So time to fess up: what eco-sins have you been getting up to over the holidays? The crazy thing is that so many people think that by trying to live a Green life, they suddenly have to be eco-perfect, eschewing all kinds of conveniences and pleasures in the name of “respecting the environment”. This couldn’t be father from the truth as far as I’m concerned. Green living is all about being able to have your cake and eat it too and this a huge part of the Gorgeously Green philosophy. Nobody and I repeat nobody can live a perfectly green life, and in many ways that’s the beauty of this kind of lifestyle – it’s a journey of discovery that continues ad infinitum. You don’t get an eco-medal or a green halo, you simply get to live a little more consciously one day at a time, and in the process give your life a little more meaning.
So back to the eco-sin question? What are some of my most recent guilty indulgences. Since the weather had turned nastily chilly, even in Los Angeles, I’ve had a few hot Aromatherapy baths, which is a total eco-sin because we’re officially in a drought – big slap on the wrist Sophie.
What else? I just had to consume a few (boxes!) of Qualtity Street, a British holiday must-have, and managed to scarf all the purple ones (brazil nuts covered in caramel and chocolate,) before anyone else got a chance – not a Fair-trade or organic label in sight. Oh yes – I ordered a Thai vegan takeout which, despite it’s yumminess, always comes packed in scary polystyrene containers. My little talks with the manager have clearly fallen on deaf ears and since the economic downturn, my hopes of him using the biodegradable packaging company that I told him about, are fading.
Heavy water usage, high fructose corn syrup and polystyrene packaging aside, I’ve managed to pull off a pretty Gorgeously Green holiday. So here’s my message to you all, regardless how far down the green path you’ve already travelled, give yourself and massive pat on the back for any of the small changes you’ve managed to make so far and go easy on yourself for a few transgressions. Never expect yourself or anyone else to be perfect, or you’ll set yourself up for failure. Little eco-sins are to be expected and the only thing that really matters is that you give Green a go.
Enjoy your last days of 2009 and thank you for joining this community and for making a difference.
I think we all indulged in some non-organic (though maybe the color green). I will confess, as I still indulge in left over cookies I was sent back to NY with, mmm.
I do have a question about biodegradable packaging. While I understand the importance, does it really biodegrade? Landfills are so compacted, with no air and no sunlight how can any thing biodegrade? Scientists have taken core samples (similar to ice core samples) and find that it takes MANY years to decompose. So whether something is biodegradable or not, does it really help if it goes to the landfill. The key is to compost biodegradable packaging, as it is the only way to truly use the packaging in a green manner.
Plastic has become an important aspect in our lives, can you imagine what kind of care you would get in a hospital if we didn’t have plastic? Some historians are saying that this age will be known as the plastic age. The next time you go to the store take a look around and see if you can find products that don’t have plastic. As important as plastic is to our lives it has also demonstrated some negative side effects and there isn’t any one perfect answer for solving plastic pollution.
Here in the U.S. recycling rates for plastic is less than 30 percent which means a lot of plastic is ending up in a landfill. Many other countries do a much better job of recycling then we do here in the U.S., and our recycling rate isn’t going to improve until the recycling industry develops markets for recycled materials.
Many companies are trying to do something about plastic pollution and are developing more environmentally friendly plastics. There are basically three types of plastics which are considered to be more environmentally friendly which are: Compostable, Degradable and Biodegradable plastics.
Compostable plastics are commonly called Polylactic Acid (PLA) are made from plants. Here is the U.S. most PLA is made from corn. PLA is compostable but must be processed by a commercial composting facility. There aren’t many commercial composting facilities so most PLA will end up in a garbage dump. PLA doesn’t biodegrade quickly so once it finds its way into a landfill it will remain there for a long time.
Degradable plastics degrade through photo degradation and oxygen degradation isn’t biodegradable plastic, they are degradable plastics. Degradable plastic breaks down (degrades) into smaller and smaller pieces until they are too small to see. The plastic doesn’t biodegrade; it just gets too small to see.
The third type of plastic is a truly biodegradable plastic, and will biodegrade leaving behind biogases and humus. A recently introduced biodegradable plastic is the ENSO biodegradable plastic bottle with EcoPure. The ENSO plastic bottle is standard Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) plastic with EcoPure G2 additive. When placed in a microbial environment, the ENSO bottle will attract microbes which consume plastic in either an anaerobic (no oxygen) or aerobic (with oxygen) environment.
There isn’t any one perfect answer that will solve plastic pollution. However, we are working toward a solution that will help.
Max
http://www.ensobottles.com
“Bottles for a Healthier Earth”