Life Without Plastic Blog

The Plastic Industry is Rejoicing Over Its Conquest of our Daily Lives

Check out this post on a website called "World Plastic Industry". It describes how plastic has become indispensable in our daily lives... starting with your mobile phone and alarm clock, it goes through everything we use on a daily basis including packaging and building materials. It makes me feel so sad to realize that we have been won over with subtle but durable changes to our lifestyles that now seem irreversible.  Irreversible because in some cases, we have completely lost the incentives to create non-plastic alternatives because the whole infrastructure has changed to accommodate plastic-based solutions. One good example comes from the packaging industry.  Plastic is now being recognized as the only "hygienic" way of packaging take-out food. When I approached a local restaurant in my town to offer some reusable stainless steel containers for take out food, they decided to pass because they could not be certain people will clean their containers properly, and they do not want to take responsibility for bacteria that could eventually contaminate the food. The plastic industry is behind much of the fear circulating about hygiene in reusable products. Another example comes from the medical industry.  Look at your doctor's office, and how many items are made of plastic and intended for single use. My doctor used to take my oral temperature with a plain old disinfected thermometer, but now she uses a single-use plastic straw-looking extension that attaches to a high tech machine. The company makes money not only when it sells the machine but also when it sells the disposable plastic extensions, which the machine user is obliged to continue purchasing in order to use the machine. That's how plastic has invaded our lives... slowly changing the way we live.

Chantal Plamondon, co-owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com

Our Everyday Plastic Consumption is Like an Ongoing Giant BP Oil Leak

Think about it... all of the oil that is spewing out of BP's open underwater well can be compared to all the plastic we throw out in the environment every single day...  Go to a take out restaurant and take a look at the garbage cans. The amount of disposable plastic in there multiplied by millions corresponds to the amount of plastic that is discarded every day in the world. It is estimated that there are at least 200 billion pounds of plastic in the ocean.  We look in horror at the gushing oil well, but we contribute to just as much pollution collectively every day by consuming and throwing out so much throw-away plastic.

(Photo: seacat.wordpress.com)

An article by Daniella Russo, executive director of the Plastic Pollution Coalition entitled "The other, bigger 'oil spill': Your use of disposable plastic" made me reflect on the fact that we contribute every single day to the pollution of our environment through petroleum-derived objects we throw out.

"We are simply using too much disposable plastic for the small percentage that gets recycled to even make a dent. And, unlike paper, glass, or stainless steel, most plastic can only be "down-cycled," or used for increasingly fewer purposes. All the recycling, like using a teaspoon to empty the ocean, simply can't stem the tide of plastic engulfing us." (...)

"The most powerful thing people can do to clean up the oceans is to refuse to use "disposable" plastics in the first place. Let's add "Refuse" to the list of R's: Refuse-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle. Until we reduce our use of plastics wherever possible, real change will not happen. Recycling or cleanup projects alone won't cut it."

It takes a lot of will power to plug that gushing well of disposable plastic production. Just as every small plastic-use gesture contributes to creating it, every small gesture can also help plug it.

Chantal Plamondon, Co-Owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com

TOXIC AMERICA on CNN with Dr. Sanjay Gupta: The chemicals that surround us...

CNN is about to premiere a feature special called Toxic America focusing on the toxic chemicals that surround us in everyday life, whether we realize it or not. The show will be hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta over two nights (June 2 and 3, at 8pm EST and PST) and will in large part focus on the health and environmental effects of toxins found in plastics. Here's a little video promo of the series.

As explained on the website of the Center for Health, Environment and Justice, Night #1 (Wednesday) will be an "hour-long investigative story into the environmental health and justice problems plaguing the community of Mossville, Louisiana. Nestled amidst an alarming cluster of chemical plants, Mossville is home to more PVC chemical plants than anywhere else in the entire country, and has been dubbed the Vinyl Manufacturing Capital of America."

Night #2 (Thursday) will deal with the effects of "hidden toxins" in all of us, particularly expectant mothers and their babies. It will also feature a profile on Jeanne Heagle, who has been living plastic-free for over 2 and 1/2 years. This investigative series links well with the stunning book we have talked about often in the past: Slow Death by Rubber Duck.

