Fair Weather Vegan

Addendum: Government Wielding The Stick

I just wanted to add that I realize that even things like governmentally-imposed environmental policies don't affect all people equally, and that often there are higher and less manageable costs for the working class.  Part of the government's role when it sets such policies is to try to soften the impact on the poor.  That can be done.  Our environmental problems also affect the poor disproportionately because they often live in neighborhoods near power plants or waste dumps.  The bottom line is that I believe that there is a definite harm to all of us from environmental degredation which warrants a high degree of government intervention, and there is not the same kind of definite harm from soda.*  I recognize that many smart people have been convinced otherwise, but I believe them to be wrong. There it is.

*Just as a food, not as a product.  Because obviously some of it is produced by huge conglomerates in gigantic polluting factories, etc etc. 

A Cleaner Planet Or A Slightly Abrasive Sound

American consumers overwhelmingly decided that a little more noise from their chip bags was not worth being more environmentally friendly, and SunChips has decided to discontinue its compostable bags.  Fake Plastic Fish has the hardcore opinion here, all about how Beth wasn't thrilled with the decision in the first place for various reasons, the most central of which is that we want people to consume less, not find better ways to be consumers.  I agree with that in the abstract, but I also realize that most people aren't going to consume less until it becomes absolutely necessary/much easier, which will require lots of government intervention of various types, which is clearly not forthcoming in our lifetimes.  Given that, making the stuff we do consume more green, even incrementally, is hugely important.  It is really depressing that people couldn't get past the sound of the bag, which wasn't so much louder as just more resonant and tinny than normal chip bags, to the idea behind it.  My guess is that secretly those people didn't want to be eating Sun Chips anyhow.  Admittedly I have not tried some of their more exotic flavors with fun fats like ranch dressing in them, but I've been trying to eat the plain flavor for years with only middling success.  They just aren't that good.  That's especially noticeable since there's been a boom in small-batch chips in recent years and the market has gotten filled with quality products.  

Still, what the hell is wrong with you, America?   You wanted to eat these things in the movies, or what?  If this technology couldn't survive in Sun Chips, it's not going to be used for more popular brands now, and that's the big shame. 

Know Your Audience

Hey Whole Foods, maybe the reason that someone would buy laundry detergent in powdered form that comes in a cardboard box, rather than the much more convenient liquid bottled version, is because she wants to cut down on her plastic use.  When she opens that cardboard box, then, it would probably be best not to confront her with a plastic bag and a plastic measuring cup.  Granted, that's less plastic than would be used to make a detergent bottle, but really.....

Is This Stuff Working?

As part of my quest to lead a greener life in small ways, I have long been searching for an effective, environmentally friendly sunscreen.  The problem with most sunscreens at the very top of the Environmental Working Group's rankings is that they are made with zinc oxide, which was the primary ingredient in sunscreen in the days when it made you look like the stereotypical tone deaf tourist with a chalk white noise.  Using the amount you unconsciously do after years of of regular sunscreens and you turn into a kabuki actor.  A little farther down the list but not uncomfortably so are products made by Alba Botanica.  I have been trying the lavender SPF 45, which uses a combination of ingredients like aloe vera, green tea, chamomile, and lavender as well as a number of synthetics but none of the ones which cause serious potential harm in tests.  It's worth noting that I firmly believe the jury is out on most chemicals that we use in small doses and don't subscribe to the armageddon theories that everything we use is dangerous, but if I can avoid stuff and still get the same product benefits, why not?  There's also no question it's better for the planet.  This sunscreen is described as "very emollient" and the dictionary tells me that emollient means soothing to the skin, which explains the aloe vera.  It is very comfortable to wear, and also has the added benefit of causing people to say 'what smells so nice?' because of the lavender scent.  It takes a little effort to rub in but eventually does so, leaving no white residue.  What's the downside, you ask?  The downside is that I'm not actually sure it works.  When I used to use my regular sunscreen it felt like it was working.  With this one, I actually have the sensation that my neck or nose or whatever is quite warm and getting burned.  Yet when I checked afterward often I was fine.  The complicating factor is that by the time I switched over it was summer already and I had my serious sun exposure tan, which means I have trouble actually testing it because most of me is past sunburn.  Was this just a psychological factor, or what?  We'll have to wait until I lose my tan to fine out, a tricky proposition in this climate.  Or leave your opinion in comments. 

My Feet Hate Me: SF Street Food Festival

Even on a cloudy, cold day it pays to show up right at the beginning of any food-related event in the Bay Area.  Because people around here are insane about food.  Insane, I tell you.  So the prospect of a few blocks full of booths from some of the Bay's most beloved food carts but also some of its hottest restaurants drew everyone, plus of course her dog, because that's the other thing we're insane about.  Never mind that with people hip to jowl in a three block radius, plus eighteen billion varieties of meat being cooked in the open air, plus a number of small, fur-pulling children, it was not actually a good environment for dogs.  The hell with that.  Attending the festival with the one person in the world who is less able to pass a dog on the street than I am might have been a mistake, as we were constantly being stopped while she paused to admire or commiserate or read tail semaphore, or whatever.  There was a dude with a bulldog who had the right idea: he simply sat on one of the crates provided to patrons on the sidewalk while women flocked to coo over his dog.*

But the food, right, the food.

