...And there was no coffee!!!
Well, no roasted coffee. So, that's what I did, still bleary-eyed and tousled-haired. This time, since I wanted my coffee 20 minutes ago, I made medium roast.
Well, no roasted coffee. So, that's what I did, still bleary-eyed and tousled-haired. This time, since I wanted my coffee 20 minutes ago, I made medium roast.
Sorry it's blurry. The coffee was cooling, so I couldn't drink it yet. Cameras are difficult to use.
While it was cooling (it's still brewing right now) I decided to take a photo of a recently finished project to share with the world: My Bottle Path.
While it was cooling (it's still brewing right now) I decided to take a photo of a recently finished project to share with the world: My Bottle Path.
An entire summer in the making, I've finally finished it! There must be over 300 bottles in the path, beer and soda - and maybe a hot sauce bottle thrown in for kicks. It involved many many weeks of asking neighbours, party hosts and parents for their glass recycling. Then it took trench digging, bottle placing and finally a lot of sand and dirt and sweeping. But now it's done! And we can walk on it! Just in time for the rain to keep us inside for the next 6 months!
(I took an overall shot of the path this morning, but it was blurry too. Sorry!)
Now that we're talking about re-using excessive packaging, I'd like to talk a little about plastic grocery bags:
STOP USING THEM!
Roommate has a habit of going shopping and coming home with 10 plastic bags (sometimes double bagged). I've tried offering him the use of our canvas bags, of which I have more than enough for him to borrow, but to no avail. Earlier this year, the collection of plastic bags in our house got so insane that I macaramed a lampshade out of all of them (it had to be at least 100).
(I took an overall shot of the path this morning, but it was blurry too. Sorry!)
Now that we're talking about re-using excessive packaging, I'd like to talk a little about plastic grocery bags:
STOP USING THEM!
Roommate has a habit of going shopping and coming home with 10 plastic bags (sometimes double bagged). I've tried offering him the use of our canvas bags, of which I have more than enough for him to borrow, but to no avail. Earlier this year, the collection of plastic bags in our house got so insane that I macaramed a lampshade out of all of them (it had to be at least 100).
That was, seriously, only 3 months ago. The collection has gotten ridiculous again. I guess I do have another lamp in need of a shade... My original plan was to make it out of fabric (I have some old silk slips just dying to be repurposed). Oh well.
I remember when I bought my first re-usable canvas bag: Summer, 2001 in Stuttgart. My travel-friend Kelley and I were taking a German-language immersion class for a month. The first time we went grocery shopping we had a little bit of a culture-clash:
As we went to pay, we were informed that we either had to buy a canvas bag or carry our food out in our hands. So I bought a bag (picturing a turtle kissing a frog and the words: Schützt unsere Umvelt) and NEVER forgot it again. We desperately need such a policy here in the US.
For the next 6 or 7 years back in California I used that bag, and others added to my collection, while getting hard looks from most cashiers and heavy sighs from baggers. Only in a Mexican grocery store in Van Nuys did I ever receive praise from a cashier for bringing my own bags.
Until I moved to Portland, that is. Not everyone in this town uses canvas grocery bags (i.e. Roommate) but it's not just accepted here, it's generally expected and encouraged. A lot of that may be due to environmental-responsibility suddenly becoming hip, but I'll take it!
In conclusion: seriously folks, STOP USING PLASTIC BAGS. It's wasteful and unnecessary and an easy thing to do for the planet.
I remember when I bought my first re-usable canvas bag: Summer, 2001 in Stuttgart. My travel-friend Kelley and I were taking a German-language immersion class for a month. The first time we went grocery shopping we had a little bit of a culture-clash:
As we went to pay, we were informed that we either had to buy a canvas bag or carry our food out in our hands. So I bought a bag (picturing a turtle kissing a frog and the words: Schützt unsere Umvelt) and NEVER forgot it again. We desperately need such a policy here in the US.
For the next 6 or 7 years back in California I used that bag, and others added to my collection, while getting hard looks from most cashiers and heavy sighs from baggers. Only in a Mexican grocery store in Van Nuys did I ever receive praise from a cashier for bringing my own bags.
Until I moved to Portland, that is. Not everyone in this town uses canvas grocery bags (i.e. Roommate) but it's not just accepted here, it's generally expected and encouraged. A lot of that may be due to environmental-responsibility suddenly becoming hip, but I'll take it!
In conclusion: seriously folks, STOP USING PLASTIC BAGS. It's wasteful and unnecessary and an easy thing to do for the planet.
I do love the necklace you made me. Although it would be better if there were no plastic bags to use.
ReplyDeleteIf you put all your plastic bags in a plastic bag and take them down to the thrift store, they will take them, and use them for shopping bags.
There is a bag tax in DC- 5 cents a bag. This past weekend I saw 3 older guys gang up on the poor girl at the counter telling her the bag tax was bullshit!
ReplyDeleteI still get a plastic bag occasionally and use it for the smaller trash can or to wrap stuff up when traveling. How do you possibly collect more than 4 or 5 at a time though? That just seems unduly wasteful and cluttery!
nice lampshade btw
Two things.
ReplyDelete1. You can recycle them, at least. New Seasons on Interstate has a few canisters in their parking lot. One is for plastic bags.
2. I have gotten so good at not using plastic bags that I am running out of things to line the kitchen garbage can with. Which leads me to the inevitable question... Am I supposed to BUY plastic bags to use for my kitchen garbage? If I have to resort to that, at least I can get compostable ones. But still. It feels wrong to pay money for something you immediately stick into the garbage can.
Recycling plastic bags is very difficult, and in Portland they recommend that you don't try to recycle them as they clog up the machines. I don't know where New Seasons sends the bags, or what percentage of them actually get recycled. I'd rather just cut the middle-bag out.
ReplyDeleteIf you compost and aren't cooking meat, you shouldn't have to line your kitchen garbage at all. Growing up, my mom only ever used a paper bag for the kitchen garbage. But, yea, that's hard in an apartment, and at least you're re-using them!
It's possible to buy garbage liners made from corn starch - they're spendy, but I guess that's a motivation to fill them up slower!
You can't recycle the bags in the normal recycling, but I'm quite sure New Seasons wouldn't take them back if they couldn't do something better with them than throw them away. In fact, it explicitly says on their website that they take plastic bags (which they deem "hard to recycle") for the community.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.newseasonsmarket.com/dynamicContent.aspx?loc=1400&subloc=1&menuId=1453&mc=14001
I agree that it's better not to use them to begin with. But if you can't force your roommate to stop and there are more than you can repurpose for crafts, you can at least recycle them. It's a step.
Yeah, I can't compost anymore. Also, the Portland composting program for commercial business takes meat, cheese, etc... We had a huge barbeque at work and EVERYTHING was compostable except the chip bags. Pretty great. Of course, we had to have people volunteer to stand at the bins and make people not throw stuff in the garbage. It's amazing how people don't even stop to read the sign about what can go in the compost bin.
That's great to know about NS! Thanks for doing the research I was too lazy for. I'll probably take a handful of bags next time I go there.
ReplyDeleteI wish Portland's residential composting program did that too. I wonder why they draw the distinction.
Also, Jessica, if you need plastic bags for your kitchen garbage you are most certainly welcome to raid my bag collection. I'm not sure I have many the right size, but if I do, they're yours.
ReplyDelete