Here are some other pieces of info CNN is highlighting in relation to the Toxic America series:

The Produce "Dirty Dozen"
If you're eating non-organic celery today, you may be ingesting 67 pesticides with it, according to a new report from the Environmental Working Group - Sanjay Gupta explains how to avoid these chemical residues.

Five Toxics That Are Everywhere: Protect Yourself
A growing body of research is linking five chemicals -- among the most common in the world -- to a host of ailments, including cancer, sexual problems and behavioral issues.  The chemicals, many of which are found in plastics, are: bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA or C8), formaldehyde, polybrominated diethyl ethers.

Toxic Releases, State-by-State
Check out this interactive map indicating where U.S. states rank in toxic releases. As you will see, the chemicals are in the air all over the United States - and it's not difficult to extrapolate these findings to Canada and the rest of the world, where such chemicals are also produced and used:  benzene, dioxin, lead and lead compounds, mercury and mercury compounds, trichloroethylene.

It is encouraging to see that the mainstream media is finally picking up this story. It is so important that everyone understand that for decades the chemical industry has been producing and releasing dangerous chemicals for use in everyday products, without really knowing the potential health and environmental effects of these toxins. It is a global experiment that has been happening with all living beings as the test subjects. Of course, informed consent has never been an option. It is time for corporations (and the government bodies that regulate them) to take full responsibility for their actions - or inaction.

Jay Sinha, Co-Owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com

Become an Environmental Leader: Switch Wine Bottles from Glass to Plastic!

The website EnvironmentalLeader.com recently praised Marks & Spencer for switching all of its mini wine bottles from glass to "environmentally-friendly" polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic in the UK market. Since when has PET plastic become more environmentally-friendly than glass?  From an energy consumption point of view, plastic production uses marginally less energy than glass (2,013 BTUs for PET versus 2,155 BTUs for glass) and perhaps this is where plastic may appear more environmentally-friendly.  But if you look at the total life cycle of one single bottle, plastic and glass, you realize that glass is significantly superior:

1. Glass containers can be cleaned and reused several times as part of consignment programs. We use milk from the company Harmony Organic (TM) which comes in a glass bottles that the company collects back, cleans and refills. PET bottles should not be reused as they deteriorate very quickly and can present increased health risks.
2. Glass is highly recyclable, in fact it can be recycled eternally, because its structure does not deteriorate when reprocessed. Plastic bottles can only be recycled once. They can then simply be downcycled into an item that would not be used for food or drink such as fabric fibres for bags or clothes.
3. Because recycled glass uses less energy to be reprocessed into a new glass item when compared to the manufacture of brand new glass, recycled glass has a high intrinsic value as a recycled item. The majority of all glass being offered for recycling is actually recycled (60% in single stream (unsorted) recycling programs, 90% in dual stream, 98% in deposit return), compared with only about 24% with PET plastic (PET and HDPE plastics are the plastic types that offer the highest recycling potential -- overall recycling of all plastics is only about 6%). That being said, the type of PET that has been developed by Marks & Spencer is supposedly impermeable to oxygen, a major requirement to the preservation of wine taste... Would this altered PET bottle be as recyclable as traditional PET bottles, or would it contaminate recycling programs?

More importantly, glass is healthier... while studies have shown that PET tends to leach antimony over time, especially when the contents are heated -- for example, when exposed to the hot summer sun. Glass is not known to leach any dangerous chemicals.

Overall, this initiative by Marks & Spencer seems utterly environmentally unfriendly...

Chantal Plamondon, Co-Owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com

Sources:
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/05/06/marks-spencer-converts-glass-wine-bottles-to-eco-friendly-plastic/
http://www.wasteonline.org.uk/resources/InformationSheets/Glass.htm
http://www.container-recycling.org/facts/all/data/manufacturingenergy.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17707454

Canned Food You Can Trust - A list of BPA-Free Lining Canned Products

We continually hear about how bad bisphenol A (BPA) is for everybody and particularly for infants and pregnant women. The evidence is there.  For those still skeptical, the precautionary principle dictates that you should be cautious. It is mind boggling that the food industry is so slow to remove BPA from the lining of food cans. Fortunately, some food companies understand the problem and have switched to non-BPA linings for their cans. They do not necessarily advertise this fact on their cans, so you need to memorize this list! Here they are:

