Comments on: San Francisco Green Festival, the aftermath

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:43:00 +0000

I have heard and read contradictory info.
On the one hand i hear that corn-based utensils can’t just be thrown into your garden; they don’t biodegrade unless put into commercial composting facility. On the other hand, this website http://www.wedgeworldwide.coop/product_info.php?products_id=1771
claims that after a couple years they will degrade through regular garden composting. any ideas?

By: Aviva Engel

Aviva Engel — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 21:31:00 +0000

Beth,

Stuart told me about your site at yesterday's plastic talk. I immediately checked it out. I love your enthusiasm and integrity, as well as sharing your inquiry. I too was at the Green Festival and received the smelly Discovery bag. My brain could not get around the irony of this. I brought it back the next day with a gentle message of disappointment. Thank you for you time, energy and commitment about shedding our habit of plastic. Cheers, ~aviva~

By: CindyW

CindyW — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 07:12:00 +0000

Hi Beth, I went to the SF Greenfest as well. For some reason, I came away a little disappointed. Perhaps there were just too many booths selling knick knacks no one really “need”. I learned a few things from the non-profit organizations there and discovered a couple of nice vendors – Better World books and Imagiplay (a great imaginative and non-toxic toy vendor). But I had to wade through a lot of “magic” liquid (water, drinks, whatever), “magic” bar food, and a dozen organic kids’ T-shirts. Got my Straus ice cream fix of course. That always puts a smile on my face…

By: Neena (NeenMachine)

Neena (NeenMachine) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 11:37:00 +0000

It is ironic that those vendors didn’t see the water bottles or the plastic bag as an environmental mistake. I have a couple reusable canvas totes for groceries which are a better alternative.

By: Timothy Latz

Timothy Latz — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 05:54:00 +0000

Beth, thanks for the Green festival Update.. I went to the one in Chicago last April and was amazed at huge the event is but also how they are evolving and working hard to educate folks with the recycling and composting at the event..

I'm a bit surprised about the Rainbow Grocery plastic bottle fiasco, because they are usually known as such good green community members.. Someone there must have forgotten about the whole purpose of the festival or something. They should give everyone free yummy food to make up for it =P

By: Beth in the Fake Plastic Fish Tank

Beth in the Fake Plastic Fish Tank — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 04:09:00 +0000

Hi Mazzajo. Maybe I’m OTT too, but I do think it matters. It’s important to think about not only how you will use the object once you purchase it, but how the object was created in the first place. Were humans and animals harmed in the production process? The creation of plastic is harmful to marine life before the plastic is ever made into products for us to use. We can’t know everything that a company does. But we can be pretty sure that some materials are better for the environment than others and that some practices, especially those that are certified by outside organizations, are more sustainable than others. I say, let’s all be as OTT as we can reasonably manage to be without driving ourselves crazy!

By: Mazzajo

Mazzajo — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 02:30:00 +0000

Thanks again for another great post. I’d been thinking about “green” businesses a lot lately. There are some really great products out there, but I’m being turned off by their claims, like “completely recyclable” meaning, the consumer can re-use the item (like a plastic-based produce bag). And, “Eco-silk” meaning 100% nylon parachute material… Perhaps I’m going OTT about this? If I intend to use a (new) item responsibly, then does it matter what the company does?? What do you think?

By: Burbanmom

Burbanmom — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:01:00 +0000

Thank you! I always learn something new on your blog! :-)

By: Beth in the Fake Plastic Fish Tank

Beth in the Fake Plastic Fish Tank — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 11:57:00 +0000

Straus is an organic dairy and is at the forefront against genetically-modified crops. The corn used in most compostable containers has been genetically-modified, usually so that it can withstand larger amounts of pesticides. Growing corn in this country is very energy-intensive, using a lot of fossil fuels and chemical fertilizers. And the corn-based plastic that is used the most for food containers is NatureWorks PLA, which is a joint venture between agribusiness giant Cargille and chemical producer Dow.

Straus wants to make sure that its containers are as organic and non-polluting as the milk products it puts into them.

Biodegradable is better than petro-based plastic. But I think that before Straus invests a whole lot of money into changing their packaging, they'd rather wait and go for a type of package they feel is the most sustainable in the long run.

By: Burbanmom

Burbanmom — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 11:47:00 +0000

Beth,

Great post! I so wish they had festivals like that where I live! Anyhow, if I could ask a question about the Straus ice cream cartons. I think it’s awesome that they are developing a potato-based container, but why are they so vehemently opposed to corn-based ones, which could be used right now? Can you educate me on this? I thought the corn-based, biodegradable stuff was good… isn’t it?