Life Without Plastic Blog

The Perfect Tray for Last Minute Breakfast in the Car

If you are like me, you probably rush to the last minute in the morning in order to get your child's lunch ready on time while making sure he gets dressed, eats his breakfast and brushes his teeth. Unfortunately, sometimes I am just not efficient enough to get all these tasks done on time, so we have to leave quickly and bring our son's breakfast in the car. We just found these really practical little food trays, just perfect for breakfast in the car.  Mind you, they are also great for the picky kid who doesn't like it when various parts of his meal mingle together. The tray is made in Korea of high quality stainless steel 18/8. It is of course BPA-free, phthalate-free, lead-free and it is dishwasher-safe.

These two little pictures show our son kidding around and devouring one of his muffins. The food tray on his lap is available on our website at LifeWithoutPlastic.com. You may read all about this little stainless steel food tray by clicking this link. Enjoy!

Chantal Plamondon, Co-Owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com

Freezing the Season's Harvest in Safe, Non-Toxic, Plastic-Free Stainless Steel Containers

We have some great products available to those looking for a safe and plastic-free way to store the bounty from the garden.

There is our 4 litre / 1 gallon rectangular stainless steel airtight container which can accommodate a large batch of frozen tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries, and so on. We love this container.  We use it a lot to bring large batches of food to a potluck or family dinner. We also use it to conserve our bread as it sits nicely on our countertop and it has the perfect shape. Available for $62.95.

Now, we also have a set of 4 large stainless steel airtight food containers. Four convenient sizes are included: 18 cm / 7 1/16" diameter 1.75 L / 59 oz. capacity; 20 cm / 7 7/8" diameter, 2 L / 68 oz. capacity; 23 cm / 9" diameter 4 L / 135 oz. capacity; 26 cm / 10 1/4" diameter, 6 L / 203 oz. capacity. The four containers nest into one another completely (with the lids on) thus optimizing storage space. Available for $99.95 (for all four).

Freezing fruits and veggies is an excellent way to conserve them for future use. Unfortunately, Mother Nature does not necessarily offer the same bounty throughout the year. She provides many things all at once during the summer months. Where we live, it is now the time for beans and tomatoes.  So we are eating a lot of bean and tomato salads these days, but we are also freezing some extra for this winter. This not only saves money and provides wholesome veggies during the winter, but it also cuts out the greenhouse gas emissions such produce would create if it had to travel to end up at our local grocery store throughout the rest of the year.

- Chantal, Co-Owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com

The Little Bald Eaglet that Got Caught in Plastic Fishing Line

I have always admired the majesty of bald eagles. So when I discovered the Hancock Wildlife Foundation and its live webcams installed near bald eagle nests, I was thrilled. I opened a small window on my computer screen and I could admire the eaglets progressively transforming into magnificent birds. I must admit that the life of a baby bald eagle is pretty boring at times, but the parts when a parent comes back to the nest with some food for the eaglets is quite fascinating.

Two weeks ago, however, disaster struck and it was all because of discarded plastic... One of the three eaglets of the Victoria/Sydney nest got caught in some fishing line that must have been used to build the nest. The poor thing was not able to move and therefore could not meet its parents to get fed when they would bring food to the nest. Many of the thousands of people watching got really upset and started raising money to fund a rescue operation. Fortunately, within days of the incident, a crane was commissioned and Mr. Hancock, the operator of the webcams, was able to free the poor eaglet from the fishing line.  As of today, it is still alive and seems to be doing quite well. Go take a look. Click on the image below.

What I find really sad is thinking of the thousands of birds and other animals that get tangled in plastic fishing lines or other plastic hazards every day and die in complete isolation. It just so happened that because watchers could see the eaglet struggle, they decided to spend a large sum of money to save it. Suddently, its life was priceless. I wish we could find a way to make people realize the dangers that discarded plastic poses to wildlife without having to install webcams all over the place. Yikes, that sounds ominous.

Go ahead and open a little window on your computer screen (my favorite nest is the White Rock). These birds will become your daily companions and you will want them to survive, no matter what.

Chantal Plamondon, Co-Owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com

 

 

Win PLASTIC...and more

It's not what you think. We haven't migrated to the other side. The PLASTIC we're offering up won't leach into your food, but it will leach into your mind and make you look twice at the plastic in your life.