Putting Those Yogurt Cups To Use

On some occasions, a product is so superior to the alternative that it can charge basically whatever it wants.  I've used a Gillette Mach 3 razor for years because it's simply the best.  On the occasions I've strayed, even to razors that are supposed to be comparable like Gillette's own Venus (allegedly the Mach 3 for women), I have been disappointed and stubbly.  My Dad uses the same razor, and it was when he, who is generally mild-mannered when it comes to money, actually yelled at me for taking one of his blades that I realized the price situation had gotten out of control.  Mach 3 blades cost around $2.50, and several times this year I've rolled up to the store to get them and walked out empty-handed, having balked at spending the price of a really good seat to a WPS game on razor blades.  I could buy them in extreme bulk, but I have that irrational consumer problem wherein I often prefer to spend less money up front than a lower unit cost.  If I'm going to be buying triple blades anyway, I decided, why not kill two birds with one stone and switch to the Preserve razor?  A starter pack of razor plus two blades costs $8 at Whole Foods, and the razor is made from recycled #5 plastic, which is one of the least-recycled plastics since it's not included in many towns' programs.  When you're done with it, which should be awhile since it seems pretty sturdy, just mail it back and Preserve will recycle it.  The yogurt-cup formula makes a super-light razor, lighter even than disposables, so you have to pay attention to make sure you're getting coverage, but it works just as well as a triple blade should.*  The blades are a little bit tricky to get on and I kept worrying I was going to snap the little plastic doohickies at the top of the razor, but I eventually worked it out.  They are still expensive, running about $2, but I feel better about giving my money to a socially-responsible company than to a conglomerate.  My big quibble is that Whole Foods carried only one color, which is euphemistically described by Preserve as Pear Green.  There are several more attractive options on the website. It's also a little weird that they sell it in plastic packaging, which is #2 and fully recyclable, but still. 

*Although I admit probably not quite as well as the Mach 3, the Lamborghini of razors

Sandalwood Soap and 'Lurgy

  River Soap is made by a San Francisco, family-owned company and it's absolutely lovely with subtle natural scents.  When I washed my hands with its calming sandalwood soap the first day, however, I suddenly remembered that I actually have to think about the products I buy now that I have entered the era of being Allergic To Everything In The Universe.  There was that time I scared the hell out of a massage therapist at La Belle in Palo Alto when I realized 'hmm, this massage oil is making my back heat up the way it did when they did the tests at my allergy clinic, which while only vaguely uncomfortable to me means that it must actually be completely red.'  I had to keep reassuring the poor woman that I wasn't about to go into anaphylactic shock. When I initially used the soap, a few patches of red appeared at the usual places around my palms (it's always around the outside).  The problem with reactions is that with several ingredients in the soap including the soap base itself, it's unclear what causes the problem, so it wasn't like I could necessarily go back and pick up the mountain laurel variety instead (I'd been dithering for a bit in the store and went with the quieter scent, but the mountain laurel was really distinctive and refreshing).  I also know that sometimes reactions from unfamiliar ingredients go away with use.  For instance, I'm pretty sure the essential oil at that particular massage was lavender, but I have a lavender soap that I love.  I've kept using the sandalwood soap for several days and never experienced a repeat performance.  In general I prefer shea butter-based soaps to the clear, French-milled variety because they are softer and have a creamy texture, and this bar has some very solid corners that take time to wear away (at least I hope they do), but it smells nice and lathers really well.  My switch over to bar soap was prompted in part by wanting cut down on my plastic footprint, but it has been an aesthetic treat too, and River Soap definitely contributes to that enjoyment.   

Oh To Be Rich

Then I could be the kind of person who would pay $29 for 2.25 ounces of organic sunscreen.  Or possibly not.  Health: it's for people with money. 

Tiny Choices: Oral Hygiene Edition

Tom's of Maine packages its natural toothpaste in recyclable aluminum tubes.  If they aren't recycled in your area, you can even mail them back to the company.  I have started using their Whole Care toothpaste and thus far like it, although I hadn't realized how much I took the sugary taste of Crest for granted after all these years.  Ironic in a toothpaste, no? 

The Preserve company produces toothbrushes out of recycled number five plastics (the ones in yogurt containers) and will take them back when you've used them up.  They're also the ones who run the number five recycling program at Whole Foods. 

Beth Terry discusses other plastic-free options here.  One of the things I'm not planning on changing unless I have a lot of evidence it's equally effective is my mouthwash, since I already have visions of being the only person of my generation with dentures.  You spend your youth thinking that cavities are the sole enemy, and so many of us have been cavity-free our whole lives what with school-sponsored flouride and whatnot, and then boom, nascent gum disease. Beth's dentist did recommend her mouthwash, but I have to say that when I hear 'herbs' in the context of medicine I am generally not impressed.  

These types of posts are inspired by the Tiny Choices blog and by Diane MacEachern's One In A Million campaign, which encourages consumers to switch $1000 of their household spending to green products.  Actually, it encourages *women* to switch their spending, on the assumption that it's women who are in charge of the budget for things like grocery shopping and cleaning supplies.  While this is no doubt true in many households, I don't think it's something we necessarily need to encourage by treating it as the standard.  It certainly wasn't in my house growing up, and that's only going to become more true as people my age who expect a more equitable distribution of housework form families. 

Waste-Free Takeout

The greenest choice is to bring your own, but for those of us who aren't going to say goodbye to takeout totally, two items to help make it a little easier on the planet.  Both are on the list for my next set of eco-purchases:

Carry your own bamboo utensils.

Pack a tough glass straw.