With the recent international economic turmoil, I am predicting that there will be a lot less media coverage of Buy Nothing Day. I almost forgot about it. All I bought today was a coffee and a sandwich. I think I have to buy toilet paper tomorrow.
Here is an excerpt of an article about the Chinese production of artificial trees and plastic Christmas ornaments:
Liao Jiahua, flipped through his glossy catalogue of goods, the economics propelling his business emerged. He pointed at his most popular seller, the “Canadian pine.” The cost of making it at his factory is about $10.80, he said. Three-fourths of the cost is materials, mostly plastic and wire. The rest goes to electricity, water and labor. His 300 workers earn about $125 each per month.
Liao sells each Canadian pine to a company specializing in foreign trade for about $12, he said, booking a 10 percent profit. And when the trading company sells that same tree to retailers who put it on their shelves in the United States, it fetches about $120, he said.
Artificial Christmas trees are one thing that I didn’t have to give up in my quest to consume less plastic. I grew up on a farm that was more than half woodland. There was always a day set aside before Christmas when the most ambitious boys would trudge out through the snow to cut down a promising young fir tree. We would model it outside the kitchen window like we were Barker’s Beauties and my mom would give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down. A tree that was weighed, measured and found wanting would be added to the brush that we used as banking on the North side of the house. The favored one would be brought inside and decorated with… oh, that’s right…PLASTIC STUFF 
If I was planning to have a tree this year, I think I would go with strings of popcorn and other such reusable or compostable stuff. I think I could also get the kids to make an origami tree angel without too much coercion.
A recent study has connected the dots between fast food marketing and childhood obesity.
I bought more than a few Happy Meals for my kids back in the day. It’s hard to believe how easily I could be convinced to ‘treat’ my little darlings to some over-processed bland food and a 1/2 hour of sliding down plastic slides into a giant pile of plastic balls. I think one of the main things that made them want to go back again and again were the toys. McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys were free, and worth every penny. They were cherished for most of the trip home and I would usually throw a handful away every time I was cleaning out the backseats.
When they got older, I got wiser. They got a kick out of me ordering them cheeseburgers without cheese on the day that the cheeseburger was a value item of the day. Now that we are out of range of the Golden Arches, we sometimes get a merguez sandwich from a guy that fans his charcoal grill with a tree branch.
But I digress…
The simple point that I wanted to make is that a big corporation is using cheap plastic toys to lure children into unhealthy eating practices and it’s BAD.
If there is to be a government solution, I would suggest some kind of stringent requirements for any non-nutritional gimmick used to market food to kids. These requirements could be any combination of things related to environmental responsibility, educational value, quality of materials, even country of origin. If they were so stringent that the chains gave up altogether, that would be great. If they started giving away Arthur Miller plays written on recyclable paper, that’d be fine too.
Plasticless was unexpectedly given an award. It’s the kind of award that is a cross between a pat on the back and a chain letter. Many thanks to Live Life Veg for this award 
I decided to pass the love along to a bunch of garden bloggers. Several of these bloggers probably have blue thumbs wrapped around snow shovel handles rather than green thumbs wrapped around whatever it is that gardeners use their thumbs for. Can you tell that I am writing this late at night? When life hands you lemons…
The rules of this award for recipients:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude.
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.
I’m not a big fan of modern food processors. That might stem from the fact that I have usually been in charge of cleaning the things after someone with actual culinary skills and/or ambitions had the pleasure of using the ‘time-saving’ appliances.
This mortar and pestle is not an all purpose machine, but I love the name of its only purpose… PULVERIZE
If you decide that you need one, look for unfinished wood. Wood from old grapevines is sometimes used to make small sets for handling salt and pepper at the table. Since wood is highly absorbent, you should limit the use of a mortar and pestle to a range of spices and foods that will not cross contaminate each other in an unpleasant or unhealthy way. We use ours for cloves, pepper and other strong warm spices.
I recently saw an eye catching photo of a sculpture that was created using lost and discarded plastic hubcaps. My first thought was that it was a really creative (and profitable) way to recycle.
My second thought was that hubcaps are an absolutely pointless car accessory.
I am too lazy to do proper research tonight, so I am simply assuming that the vast majority of hubcaps on new cars are plastic. If I am wrong, please tell me.
