I was in Athens, Georgia last weekend for a University of Georgia alumni event. One fun thing about being in a college town is shopping for items unavailable elsewhere. (Metro D.C. is — what? — thirty times the size, but it’s easier to get beer-making supplies in Athens, for instance.) One such product line is… Continue reading Low plastic? Shop on campus
Tag: low-plastic
Low plastic office: Hollinger boxes
A truly paperless office, even if desirable, is very hard to organize. Paper is just too useful a product and paper printed quickly becomes paper stored. There are many metal filing tools for those who want to avoid plastic, but these are often packed in plastic or are simply too large or unwieldy for the… Continue reading Low plastic office: Hollinger boxes
D.C. bag law, one month on
The District of Columbia law requiring a fee for disposable bags in food and liquor businesses is reducing the demand for thee bags, even if it irritates some locals. No official reports yet, but shopkeepers report half the use of disposable bags — quite an accomplishment — per this January 23 article in the Washington… Continue reading D.C. bag law, one month on
Getting rid of phone books
Today, NPR had a segment (“The Phone Book’s Days Appear Numbered”) about a California bill to make white page directories opt-in, the problems associated with their production and disposal and about the overall decline of the utility of phonebooks. (These are, of course, mostly paper — a valuable resource in its own right — but… Continue reading Getting rid of phone books
Low Plastic Office: rubber bands
I’ve been thinking about reducing plastic use in the office which — after home — is the place it makes the most sense for me and for many others. I want to point out the obvious: rubber bands are really handy. I use them to bundle papers, including files. I use them to cinch cables… Continue reading Low Plastic Office: rubber bands
Some more facts about the D.C. bag law
The District of Columbia’s shopping bag law begins today, and I’ve already been out to pick up a few necessities, cloth bags in tow. Since I’ve heard some misinformation, I thought I would share some details about the new law. The financial impact statement for the bill compares Washington, D.C. to Seattle, Washington, which went… Continue reading Some more facts about the D.C. bag law
Produce without plastic
The forthcoming District of Columbia plastic and paper bag restriction specifically excludes bags for fruit and vegetable — perhaps out of concern that D.C. residents need no discouragement to eat their greens. But in France we saw an alternative — paper. Strong attractive paper bags — squared off, with a picture of a cheery market… Continue reading Produce without plastic
Small good news from vacation plastic-alypse
Hubby and I got back from a trip to Paris and Cologne, and boy did I blow through some plastic. I even drank some bottled water — which I’d normally not do — because the available tap options were unclear and I don’t even want to think about plastic table wear. But there are a… Continue reading Small good news from vacation plastic-alypse
The key to plastic tubs
My husband and I used to get soup from the Chinese take-out across the street almost every week. But we moved last September, and changed our usual mode of eating well before that. So how old are those plastic tubs? A year, more? They’re still fine: no cracks, stains or signs of damage. Why? A… Continue reading The key to plastic tubs
Trader Joe’s bag a win on all counts
I went at Trader Joe’s — a specialty grocery store, for those unfamiliar — a few days ago directly from work , but didn’t have my own bag. Since some of the nonwoven cloth bags (read: plastic) at home were beginning to show their age, I went ahead and picked up a large canvas bag… Continue reading Trader Joe’s bag a win on all counts