Think we can't live without plastic? Think again. In 2007 I committed to stop buying any new plastic & I've almost succeeded! Won't you join me? Let's see what plastic-free looks like in 2011... for the health of our bodies, our
oceans, our planet. ~Beth Terry
by Beth Terry
Here are some snippets from the market research video I referred to in yesterday’s post. A quick, rough, and unscripted tour through some of the green aspects of our kitchen. Future videos, should we choose to make them, will be much more polished. But this one is fun, if only for the appearance of a couple of curious cats halfway through.
You might need to turn your sound volume up to hear it.
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Very fun! You hit alot of important points.
Good to know about the Eden non-plastic lined canned food.
And where did you get that food wheel!? That looks like it would be really helpful! I am still somewhat baffled trying to figure out what is in season. Is it location specific?
Nice work. I’d say you made good use of the opportunity to bend the exec’s ear. :D
Very inspiring video. What is so ironic to me is that back in the 70s, the whole taking your own storage items to the whole foods store was quite common. I remember weighing my glass jars before filling them with bulk oil or peanut butter. A hippie thing to do, I guess. Nowadays around here (Ohio), we’re finally accepting cloth shopping bags at the register.
Guess it is time to shake them up again and carry in the glass jars and little cloth bags. Love those cotton mini bags you have. And the cats’ guest appearance — they looked so proud of your kitchen!
do you really need that plastic thing for squeezing lemons? It’s so much more easier to squeeze them by hand.
The lemon thing is actually metal, I think. They are useful for getting all the juice possible out. Your kitchen looks similar to ours Beth. My thought for the day, and I know it will be unpopular, is do you really think that all organic foods are better than conventional. I work for a state department of agriculture and am constantly amazed that organic growers do not know what a pesticide is or isn’t. While I agree much of the chemicals they do use are less toxic, they do use chemicals. And, yes, many of them are EPA registered pesticides. I have an easier time getting behind eating local than just eating “organic.” Also working for the department of ag. I have serious concerns about the lack of oversight and regulation of “organic” when it’s overseas. Just some thoughts. People, please don’t just blindly purchase organic thinking it’s the “healthiest” for you or the planet. Full country of origin labeling (COOL) went into affect in October. Just take some time to read the labels and decide what is best for you. And, the kitties were cute. Thanks Beth for providing this forum.
My pantry is full of repurposed spaghetti sauce jars, too. They make great tupperware. I checked with my local food coop and they do have organic sugar in bulk. No more organic sugar in plastic – thanks for the tip. Now I just need to make some muslin bags to bring it home in. Love the food wheel on your fridge and the kitties, too. They are definitely not camera shy!
Laura — the food wheel is specific to the SF Bay Area. There’s also one now for the New York Metro area. Here is a link to it. (It does come packaged in plastic.)
http://www.localfoodswheel.com/
Mariella — Fresh and Feisty is right. The lemon squeezer is absolutely not plastic. It’s very hard and squeezes out every last drop of juice… better than the kind where you twist the lemon around and around. And easier.
Fresh and Feisty — I do think buying organic (when it comes to the stuff in my pantry — I wasn’t showing produce because the video was supposed to focus on the pantry) is better. I want to encourage organic growing. And to discourage chemical fertilizers and pesticides that pollute not only our bodies but the air and water where they are used. And I’m not happy about the use of GMO crops to create more and more pesticide resistant strains so that higher levels of pesticides can be used.
However, I am open to being educated if my assumptions are wrong. Feel free to argue back! And does anyone else want to weigh in on the issue of organic?
We do buy as much local produce as possible from the Farmer’s Market.
It is interesting to see your kitchen and hear you talk about it. I think that seeing and hearing your suggestions makes them stick in my head better than just reading about them. Thanks for sharing your home with us readers.
Linda A
I liked the video, you and your kitties are so cute :-)
I haven’t made up my mind about organic yet. I certanly don’t agree with toxic pesticides nor fertilizers which take up huge amounts of energy to be produced. BUT I’ve heard many times that, since organic crops are way less productive, there is no way you could feed the world’s population with organic food. The available land wouldn’t be enough. The ones who said that were agronomic engineers. Besides, organic IS more expensive.
I think that the ideal crop may be one that uses the available tecnology to create genetically modified crops in a way that truly benefitted the CROP, in a direct way (I mean, for example, to make the crop more resistant to a fungi, NOT to a fungicide).
The integrated plague control should be used to solve the problems before thinking of creating a GMO.
And the fertilizers used (because apparently they are VERY necessary) should be created to be energy efficient in every way, and not to become more and more necessary to the soil.
As always, the whole thing is bussiness for a few rich guys, who sell pesticides, fertilizers and GMO seeds. But that’s what’s wrong– not the techniques themselves.
That’s my point of view. What do I eat, you may be wondering? Well I can’t afford organic anyway! ;-)
Lara S.
you know, you could even refill your plastic spice containers when they’re empty… or throw them on the floor for the cats to play with
Your kitchen looks like one might have looked in the 1940′s and there is nothing wrong with that. All our lives we’ve been deluged with “new” on just about everything we buy. That’s about as silly a reason to buy something as “as seen on TV!” though that phrase has largely disappeared as everything is on TV now.
Great video. I am inspired by your food storage. I especially like seeing the tin with the cereal and pretzels.
In re: organic foods, I do believe that we are all better off when foods are grown organically- for our health and the planet. There are so many things that food growers can do that eliminate the need for chemical pesticides, fungicides and herbicides.
I toured Rodale Institute in PA a few years ago (and that’s when and why I became a vegetarian). They had a sign that read something like: Healthy soil, healthy food, healthy people. It really clicked.
(Ooh, my captcha is beanss!)
I want to alert FPF readers to the latest issue of the Economist news magazine that features a 16 page special report on the state of the seas (oceans). There is an account of the plastic problem within it. Unfortunately, you must be a subscriber to read the report, but the leader that introduces it is open to all. I recommend reading it at http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12853926
Could you please give a text link to the YouTube video? I don’t see any video here, not even a black box that looks like the place the video should eventually load.
Great video! I really enjoyed the tour of your kitchen. And hearing your voice! So different than what I’d imagined, somehow!
Thanks for the food wheel link! I can’t wait to get one for NY. Great video. I didn’t realize that Eden didn’t line their cans. As always, Bethikins, you are a wealth of great information.
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By the way, the comment spammers are out in full force, so I've added some pretty tough Spam Blockers. If for some reason, your comment is rejected (and you'll know because a screen will pop up telling you your comment has been rejected) and if you are a real person and not a spammer, then please email me at beth [at] myplasticfreelife [dot] com and let me know. I'll add you to my white list.
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posted in forum Plastic-free Alternatives by Beth Terry on February 9, 2012 at 6:30 pm
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