You may have noticed on our website that on Earth Day we featured a recently released book about plastic - called 'PLASTIC: A Toxic Love Story' - by journalist Susan Freinkel. Feel free to check out our review of this important book here. We mentioned that we had contributed some product to a promotional Earth Day Plastic-free Prize Pack that the publishers, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), were raffling off as part of the book launch. 

Weeellll, it seems the Prize Pack sweepstakes were only open to United States residents, which we did not initially realize, but which we quickly found out from some very unhappy Canadian followers. We asked HMH if they would be willing to provide a copy of the book for us to raffle off. They immediately agreed, and here we are.

So it's raffle time again, and this time the giveaway is open to anyone in North America. The prize pack includes a copy of the book PLASTIC: A Toxic Love Story, a Square Airtight Glass Container with a Stainless Steel Lid, a Round Airtight Stainless Steel Food Container, and smiles from Chantal and me - actually those are available to all :) :)

To enter, all you have to do is to tell us about an important item in your everyday life that you are unable to find in a plastic-free format. But be creative -- low-hanging fruit like "water bottle" and "coffee mug" are weak -- you can find those almost anywhere now. Think hard about something that you may have spent time looking for but just can't find in a non-plastic medium. Let us know by posting a comment below, and/or posting a comment in this item on the Life Without Plastic facebook page and indicating that you "Like" the page, or sending us an e-mail at info [at] lifewithoutplastic [dot] com.

The contest will be open for two weeks, so through Friday, May 20th. A winner will be chosen once the contest closes. Good luck!

One last thing - if you are interested in buying the book, we suggest purchasing it through this link, which will help support the Plastic Free Times.

Jay Sinha, Co-Owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com

CONGRATULATIONS TO TARA, WHOSE FACEBOOK ENTRY IS THE WINNER! THANK YOU ALL FOR PARTICIPATING.  SO MANY EXCELLENT SUGGESTIONS WE HAVE TAKEN NOTE OF - BECAUSE WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW ALTERNATIVES TO PLASTIC.

Dog Food Without Plastic

About two years ago, one of our employees who always brought her dog to work had a great idea. She decided to start bringing her dog's food in one of our 2-tier 14 cm (5.5") tiffins. In one of the compartments, she would put some 'yummy' dog food and would keep the other empty so she could fill it up with water when she came to work. It worked great! Animals are just as likely as humans to be contaminated by toxins leaching from plastic. So stainless steel is a great alternative to plastic, especially because animals won't be able to chew on it, and because it can be completely sterilized in the dishwasher, which is not the case with plastic.

We offer one, two and three layers tiffins. With the 3-tier tiffin (as shown on the photo) you could have a layer with food, another one with biscuits and the last one would be reserved for water. These tiffins are made in Thailand of high quality 18-8 stainless steel. You can see them all here.

The beautiful dog in the picture is Lulu, our friend Jean's dog. She is a gentle gem of a canine being. The picture was taken in early March 2011 here in Wakefield. As you can see, the tiffin is just the perfect size for Lulu.

Chantal Plamondon, co-owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com

My Rodale Month Without Plastic

I have always been mindful of my plastic consumption, but when Rodale.com challenged its readers to go plastic-free for a month, I decided to make an extra effort. I am realistic about the fact that it is virtually impossible to live without plastic because of everyday products such as phones, computers, televisions, but what I find most disturbing is all the plastic food packaging. And when we want to cook from fresh ingredients to avoid plastic packaged processed food, imported food produce also comes packaged in plastic in northern climates like ours. Even organic produce and food products are packaged in plastic. So I decided to observe our habits. We live in the rural village of Wakefield, Quebec, about 30 kilometres from the City of Ottawa, Canada's capital. While we want to live plastic-free as much as possible, we have to be mindful of the extra gas we would incur to get all of our food needs without plastic packaging.

After our one-month experience, which revealed frequent disposal of single use plastic, Jay and I decided to create the following rules for our family:

1. If a product is available locally in a non-plastic packaging, even if it is not our favorite brand, we will favour it.
2. If there is a bulk version of a product available locally, we will bring our own plastic-free food containers and get it in bulk.
3. If a product is not available in a non plastic container nor is it available in a bulk format, we will contact the manufacturer and let them know we are not happy with their packaging and urge them to change it to a non-plastic format and/or offer it in bulk format.

