Comments on: Crissy Trask, Week 1

By: Crissy

Crissy — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 00:03:24 +0000

I appreciate the comments! I’ve just finished up blogging about week 2 of the challenge. I’d post it here, but after re-reading the form, I think I’m only supposed to post once. You can follow the rest of my journey at http://www.greenmatters.com/green-blog/

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:29:57 +0000

Wow. Impressive indeed!

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 20:33:05 +0000

Hi Crissy. The plastics industry is very secretive. One of the biggest problems for consumers is that we just don’t know what chemicals are in our plastic or plastic-lined containers because manufacturers are not required to disclose that information to the public. So, are BPA-free containers safer than BPA-containing options? The jury is out and there are activists and scientists out here trying to find the information, but I don’t have anything definitive for you.

By: Pheas

Pheas — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 02:02:41 +0000

Glasses didn’t work for me (too much pressure on my sinuses and I need peripheral vision for when my neck locks up). I bit the bullet and had Lasik surgery, after my sister did and said it was the best decision of her life. It’s certainly near the top of my list. I never realized how much time and energy, in addition to plastic, I spent dealing with and worrying about my 20/600-20/800 vision. Surgery is not plastic-free or cheap or to be entered into lightly, but it can be a one-time solution for some folks. After 20 years of glasses and contacts, being 20/20 with no effort is a miracle to me.

By: Crissy

Crissy — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 00:43:42 +0000

Beth,

Interesting video! I know the can lining is very, VERY thin (I used to know how thin), but I can see from the video that there is defintiely more than you find inside a bottle cap! I guess the lowest-plastic way to consume a cold one is from the tap at a bar. My understanding is that the kegs are stainless steel.

A handful of food companies now have BPA-free linings and the list keeps growing (yeah!), as you know. But I’m not clear on what the new lining is made of (oh so proprietary!) Plastic of some kind I’m assuming. Do you have any details regarding this? Please share if you do.

Crissy

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 20:31:13 +0000

Hi Crissy. Thanks for posting your challenge results. Your low plastic consumption is impressive, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of you progress on your blog.

A note about food and beverage cans — they are all lined with plastic, BPA to be specific. Sadly, it’s not just food cans but aluminum beverage cans too. There’s a great video showing the plastic lining inside a soda can here:

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000100

And here’s more info on surprising sources of BPA:

http://myplasticfreelife.com/2010/12/washing-our-hands-of-bpa-this-winter/

I hear you about the cheese. Low moisture mozzarella just has more flavor, doesn’t it? But I’ve been learning to like the fresh kind I can get in bulk too.

Funny you should mention contact lens solution because Emily at Rodale.com wrote about that yesterday. Personally, I avoid the problem by wearing glasses, but they are still plastic and they are not for everyone.