My quest to be Styrofoam free is going strong. Minus the minor tiffs I have endured from various supermarkets not understanding my “strange” request for meat that does not come in Styrofoam. I really do find it amusing to see the look on people’s faces when you ask them what their to-go containers are made of. Not only is it serving my goal to be Styrofoam free, but hopefully it is getting them to think about why I am asking and/or denying a to-go container if it is Styrofoam.
I thought I would share with you a few habits I have developed to ensure I am Styrofoam free.
• If you go out to eat at a restaurant, ask the waiter before you order what their containers are made out of. If they don’t have an alternative from Styrofoam, I know I am going to order something that will not have leftovers.
• If you are eating at a fast food place or a “hole in the wall”, as you are walking in notice what people are eating on and/or carrying out. A lot of time those small places will use Styrofoam because it is so cheap.
• Think back to places you have eaten before. I know I cannot eat at Jamba Juice. I love their delicious sugar filled smoothies, but I know from all the previous times I have been there that their smoothies come in Styrofoam.
• If you know a place only offers their food in Styrofoam (all my favorite Mexican food places in San Diego), bring your own containers. I guarantee you will get funny looks, but it is worth the cause.
I hope these tips have helped if you are trying to cut back on your Styrofoam usage or at least I hope it made you think about your food and the packaging it comes in.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
A Pain In The.....Gnat!
Nothing beats the terrifying feeling of walking into your house after a short vacation and seeing your kitchen covered in gnats. I should first state that I hate bugs… no despise bugs. I don’t mind them outside, but I do not want them in my home. So seeing my kitchen filled with gnats (my favorite room in the house), I panicked. I immediately grabbed a kitchen towel and tried to take down the swarm of gnats. If anyone has ever tried to fight off gnats, you know this technique does not provide results.
After realizing I was just moving the gnats around and not actually getting rid of them, I did what I should have done first and found the source. Low and behold I forgot to take out my compostable waste before leaving on vacation. This provided the gnats with a hearty location for a gnat hotel. As clean as composting is on the back end, gnats are often a side effect of compostable waste. However, they can be avoided with a few simple steps. For backyard composting be sure to collect only fruits and vegetables for your compost bin and remember to dig a small hole in your pile and bury every fresh batch from your kitchen. For commercial composting, I recommend having an outside container with a lid that you store all organic waste. I keep a small container in my kitchen that I empty on a daily basis into the outdoor bin. Then I empty the outdoor bin once a week. The process should eliminate any gnat problem that may arise in your house.
If you do happen to come home to a gnat filled kitchen, I have just the solution for you. Find an empty spaghetti jar or anything lying around that has a sealed lid. Poke small holes in the lid with a sharp object. Make sure the holes are not too large or too small. They should be about the size of a gnat. Fill the jar with about _ a cup of cider vinegar, about a tablespoon of sugar and about ยบ a cup of water. Seal the lid on the jar and place it in a central location of the gnats. The mixture will attract the gnats into the jar, but they will not be able to get back out. Word to the wise… close every door and window in your house. The first time I tried this, I realized the mixture was working so well it was attracting gnats from outside into the house. Within a couple hours to a day all of the gnats will be gone!
After realizing I was just moving the gnats around and not actually getting rid of them, I did what I should have done first and found the source. Low and behold I forgot to take out my compostable waste before leaving on vacation. This provided the gnats with a hearty location for a gnat hotel. As clean as composting is on the back end, gnats are often a side effect of compostable waste. However, they can be avoided with a few simple steps. For backyard composting be sure to collect only fruits and vegetables for your compost bin and remember to dig a small hole in your pile and bury every fresh batch from your kitchen. For commercial composting, I recommend having an outside container with a lid that you store all organic waste. I keep a small container in my kitchen that I empty on a daily basis into the outdoor bin. Then I empty the outdoor bin once a week. The process should eliminate any gnat problem that may arise in your house.
If you do happen to come home to a gnat filled kitchen, I have just the solution for you. Find an empty spaghetti jar or anything lying around that has a sealed lid. Poke small holes in the lid with a sharp object. Make sure the holes are not too large or too small. They should be about the size of a gnat. Fill the jar with about _ a cup of cider vinegar, about a tablespoon of sugar and about ยบ a cup of water. Seal the lid on the jar and place it in a central location of the gnats. The mixture will attract the gnats into the jar, but they will not be able to get back out. Word to the wise… close every door and window in your house. The first time I tried this, I realized the mixture was working so well it was attracting gnats from outside into the house. Within a couple hours to a day all of the gnats will be gone!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
A Summer Miracle!
One of my favorite summer meals is bratwurst with sauerkraut. However, since my pledge to live a Styrofoam free life (which has not been easy in the slightest) I have not been able to purchase bratwurst due to the fact it was only packaged in Styrofoam. I am not talking about any bratwurst, I am talking about Johnsonville bratwurst. I have tried others… there is no comparison.
While doing my weekly grocery shopping last week, the clouds parted and I found the bratwurst in the meat counter—styrofoam free! I purchased enough to last me all summer long! I did this for two reasons: 1) I always want to support companies that make smart packaging decisions and 2) I was afraid next time I went to the store to get by brats fix they would not be there.
This just proves to me that persistence is the key. Companies are slowly realizing that packaging matters to people and it will actually affect their purchasing habits and decisions. There are many people who don’t understand this mission that I am on. When I told my mom about my Styrofoam free life she replied “You can’t do that!” It is not easy, I will give her that, but it is something I CAN do.
While doing my weekly grocery shopping last week, the clouds parted and I found the bratwurst in the meat counter—styrofoam free! I purchased enough to last me all summer long! I did this for two reasons: 1) I always want to support companies that make smart packaging decisions and 2) I was afraid next time I went to the store to get by brats fix they would not be there.
This just proves to me that persistence is the key. Companies are slowly realizing that packaging matters to people and it will actually affect their purchasing habits and decisions. There are many people who don’t understand this mission that I am on. When I told my mom about my Styrofoam free life she replied “You can’t do that!” It is not easy, I will give her that, but it is something I CAN do.
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