In these hard economic times, the concept of the ‘base model’ car should be revisited. The new cars that are languishing in dealer lots have a lot of extras that have been deemed as ’standard equipment’ over the last few decades. I haven’t been new car shopping for years. The 18 year old Skoda that I owned in Malta didn’t have hubcaps or power steering. I don’t have a car here in Tunisia and the public transport is reliable and cheap enough that I have no plans on buying one.
I remember car shopping in 2003. I wanted to lease the cheapest, most basic car possible. The bottom line on a Toyota ad pulled me in. It turned out that power brakes and color-matched bumpers were extras and that there were no cars on the lot without these extras. I didn’t buy a Toyota.
When I was a kid, I lived in a farming community. Farmers at the time got tax breaks on their new trucks but they had to buy them without certain options. The auto dealers in town were aware of the situation and they were ready to supply the truly basic trucks. Wouldn’t it be cool if consumers started asking for cars without unnecessary plastic junk like hubcaps?
It is hard to predict who with preside over the actual bailout of the Big Three. If things move quickly, an oil industry insider with little to lose in the way of credibility will sign the thing. If there is a protracted debate, an idealistic newcomer with everything to lose in the way of credibility will sign the thing.
I would like to see some conservation based conditions attached to any handout given to the auto industry. If they are sincerely begging for money, why not force them to do a 180 degree turn with regard to what they are doing as an industry. If they can provide a product that is better for the environment than any imports, the government could justify some hefty trade barriers in order to further help the industry.
Why not demand that they stop building and promoting big SUVs?
Why not demand that they stop participating in auto racing?
Why not demand that they make more durable cars? Designing cars to last just long enough for the average consumer to pay for them probably makes some economic sense now. If manufacturers had to accept all the used up cars and deal with them in an environmentally responsible way, they would probably rethink design and materials quite a bit.
Why not demand that they cooperate to create one industry standard powertrain for compact commuter vehicles? This would be like open source for cars. This would spur entrepreneurs to to create aftermarket improvements because of the enormous potential for sales.
I was going to link to a website that was serious about tinfoil hats. It seems almost inconceivable, but it appears that the webmaster didn’t pay his hosting fees. I guess foil is kind of expensive.
Anyway, the things that I want to write about are paranoia and hysteria. I have come into contact with enough people wearing metaphorical tinfoil hats to have developed a policy of sorts.
I listen to what they have to say.
If their assertions concern me, I search for information from highly credible sources.
If at all feasible, I base my actions on the possibility that the tinfoil hat people are right even when established science, media, government, industry experts, etc. refute their claims.
I didn’t jump right on the alarmist bandwagon with regard to BPA, but I have let the alarm affect my purchasing decisions. I am worried that the bisphenol A and its effects are not getting the attention that they deserve from the government bodies that are supposed to protect people. I am worried that the news media have moved on from the topic and that regular people will conclude that there is no cause for concern. I am worried that the petrochemical industry is benefiting from the latter and may have a hand in the former.
Now, where’s that tinfoil?
Here is an awesome quote from Beth over at Fake Plastic Fish:
…this is a new, fierce economy, baby. People can’t afford to be wasteful, and I’m freakin’ glad.
She was speaking from experience, having just reformatted several PCs at her workplace rather than simply getting replacements. I expected to eventually see some reports of ecological benefits from the financial downturn. I didn’t have to wait long.
Unfortunately, I also expect to see some examples of some costs to the environment as well. Pollution is a big problem in developing countries and the economic climate will probably hinder their progress towards more responsible practices. Economic superpower China has stated that it is only going to clean up its act if the west provides it with the ways and means. Kudos to China for banning (free) plastic bags back in July. Making a law like that was a cheap and easy bit of window dressing for a regime that has allowed industry to pollute its land, air and water while poisoning people and animals inside and outside its borders. China does not get a lot of international pressure to clean up its act because America is up to its ears in debt to China. Maybe we have to see the other side of this deep economic valley before we can hope to get any greener as a planet.
I was reluctant to say that wooden cutting boards are safer than plastic. Luckily, somebody else did a great job of assembling the conflicting research and concluding that it is inconclusive.
The bottom line is that careful food safety is vitally important regardless of your choice of materials. Wood is a better choice for the environment. My choice is this great board made from olive wood. I am lucky to be living in an area where olives are grown commercially and the wood is a byproduct of sustainable agriculture.
