Ever since I began this bed & breakfast, we have offered guests 100% natural amenities, including Trilllium Organics, “Better for Your Skin, Better for Our Planet.” No parabens or phthalates, sodium-sulfate-free, synthetic fragrance-free. Unfortunately, the bottles are made of plastic.
What household doesn’t use plastic? None I know of. I have become very conscious of plastics recently and seek to eliminate them from my life. Not an easy task! Plastic is everywhere. I pick up the telephone: plastic. I type words on the computer keyboard: plastic. I brush my teeth with a toothbrush: plastic. I floss … yes, floss, too, is made of plastic (Teflon, just like that old discarded frying pan.) Not to mention running a B&B without plastic bags. The Manufacturing Chemists Association did such a snow job that Americans came to believe they could not live well without plastic. The irony is people cannot live well with plastic, especially plastic that comes in contact with the mouth. (And, full disclosure, one of the writers creating their PR in an office on K Street was my mom, who worked at MCA to pay for my education!)
The Environmental Working Group has put together a nifty list of recommendations on how to pick plastics with care. May I quote the first sentence? “The toxicity of plastics is not fully understood or adequately tested.” (Repeat after me: the toxicity of plastics is not fully understood or adequately tested.) Apparently it’s the chemical additives of which one should really beware: BPA, phthalates. These nasty chemicals have a way of getting into our bodies. What's more, we have no idea what all these plastics are doing to the environment. Think possible endocrine-disruptors, carcinogens.
At registration, I have guests fill out a short questionnaire. One of the questions is, “How important to you is our being “green”?” There’s a choice of 1 through 4, with 4 being "very." Not everyone circles 4, but 3 is frequent. We hardly get any 2s anymore. This question provides the opportunity to discuss the importance of going green to people who have not. (Judging from my informal survey, our guests from the UK are way ahead as they all circle 4!)
The European Union has banned the use of DEHP, the most widely used plasticizer in PVC. Water pipes are now made of PVC in the USA. Which brings us to the topic – ahem! – of water. Here at Chez Sven we filter our drinking water, but I always wonder whether traces of chemicals get through. Last summer Chicago found DEET in its drinking water. You don’t believe me? Read about it here. This story describes a campaign to stop flushing meds down the toilet into the water supply. Since we drink ground water in Wellfleet, better watch what goes into the ground, don't you think? Toxic chemicals like Accord, Arsenal, Escort, Garlon 4, Kreinite should not be allowed. (Green Cape offers a description of these toxic herbicides.) Accord is Glyphosate, also sold as Round-Up, created by chemical giant Monsanto. From the Mindfully.org Web site, "Because all herbicides are pesticides, Round-Up is a pesticide as defined by the EPA." Ugh! It's going to be a tough learning curve, but that's what NStar execs are counting on. Let's prove them wrong, citizens of Cyberspace. Sometimes I wish I had paid more attention in eighth-grade chemistry class ….
Noon Update: My sister-in-law just called to tell me about Clean Water Action MA. Check out the Web site for The Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, which I intend to contact right now.
9 comments:
Plastics ARE everywhere. There was an interesting Rubbish Free Year experiment here in NZ in Christchurch. Where they went for a WHOLE year and only accumulated one grocery store bag full of rubbish. It wasn't specifically a plastic-free year, but as you can imagine, to generate that little trash it was a MOSTLY plastic free year. http://www.rubbishfreeyear.co.nz/index.php
You can also get wooden toothbrushes with natural material bristles. http://worldofgood.ebay.com/Cebra-Eco-Friendly-Wooden-Toothbrush/370217627827/item
Very interesting information! It's so hard to try being plastic-free, and everything helps!
I really hate plastics too and I am sure we will find that they are responsible (at least partly) for certain kinds of cancer. We already know they are endocrine disrupters. The worst is plastic baby bottles! Well, there are also lots of other awful plastics. As a family we have been trying to cut down as much as possible on plastic and packaging. We are striving to eliminate the plastic in our lives.
Here are a few things that help:
1) Bringing your own bags to the grocery store and never using plastic bags for vegetable (carry your tomatoes loose). This is such a no brainer but it's amazing how many people DON'T do it. I always bring a bag whenever I shop for anything else as well, so that I don't get the store bag for clothes, etc.
2) Buying as much as possible in BULK and bringing our own containers for what we buy (glass, not plastic). Our local co-op facilitates this by having a clean container exchange.
3) Baking our own bread and/or buying it from a bakery where we can just carry it home (as they do in France) instead of getting a plastic bag...
I KNOW this isn't enough but it's something. Every bit counts, right?
Frugal Kiwi, what an amazing Website -- the Rubbish Free one -- thank you for posting that link!!
I'm so intrigued by your owning a B&B and trying to limit plastic -- yes, those pesky plastic bags for trash, I'm sure, add up. Must not be cost-effective to use environmentally friendly ones.
I do bring cloth bags to grocery store (I feel like I get the stink eye when I forget them), but I know I still use too much plastic at home.
Food for thought!
We recently stayed at a hotel (Bar Harbor Inn) in Maine recently, quite a nice one, that had switched all its shampoo, conditioner, lotion, to dispensers in the shower and above the sink. Such a great idea.
I'm trying to cut down on my plastic bottle purchases when it comes to water. I love the Costco brand water, so it's hard not to buy the bottles! But I'm trying - for all the reasons you bring up here.
Thanks for all of these helpful links to websites I've never found on my own. I'm learning a lot.
Hi Sandy, I'm still a regular reader with wonderful memories of ChezSven '08. I also worry about plastics (and often think of that prophetic quote from The Graduate ; ). Anyway, I believe that the increase in learning issues and other behavioral issues in children is due, in part, to plastics...not to mention the increase in peanut and other nut allergies. A friend of mine has invented an amazing baby bottle made of glass with a silicone sleeve and silicone nipples. Check out her website at http://www.lifefactory.com/. She is totally committed to a decreasing plastic exposure, especially for infants and children.
As far as your place, in addition to dispensers in the bathroom (great idea), how about ordering your supplies in bulk and letting guests select them in small glass containers as needed from your common area? Just a thought...
Remember, no one can do everything but everyone can do something!
I knew I finally got the message through to my kids about plastics when my daughter asked me why we still use plastic containers for food storage. I explained that going to all glass was something I just couldn't do yet. I would love to do that though and get all plastic out of the house entirely.
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