Green Toys

Here's yet another product I am excited to find. Green Toys are made in the USA out of recycled milk jugs, and then packaged minimally. For packaging they use recycled corrogated boxes and no plastics, cellophane or twist-ties! That last part is my favorite - no more frantic untying of twist ties on Christmas morning. Baby is going to love being able to unwrap his new recycling truck all on his own. Shhh... don't tell!

Geolopes

New England Cartographics, of Amherst Massachusetts, reuses their surplus U.S. Government topographic maps by turning them into envelopes and stationary. These unique and affordable mailers are a surprise every time - you never know what area of the U.S. you will receive. The few of these I have I have cherished for years, to the point that I have photocopied some of them in order to preserve the ones I have! These make great gifts as well!

How green is it?

SP and I went away this weekend to Jay Peak Resort in Vermont. They served their drinks in plastic cups, made by a company called Greenware. These cups claim to be 100% Annually Renewable Eco-Friendly packaging. What confuses me, and I am no environmental engineer, is how does a Eco-friendly cup made entirely of plants also become a #7 plastic? What #7 means is that it is an "Other", and this is no reference to LOST, but instead, this code indicates that a package is made with more than one resin and used in a multi-layer combination. Furthermore, it can be composted? I think this little cup I brought home is going in my compost pile instead of my recycling bin because I want to see if it is true. Does this mean that I could eat the cup too? That's a bit facetious but I am a bit of a skeptic today. Before I say more, let me tell you how happy I am that it is all Made in America. That is the biggest bonus of all of this. Are companies taking this Eco-Friendly thing too far and finding loopholes to claim sustainability when in fact they are not? It's made from corn, but just as other things in my life like HFCS, just because it's manipulated out of something natural does not mean it is a good thing. The website states, "Our material expertise extends beyond traditional plastics and into environmentally sustainable or recyclable alternatives such as Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Recycled PET (RPET). PLA is made entirely from corn and is 100% compostable. RPET combines pre and post-consumer resin (like water bottles) to reduce the reliance on new material, conserving resources." What are the byproducts of manipulating corn into clear #7 plasticine drinking cups? How much fossil fuel emissions are there to turn a field of corn into a drinking cup at a mountain restaurant? What good is a compostable drinking cup when it ends up in the garbage and sent to a landfill or incinerator? And if all these cups end up being burned, what are their emissions? Now please don't get me wrong, I still love and support each and every step we are taking towards greater sustainability and reducing our impact on the earth, I just can't help but think that some of these steps are akin to a parallel promotion. The mission of Fabri-Kal does not dissuade my skepticism, "The mission of Fabri-Kal is to:

• Be a world class manufacturer of quality plastic parts and packages
• Be recognized as a leader in customer satisfaction
• Be a growing and financially sound company, providing a fair return to shareholders
• Assist employees in achieving an attractive lifestyle
• Manage operations and create products in a safe and environmentally responsible manner"

Plastics are A numero uno in their mission, not the environment, so I think my intuition may be on to something here. So Fabri-Kal, if you read this, what is your carbon footprint and what are you doing to offset it?

Recycline - Preserve Everyday!

Our dear friend Mona, a waste water engineer, just sent me a link from this website about a buy back program for #5 plastics. Mona (we miss you!) is always a great resource for plastics in the environment, drinking water, and how they leech into our foods. It was Mona who got me to stop reheating my leftovers in plastic containers and to be cautious about just how many times I reuse a plastic bottle. She is also a great resource for carcinogens or other nasty products in our health and beauty products. Anyway, today is about plastic. In our town we are fortunate to have a single sort that takes #1 through #7 plastics, but I know that much of the country is less fortunate and can only recycle #1 through #3. So please go to this site and educate yourself about some of the possibilities.
http://www.recycline.com/
From recycling Britta filters to buying toothbrushes made from old Stonyfield yogurt containers, all of Preserve's products are made from 100% recycled materials. I know someone in my family who is going to be getting some of their products for Christmas! This is very exciting!
http://www.recycline.com/products.html

Saving what you have...reusing

This post has more to do with my recipe post than not as it is a by product of my cooking. However, I truly feel that you should use as much of what you have as possible. From animals you hunt to the by products or wastes from cooking, everything can be used or even reused especially if you compost! In this case, I have saved the stock from a roast and frozen it in ice cube trays. Alongside at the older stock cubes saved from a leftover in the fridge. In either case, freeze it in ice cube trays, one cube equals one ounce. We discovered this when making baby food and that is a perfect way to measure.

Recycling Crafts for the Kids!

I think I just discovered my rainy day curriculum for the year!
Some of these ideas would even make some great Christmas presents.
I talked to my husband the other day about making our gifts and supporting the local farmers and crafters ONLY this year! He's all on board.

For any other stay at home Moms out there, check out this site:
http://www.allfreecrafts.com/recycling-crafts/