Moving In: Kitchen Plastic Log Part 1

While unpacking my kitchen gadgets (which I haven't seen in over a year) I decided to document what I have that is plastic. I was suprised to have less than I originally thought because when I moved I donated a lot of my plastic to a neighbor in need. This is't a comprehensive documentation of all of my pastic as I still have some more stuff to move (like my Vitamix blender and my rice cooker, both of which I know have plastic) so I will add to it once I move those things as well.
I also included here the nonstick pans that I have which I know are not good for me or the environment. My knives I couldn't tell if they were plastic or wood handled so I included those as well, just in case.
I need to test my other pots and pans to see if they are aluminum as there is a link between aluminum and Alzheimer's read more here. I learned that aliminum is not magnetic whereas stainless steel is so testing with a magnet will indicate which type of pots and pans I have. If they are aluminum I will post them here as well.
On Saturday I will be heading to a local thrift store in hopes of finding some plastic, aluminum, and nonstick free kitchen items such as jars, pots, pans, and other gadgets (like the vegetable peeler, measuring cups and spoons, and cheese grater pictured).
The plastic lids shown below go with my pyrex bowl set that I love. I have yet to find information indicating that Pyrex glass is bad in anyway though I haven't really looked that hard.
Luckily not much of the plastic I currently own is likely to end up in a landfill any time soon as it can all be donated and used by someone else. I will have to check the number on the container of wasabi powder to see if that can be recycled once used. I have a few other plastic spice jars I'll have to add to my collection as well. I'm thinking about using glass and metal salt and pepper shakers to store spices going forward. I wonder if screwing them closed with a bit of reused paper would keep them fresh enough.
Tomorrow is sure to be a busy day, there are so many things to think about when trying to create a green, healthy, low plastic, low waste home!

(And please excuse the poor formating of my photos, HTML can be a real pain for this kind of stuff!)

     

     

     

     

     

Waste At Work

Since I'm getting in the green spirit I've started taking a look at the not so green choices I make at work. Honestly, because of where I'm living now it is a challenge to bring my own things to work to help reduce my waste. Certain things are provided by my job and are things that I would have a difficult time doing my job without. Here's a few lists. Next to the item I'm currently using I've listed what I should be using in bold.

* Disposable pens Reusable pen made of metal or wood with replaceable cartriges (they still use some but a lot less plastic)
* Print outs on white paper (I use a LOT of this, but we recycle!) Try to avoid printing out whenever possible by keeping the information on the screen
* Post-it notes (again, we recycle these) Write notes on the back of print outs before recycling them. That way I'm reusing and recycling!

     

Some are things I don't really need to use but haven't yet switched to greener alternatives.

     

* Tissues hanky or the hanky book! which I am thinking of making myself from old shirts!
* Paper cups (with plastic lining...double ouch) Bring my own water bottle and/or mug. I currently own a Klean Kanteen but it does have a plastic spout and I also have a plastic coffee mug that was given to me when I started my job. While the mug isn't ideal it would be better than paper cups. I should note that I do use the same cup for several days at a time.
* Disposable mechanical pencils Natural sustainable or recycled wood pencils with natural rubber erasers. I'd have to provide my own but they tend to last a while.
* Styrofoam plates (seriously, I try not using a plate at all if I can help it, I hate stryofoam!) Bring a reusable nonplastic plate
* Food in disposable containers (yogurt, frozen meals, frozen waffles, nuts, energy bars) Make my own food and bring it in reusable, nonplastic containers
* Plastic forks (I bring my own metal fork usually but sometimes I forget)
* Lip Balm in a plastic tube Lip balm in a metal container or better yet, home made lip balm
* Hand lotion in a plastic tube Make my own or buy in a tin

It seems like half of the stuff on my desk is made of plastic: my keyboard, phone, monitor, the stand I put my papers on, the stand that holds important papers, my stapler, tape dispenser, pen organizer, phone headset, highlighers, post-it despenser, calculator...the chair I'm sitting in!! How do we stand a chance in a world full of plastic and disposable stuff?!

What Is Green Chic?!

News flash: You don't have to be a "dirty hippie" to care about the environment or your health. You can smell good, look fabulous, and have a gorgeous clean home while reducing your use of harsh chemicals, toxins, plastics, and waste. You may even be surprised by how easy it can be!

To prove to you just how easy it can be I have taken on the challenge to stop wasting and start greening!

On May 18th I will be moving into a 2 bedroom apartment with my boyfriend. I should warn that he is not the most environmentally conscious individual, but if it saves money and reduces waste he's all for it! I've got several waste and chemical use reduction goals in mind. We'll start with the first ones on my list and make changes in our lives and shopping habits to meet each of these goals:

1) No chemical cleaners. This includes how we wash our house, our dishes, and our clothes. We'll be making our own - such as citrus vineager cleaner - and we'll be purchasing some items.

2) Reduce "disposable" product usage. This includes cleaning products, paper towels, cotton balls, tissues and other disposable items. I'd like to get it so toilet paper is the only disposable item we use!

3) Buy local. This means no ordering things off the internet, supporting local farms, and local stores. It also means we'll need to limit purchases from chain stores. We've already stopped shopping at WalMart long ago, but we'd like to limit our purchases from other large corporations as well when possible.

4) No chemical health/beauty products. I'm a believer in waste not want not, so I'm not about to throw out the fairly new stick of deoderant sitting on my dresser. I'll slowly be transitioning from store bought products to homemade ones including shampoo, conditioner, deoderant, toothepaste, and soap.

5) No more pastic! This is going to be a challenge because SO much of what we purchase at the grocery store or otherwise comes wrapped in plastic. I'll start by replacing the plastic dishes we have with glass, ceramic, or metal. This means donating the plastic ones and purchasing used when available. We have lots of great resources in our area for used items, not to mention tag sales! The next step will be to reduce the things I purchase that come in plastic. That means everything from lettuce, bread, yogurt, dressings, and cheese to batteries, nylons, lip gloss, and take-out. This is really going to require a lifestyle change. Purchasing fresh bread and supplying my own bag or making my own bread, for example.

6) Reduce waste. I didn't mention recycling on this list because it's sort of a given. Once we reduce our "disposable" products and plastic consumption our waste stream should be greatly reduced but we'll want to look at what else we can stop throwing away at that point. Our new apartment has a small patio and lawn space so I might try to find a used compost roller or start some other kind of composting program. I guess I'll have to wait and see what's left in the trash bin at this point. One thing I'm planning on doing right off is using biodegradable trash bags.

So that's the list. Once I move into the apartment I'll keep you posted on how it's going! I'll also be providing website recommendations and let you know what my experiences are with different products and recipes.

Step 1: Furniture. I had to sell everything I owned the last time I moved so I don't currently own any furniture. To acquire furniture I will be asking friends and relatives for items they don't want. I'll also be looking for used items at our local thrift stores and possibly at yard sales. The only piece of furniture that I will be buying new is a matress. With all the bed bug horror stories and knowing that beds collect a LOT of human skin I will want to start fresh there. We probably won't be starting out with the most fashionable home decor, but it will be a great place to start!