1) Eden Food: They have been using BPA-free linings in their cans for more than 10 years! How visionary! Although the cans cost 14% more, the company feels it is worth it. I think so too.  While Jay and I generally avoid buying canned food because of BPA, we are happy to indulge in a good vegetarian chili with non-BPA canned beans once in a while. Unfortunately, Eden's tomatoes are still offered in BPA-lined cans because of the acidic nature of tomatoes... So try and find a brand of tomatoes packaged in a glass jar. This is especially important because acidic food increases the deterioration of the BPA lining and thus increases its leaching.

2) Native Forest and Native Factor: All 14 products sold under this brand are packaged in BPA-free cans. Unfortunately, the company does not indicate this information on the cans.

3) Vital Choice: This company's salmon, albacore tuna, sardines and mackerel come in cans with BPA-free liners.  Unfortunately, last year, Consumers Union found some BPA traces in the fish products, likely because of the lid. The company is working at trying to solve the problem.

4) Oregon's Choice: Its Albacore tuna comes in cans with a BPA-free lining, but it is still not offering its other products in such a can yet because of their acidity.

5) Wild Planet: It is offering its 5 oz. Skipjack tuna and its 5 oz. Albacore tuna products in BPA-free cans.

6) Eco Fish: It is currently packaging its Albacore Tuna in BPA-free cans and hopes to offer its salmon in such a can in the near future.

This information is taken from a Tree Hugger article published last month. For the full article, please see: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/03/7-bpa-free-canned-foods.php

Chantal Plamondon, Co-Owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com

THE GREEN KEYS TOUR - Visionary Eco-Pianist FRANK HORVAT Live

Life Without Plastic is thrilled to be a sponsor for virtuoso eco-musician Frank Horvat's Green Keys Tour of solo piano performances across Canada. And what makes an 'eco-musician', you ask? According to Frank it means the musician is carrying on their professional activities in a sustainable way and minimizing their carbon footprint. Take a look at all the ways Frank is doing this on The Green(ing) Musician page of his website. The tour will raise funds for the Earth and promote Frank's latest CD - A Little Dark Music - of original piano compositions, which explore "real world themes like the environment, poverty and Sept 11. Despite the somewhat sombre and serious subject matter, A Little Dark Music attempts to bring peace, joy and contentment to its listeners." Here is a man with vision, making music with vision, and saving the Earth along the way. We hope you will get a chance to hear Frank play. We are sponsoring his Montreal concert on April 11, 2010, but tour dates are happening all across the country through 2010 and into 2011.

Jay Sinha, Co-Owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com

The Best Non-Plastic Mattresses

While the mattresses that my grand-mother used to sleep on were made out of cotton, wool or straw (she was born in 1907), nowadays they are mostly made of foam.  Petroleum-based polyurethane foam used in mattresses breaks down over time and, according to a study by the Consumer Product Safety Commission reported in the Washington Post in April 2008, releases 0.802 mg of antimony and 0.081 mg of boric acid (the poison used to kill cockroaches) in the air every night.  These amounts are apparently OK if you are more than 5 years old (!). And formaldehyde - declared toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act - can be present in box spring glue. Conventional mattresses for children may also contain phthalates, and often flame retardants such as poloybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs are banned in Europe and are being phased out in the United States... but are still very legal in Canada).

My friend Jean Corriveau is a pioneer in the world of non-plastic healthy mattresses and he manages his business in a very honest and ethical way.  He is just the nicest person, full of integrity, who would never compromise on quality.  He is the owner of Sleeptek which developed a completely natural mattress line 15 years ago in response to demands from some of his highly chemical-sensitive clients.  His Obasan mattresses are not only made of organically grown cotton and sustainably harvested natural rubber, but the wool he uses comes from a family-run organic sheep farm in the Netherlands.  The wood in the box springs comes from Quebec spruce -- sustainably harvested -- and no synthetic glues, dyes or finishes are used. (Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/life/footprint/story.html?id=2072160#ixzz0jif8xE9h)

Jay and I have known Jean for about 10 years and we own one of his exquisite mattresses.  Not only are they completely natural and sans plastique, but they are also extremely comfortable.  You can choose to have the core of the mattress hard, medium or soft or a mix of the two if you and your partner can't agree.

