Mr. P.
San Francisco

I am so glad that I found this web page. I wanted to let you know that since our communications regarding the peanuts that we use for shipping, we have now changed to peanuts made of cornstarch. :) I was so happy and I wanted to let you know. Everyone is so excited here about the change and that one can actually eat the packaging peanuts. haha Thank you so much for your advice and persistance regarding this matter. You are a wonderful example for everyone to follow.

Sincerely,

Cindy Davy
Loleta Cheese Factory
cindy@loletacheese.com
1-800-995-0453

My only concern is with your method of shipping things back to where they came from. I understand you’re doing it as a matter of principle and to make companies think about what they are doing – and that’s great! But, I constantly weigh the environmental impacts of every action – and when you look at the whole life cycle of a product, the environmental impacts of shipping things around are often the most impactful. I don’t want to say your method is wrong, because if you can get any company to consider more environmentally preferable packaging methods, etc. then the impact of your efforts is certainly worth it in the grand scheme of things. I just wanted to through this idea out there as something to think about.

Also, I wonder if you are sending EVERYTHING back or only when you know they don’t think about it. I ask this question because I know certain companies (i.e. greenfeet) try to package their items in the most environmentally friendly way possible. This means they reuse all the packaging they receive (no matter what kind it is) – and try to repurpose items (i.e. styrofoam peanuts) instead of trashing them and putting more resources into buying the eco-friendly type (i.e. the cornstarch kind). With all that said, I get that your greater purpose is to push for phasing out these plastic containing items completely – and that I definitely support!

One question. I haven’t read all the old posts yet so I’m not sure if you’ve addressed this, but i’m curious – what do you use for tape (especially for packaging items).

And Carol, could you please e-mail me privately? My e-mail address is in my profile. And let me know in what areas you find you use the most plastic.

THanks so very much for all your work! Carol of NC

It’s Kristen from Straus Family Creamery. I must say … I have never heard of these Strauss people. I do know of an awesome creamery in Marshall that makes organic, hormone-free dairy products. They are called Straus Family Creamery. Don’t sweat it, everyone misspells it at least once.

Thanks for the note back. I got it today. I will use the DVD for someone else. Thank you for your commitment to a plastic-free life.

I did want to address the issue you mentioned in your letter about our plastic caps on our reusable glass bottles. Previously we used a foil lid. Foil is only one-time use. It is very hard to re-attach the lid securely enough to shake up all the cream. While plastic stinks, at least you can use it more than one time at home. Plus … plastic creates the best food safety barrier.

Thanks for inviting me to your site!

Just wondered.