PlasticLess.com

I live in an area that has intense sunlight most days and I have to shield the interior of my car from the heat and harmful UV. The plasticless solution was to simply buy a used bed sheet at a flea market (they are actually called car boot sales here). I drape the sheet over my roof and close the doors on it so it will stay put.

If you have a social obligation to use an actual car cover, please take the advice of a local merchant that I met recently. He told me that the inexpensive covers are not UV resistant and will need to be replaced year after year. I have seen cars on the side streets with these things in tatters. If you feel that you need to get one of these, go for a good quality one that will last longer. They are typically made from Nylon or Polyester.

Click image to go to KLTA

A local news channel sent a reporter to cover the huge amount of trash, including a heck of a lot of plastic that was caught by a boom at the mouth of the Los Angeles River. This material is predominantly litter that was washed from the streets and gutters of the city by a recent rainstorm. I would like to point out to the litterbugs that your tax dollars pay for the employees and equipment that are cleaning up the tons of trash. Local business should take a hard look at how the plastic packaging that they send out the door with their customers ends up being an expensive and ugly inconvenience. Businesses pay tax, too.

If Oprah can do for the environment what she has done for books, we might be alright.

Oprah.com has a list of things that anybody can do to reduce their carbon footprint. This really is a promising step. When you think about the power wielded by Oprah in regards to book sales, what she is doing is influencing people’s choices. Most of the things that Al Gore talks about in his piece are simple choices. It was nice to see that he suggested cloth bags instead of disposable plastic.

Popular blog Gizmodo has gone to the dark side and is promoting plastic replica Star Wars helmets.

The title might be a tongue in cheek nod to the concern that it growing over plastic consumption. The post is entitled ‘Stormtrooper Replica Helmet Looks Great, Costs the Earth and Smells of Plastic’

The company marketing these pointless things is doing its part to reduce plastic by offering it as a limited edition and charging an insane amount of money for it. If Chad Vadar has been in charge of this merchandising, he might have given people the options of paper or plastic.

My old ‘boss’ at the organic fair trade coffee roastery was traveling with a group of us to a conference and the subject of Star Wars came up. He ended up confessing that he couldn’t keep Star Wars and Star Trek straight. My admiration for him shot up at that moment.

Pump dispensers for hand washing liquid are generally plastic. We still have a couple of these dispensers from before we decided to make an effort to reduce our use of plastics.

Buying commercial size refill bags is one way to reduce plastic consumption and still use the convenient dispensers. This week we are trying out an experiment. My wife saves up a few thin soap bars and dissolved them in water to make a liquid for the empty dispenser.

I have been asked about what soap I use for shaving my face. I am still using up a metal can of shaving foam. I think I will try using bar soap when I finish the can.

Just a quick post about Greenvoice. This is another user generated news page that is concerned with environmental issues. It is brand spankin’ new. I may join tomorrow and see if I can gain some attention for the idea of not using plastic.

I also have to try to figure out how to take better closeup photos because I have some objects that I want to show my readers,

Recent research indicates that everyone in America has traces of plastics in their body.

Phthalates have been implicated as a causal factor in several health problems. They are added to normally rigid PVC to make soft products such as the plastic bags that store blood, plasma and intravenous fluids; feeding, breathing and dialysis tubes; catheters; respiratory masks; and exam gloves. They are also in children’s toys, vinyl floors, wallpaper, shower curtains, vinyl bibs and cosmetics.

Studies have linked high concentrations of phthalates to obesity. It is unclear how this association works.

This is a US story. Coca Cola is announcing a multi million dollar effort to create recycling facilities that are capable of handling all the plastic beverage containers that it produces.

The company is even contributing $6 million for curbside collection programs.

Vote with your dollars for beverages that are made locally and packaged in reusable glass containers. Carbonated beverages with high fructose corn syrup are not something we should be consuming regularly anyway.

I have to admit that I lack insight with regards to the socio-economics and culture of this part of the World. I read the Wikipedia entry for Kerala and I am now fascinated with the place. The law related to plastic bags and food containers has a totally different rationale then other laws that I have discussed.

This state in India has had an epidemic of viral disease and scientists have pointed to mosquitoes as a major vector. One of the major breeding areas for these insects has been found to be in the shelter of discarded plastic containers. A new law is very broad reaching and severe. It will be interesting to see how effective the law can curb plastic use regardless of the reasoning. I hope that the law will help reduce disease.

News item: NewsPostIndia.com