. She writes:

"...this is not for those with a weak stomach or over-active gag reflex, but
ive been trying to avoid buying draino and have used a wire clothes hanger
straightened out with a hook bent into the end to overhaul my bathroom
drain.
and it is FOUL. like maybe im pulling out clumps of old hair or
maybe a small squirrel actually died in here foul. BUT! no draino."

Day 42: Pretzels and Draino.

Things I really do miss:

Emergen-C. The little packets of vitamins that you mix with water and you get a fizzy delicious drink to help fight off colds. I know it is better to get vitamin C and others from real food, and I know that I can get a fizzy healthy energy boost from my homemade kombucha, but I do miss these little treats that I pretend help me stay healthy.

Pretzels. I love dipping pretzels in Raye's Mustard, any of the many amazing flavors. This is my favorite snack. I should learn to make pretzels, huh? But alas, I miss them.

Things I am waiting to buy as soon as Lent is over:

Draino. I said on a past post that you can use baking soda and vinegar to de-clog drains. Well, it is not working on my bathroom sink. It's gross. I am counting down the days till I can de-clog it. I used to have a roommate named Cullen who would de-clog things by plunging them but he moved out and I lack this skill. I know that Draino is super bad for the Earth, so if you have a better idea, I am all ears. But you should see this clog.

Paper towels. I don't use many, but I do use them to clean the bathroom. Sadly, I am confronted with the reality that paper towels come wrapped in plastic. Why? Not sure. Not sure at all.

Camera battery. My Canon 10D batteries are both old and don't hold much of a charge. I would like to order a new one, and may get a bounce flash, but both have plastic on them. Bummer.

Day 39: Cheese.

It's time to talk about cheese.

I didn't realize when I was giving up plastic that I would have to give up cheese! Had that been part of my original deal with myself, this whole project may never have happened. As you may know, I really love cheese.

I have looked in stores and delis across Portland and other parts of Maine, and scared and harassed several deli clerks with my strange demand of plastic-less cheese. There is essentially none to be found.

I figured I could go to a deli like Rosemont or somewhere, and get them to cut a piece off a big piece, and sell it to me in paper. But I discovered that due to health code, they would then have to re-wrap the entire hunk in new plastic afterward my sale. That defeats the purpose.

I found one, ONE cheese in foil at Hannaford, but it was a blue brie. Ick. Not really my scene.

Remember the little small wheels of cheese you used to buy as a kid in wax? Now they make them in wax, wrapped in plastic, in a plastic bag. BUMMER.

K. Horton's, in the new public market, really wanted to help. But it's all in plastic.

I could make my own, but the rennet and citric acid come in plastic!


And so, dear friends, I am basically cheese-less. I did find cream cheese that comes in cardboard and foil, which is nice, but not the sharp cheddar I need to make it through a week.

The irony is, cheese isn't even meant to be kept in plastic. It doesn't let the cheese breath, it is bad for it! But it is ALL in plastic. Why? Because people prefer to buy what they are seeing.

I am in search for a store in the woods somewhere that sells cheddar from a big cheese wheel under a glass display and will give me some without plastic. Until then, I am counting down the days until Lent ends and I can have some crackers and cheese.

Day 38: The kids get it

Warren students bring back silverware

Go Warren Nature Club !! Way to organize.

full story: http://knox.villagesoup.com/place/story/warren-students-bring-back-silverware/314421

Warren — During an after-school meeting of the Nature Club at the Warren Community School, students started to wonder what they could do to make a difference in the world. Many of the students were concerned with issues of wasted resources and decided to find out why their school was using disposable plastic silverware instead of reusable metal.
After generating a list of questions, seven student representatives met with Storm Hendrickson, food service director for Maine School Administrative District 40. Hendrickson explained to the group that the biggest reason for using plastic instead of metal is that many students were throwing the silverware out in the trash with the rest of their lunch waste.
After learning this, the Nature Club launched a campaign to educate the entire student body about the issue. Posters were made, a letter was sent out through the school newsletter urging parents to discuss with their children the importance of not throwing silverware away, and a "Use, Wash, and ReUse" play was presented to the whole school during an assembly.

Day 37: Individually packaged in stay fresh pouches

I saw this ad in a health magazine my roommate borrowed from the gym.
For real? Individually wrapped apple slices.
I have no more words, I rest my case. This world is bat crazy.

You can buy them at Wal-Mart!