I recommend that everyone actually make the extra effort to go plastic-free for a month in order to realize how much disposable plastic we are consuming every single day. There are some exceptional plastic-free heros such as Beth Terry who consume very little plastic every year, but for most of us, the extra effort is so great, espe cially when one lives in a rural community, that it is very difficult to achieve. However, it is possible to help change things by getting the companies that make our favorite products to change their packaging to make them more eco-friendly and plastic-free.

  For now, I have given up my favorite brand of yogourt (Liberté) for the Pinehedge Farm brand which comes in a glass jar. If Liberté wants to have me back, they will have to change their packaging.

Chantal Plamondon, Co-Owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com

Waste Land of Wonder -- the elevated art of recycling

We live in an eclectic village of community activists. The spirit of postive change is in the fresh air and in the Gatineau River water that flow through town. One example of that magic is the Wakefield International Film Festival (WIFF), the 'little festival that thought big', as local media have come to call it in lauding the world class quality of its programming and execution. WIFF is led by two passionate champions of documentaries and independent filmmaking, Brenda and Robert Rooney, who run the Festival with help of the dynamic and hilarious local troupe, Theatre Wakefield. It is a festival that inspires change.

We are deeply honoured to be sponsoring the showing at WIFF on Sunday, February 13, 2011 of 'Waste Land' - an utterly mesmerizing film about the depths and heights of life and humanity on this Earth in the presence of something we all know, though perhaps not well enough: garbage. Renowned Brazilian-born, Brooklyn-based artist Vik Muniz takes us on a journey to the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro and the world's largest landfill, Jardim Gramacho. He finds there a thriving community of charismatic 'catadores' or pickers of recyclable materials - not garbage, recyclable materials. Remember that, it's important. 

Muniz works with the pickers to create a form of art that literally oozes emotion, meaning and transformative energy. He photographs certain pickers in symbolic poses, and they then work together to recreate these images as large-scale collages out of materials from the landfill. As the garbage is transformed into art, so are the pickers and their often painful lives. As Tiao Santos, the President of the pickers community association reflects upon seeing his own completed installation, "I never imagined I would become a work of art."

This is a film of striking moments, but one that really hit me was the profound environmental activism the catadores practice and promote as they lobby hard to be recognized by the reluctant local government as a viable part of the recycling industry. They are picking through garbage to make a living - and doing so with great dignity despite being among the poorest people in the world - and they have also created a well-organized, compassionate movement committed to reducing landfill waste and giving garbage new life. Not garbage, recyclable materials.

The pickers have an intimate, practical knowledge of plastic we could only dream of. Santos describes the difference between polyethylene terephthalate and polypropylene by the sound each makes when crushed. And it's certainly the first time I've heard PVC (polyvinyl chloride) - one of the most hazardous consumer product plastic chemicals ever created - referred to as 'filet mignon'.

'Waste Land' has already won lots of awards - Sundance, Berlin, Amsterdam, Dallas, Vancouver... and it is shortlisted for the Academy Awards. If you have the chance to see it, jump at that chance. It will change the way you look at your own garbage. And you will have the privilege of meeting and learning from a group of beautiful, noble, WONDERful human beings who are creating meaningful change with waste.

Jay Sinha, Co-Owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com

Microwaving Without Plastic

I have already discussed my reservations about microwave ovens and their links with cancer (see my older post: Stainless Steel in Toaster Oven Prevents Aluminum Garnish on Burrito). However, many people find them extremely useful and they are a common feature at schools and office cafeterias. Fortunately, we have discovered a fantastic new line of products which allow you to re-heat your food in a microwave without worrying about plastic touching your food. These are borosilicate glass food containers that are heat and cold resistant. They can be used to warm up food in the oven, toaster oven, microwave oven and they can also store food in the freezer. They come with an 18-8 food grade stainless steel lid featuring an ingenious silicone seal system that allows you to create an airtight seal by pressing a button. To release the seal, the button just needs to be pulled up.

These food containers were introduced just before christmas and they are getting extremely positive reviews. They have been popular over the holiday season and customers keep coming back for more.  We will introduce two new sizes in March so the line keeps growing backed by popular demand! 

Chantal Plamondon, Co-Owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com

Some Titanium Dioxide with your Milk?