Some people mistakenly think that memory foam mattresses (sold under the brand name Tempur Pedic) are healthy.  While I cannot comment on their ergonomic qualities, they are essentially entirely made of plastic (visco-elastic polyurethane foam) and are loaded with various chemicals to obtain the special NASA-like properties.  The level of VOCs they emit is such that it causes pulmonary irritations in laboratory mice. (Read more: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/03/how-bad-is-memory-foam.php?campaign=daily_nl)

Knowing where my mattress came from and trusting the person who manufactured it is very important to me.  I know without a doubt that my mattress is completely safe and completely without plastic!

To learn more about the Obasan line, please visit: http://www.obasan.ca/en/main_nav/home/.

Chantal Plamondon, Co-Owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com

 

Canada to Introduce Plastic Money (Plastic Bills)

In its latest budget just introduced a few days ago, the Canadian Government announced it will introduce plastic dollar bills starting next year.  These dollar bills will be replacing the current cotton-based money. 

According to the Canadian Government, this is a "green" step because the new plastic bills are reportedly ore durable as they last 4 times longer than the current biodegradable money. This will represent savings for the Canadian Governments as this new money is cheaper and harder to counterfeit.

Unfortunately there is no mention as to whether recycled plastic will be used.  This initiative will contribute to the creation of tons and tons of new plastic.  It is a bit discouraging as one would be hoping the "environmental" trend would be in favour of creating less plastic, not more.

Since Australia introduced the plastic money in 1988, many other countries have followed suit including New Zealand, Mexico and Vietnam.

Chantal Plamondon, co-owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com

The Green Police and the Plastic Sin - Hilarious Ad for Audi

One of our friends in Germany sent to us this ad which apparently played during the Superbowl last Sunday. I am not a football fan... I am not a TV fan either. I watch it very rarely. Sometimes for the news and that is about it. So I had not seen this ad on TV.  Maybe some of you had already seen it, but it is worth seeing again. It is really funny and yet I don't think it mocks the green movement. On the contrary, this ad embraces it but in an extreme kind of way. A little bit like self-deprecating humour. Notice how plastic use (bags, bottles, styrofoam cups) is one of the top infraction enforced by the green police. Had any of you seen this ad when it played at the Superbowl?

Enjoy!

Chantal Plamondon
Co-Owner, LifeWithoutPlastic.com

Replacing your Polycarbonate 5 gallon Bottle with A Snazzy Italian Stainless Steel Water Dispenser

While there is more and more recognition of the toxicity of Bisphenol A ("BPA" found in polycarbonate plastic -- even the FDA agrees with this) to human health and the environment, it is still extremely difficult to find a healthy alternative to the widely used 5 gallon large polycarbonate water bottle. We used to sell a glass 5 gallon bottle as a replacement, but it is extremely heavy when filled with water and difficult to transport. Then last year we discovered stainless steel water dispensers made in Italy. They are high quality, light weight, watertight and they can be used with or without a spigot. Perfect for transporting and dispensing water.  We used to carry the Superfustinox but we have since changed to a different brand, Sansone, which is butt welded instead of being seam folded.

These dispensers are made of really high quality food grade stainless steel 18-10 and they are beautiful.  We currently carry the cute 3 litre (0.8 gallon) for the fridge or to bring in the car on a road trip. The 5 litre (1.3 gallon) which is a perfect counter companion. The 10 litre (2.6 gallon) for camping and the 30 litre (7.9 gallon) for serious water transportation and dispensing. Last summer we brought our large water dispenser when going to the beach for the day. It was perfect. Easy to carry and the kids could just dispense their own water whenever they were thirsty.

We continue to try, find and test the best alternatives to plastic products. Right now, the attention is focused on BPA, but we know that many other types of plastic pose dangers to the health and the environment. We prefer replacing plastic with materials that have passed the test of time for their durability, stability and safety, instead of new petroleum-based plastic that have not been properly tested over a long period of time.

Chantal Plamondon, Co-Owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com