For those of you who didn't know that many "unknown" chemicals are added to plastic used in food packaging, you had better read this news from Plastic Technologies, Inc. (PTI): http://www.bevnet.com/news/2010/11-2-2010-PET-Dairy. PTI is announcing the use of a new technology (oPTI^TM) to manufacture plastic bottles for storing light sensitive dairy products such as milk and drinkable yogurts. This technology allows the company to use fewer additives in the manufacturing process "which can limit package recycling". The company's Vice-President states in the press release that "[d]airy applications (...) are sensitive to UV rays which decrease shelf life. To solve the problem, additives such as titanium dioxide [TiO₂] are frequently added to high density polyethylene or traditional PET containers to achieve shelf-life objectives. In addition to impacting the recycling stream, these additives are expensive (...)." The company also indicates that it can use many different colors to its bottles using this technology, but that "these cannot be recycled as part of the clear PET stream."

So what is interesting in reading this news clip is the confirmation of the many additives mixed with plastic resins to obtain the final product packaging. It is also disconcerting to realize that there is no way of knowing what these additives are as there is no mandatory disclosure in the USA and Canada. Companies seem to be free to add whatever additives they want under the assumption that they do not impact the content that is being packaged. I surely hope some exceptions exist with lead and other toxic chemicals. I invite you to check out the Green Science Policy Institute's website and Arlene Blum's youtube videos for some information. Arlene Blum is the expert. Her talk on TEDx GPGP was one of my favorites.

The other interesting fact is that some additives, especially colours, affect the "recyclability" of plastic bottles. This "recyclability", or should I say "downcyclability", is already very low with only 7% of all plastics being made into new products. So if you absolutely have to buy a plastic container, try and find one that is as transparent as possible.

Chantal Plamondon, Co-Owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com

 [photo credit: Plastic Technnologies, Inc.]

Mint leaf removal duty

This post may not initially appear to have anything to do with plastic. Just wait. Read on to the end.

I love mint tea. It's a primal sort of thing. There is something about the smell of fresh whole peppermint that puts me in another state of being - it's such an ethereal, magical fragrance. For me it's tinged with comfy homey memories of Mom, cozy warmth, an Olbas oil neck massage, summer, deep velvety green, hot mint tea by the fire on a snowy winter day.

Right now I'm on peppermint leaf removal duty. This is not an arduous task. It is a supreme pleasure. My fingers are perfumed by the leaves. We share a garden with our neighbour Peter, and this mint comes from there. He's a master gardener and master accordian player. Tons of talent, that guy; I learn a lot from him. I harvested it a few weeks ago and it has been drying on our basement radiant floor ever since. So tonight I decided to take all the dry leaves off the stems to prepare my winter stock of peppermint for tea. It's slow going because there is a lot. I drink a lot of mint tea. When I'm done I'll have a couple of large jars full of delectable mint leaves, just yearning to impart their magic through a boiling water bath for a few minutes. Then into my body to shimmer my soul.

Not all mint teas are made alike. When I'm out of the fresh gold, I use bulk leaves or tea bags bought from a store. And I can now immediately sense the quality of the tea after the first sip. If it's really good, I'll know as soon as I smell it. But nothing compares to peppermint grown with love in one's garden. I do believe plants respond to our personal energies, and when they sense love, they respond in kind. But that's a deep topic for another post.

As write this, I'm listening to Beck's album, The Information. Here's the information that I will wrap this post up with, and hopefully it will bring it all home for you, make it all make sense...  Mint is so real. It is full of the richness of life. The best life has to offer. It feeds and stimulates the senses in profound positive ways. Clothed in rich lush green, it is one of those special messengers of Mother Earth, full of symbolism and beauty. It says with elegant simplicity, "To know me is to love me and the Earth that grows me."

When I hold a piece of plastic, it just doesn't seem real. Oh yeah, it isn't. It's fake - synthetic chemicals - and it's tricky stuff. Take polycarbonate, made of bisphenol A. One of the reasons the plastics industry loves it for consumer products is precisely because it does not have an odour. So it releases dangerous junk into our food, drink, skin, air, but you have no way of knowing this unless you do some complex expensive testing. Mint, on the other hand, imparts an odour that reflects its reality and makes the world a better place.

Maybe it's not a fair comparison: mint vs BPA. But it struck me tonight so I thought I'd share it with you. I'll take the natural over the synthetic any day. And now back to mint removal duty. I'm only half done. The mint is lovely dark and deep, and I have miles to go before I sleep.

-Jay Sinha, Co-Owner
LifeWithoutPlastic.com

(Image via: http://www.indiamarks.com/guide/Chatpati-Chutney-and-delicious-Ready-Powder-recipes-/879)