The blog formerly known as   Fake Plastic Fish

Monthly Archives: February 2012

February 24, 2012

Lessons from The Lorax: Why Nagging Doesn’t Work

Hey kids.  Don’t be like the Lorax.  He’s a bad example.  I should know.  I used to be like him, and I still am sometimes.  I’ll explain what I mean, but first, let me back up a bit.

A couple of weeks ago, a representative from Universal Pictures invited me to write a compensated* post for the LESSONS FROM THE LORAX Blog Tour in support of Universal Pictures’ animated film DR. SEUSS’ THE LORAX, which will be in theaters March 2.  I had seen ads for the movie and was already looking forward to it, so I was happy to participate.  “Except,” I told the rep, “my blog is about plastic, and isn’t The Lorax about saving trees?  I don’t know if I can write a relevant post.”  Believe it or not, I had never actually read the book.  Somehow I missed it as a child, and then as an adult, I guess I’d heard so much about it, I never felt the need to actually pick it up and read it.  “Don’t… Read the rest

February 21, 2012

Bittman’s Vegan Spinach and Chickpeas — Prepared Plastic-free

This post is Part 2 of 10: Preparing Mark Bittman’s ten Recipes for the Semi-Vegan without plastic. Back in January, I posted the first delicious dish: Saffron-and-Mushroom Barley Risotto, which was out of this world yummy and creamy. Next up:

Recipe #2: Spinach and Chickpeas

If risotto takes a long time to prepare, chickpeas take even longer. The difference is that with chickpeas, most of the work happens while you’re asleep. Soak dried chickpeas in a bowl of water overnight.  As Katie from Kitchen Stewardship recommends in The Everything Beans Book, the longer you soak beans, the more easily digestible they are.

Once they are soaked, empty the water, and cook them on the stove for an hour or so until they are tender.

I like to make big batches of chickpeas and store them in mason jars in the freezer because they are so handy to have available and can be added to so many dishes. Those of you who are new to this blog may be wondering why I don’t… Read the rest

February 16, 2012

How the Non-Toxic Avenger Ruined My Relationship with Ibuprofen (and other drugs)

So, two weeks ago, I was out of town staying in a hotel with friends and looking forward to a much deserved vacation, when I started to feel the tell-tale signs of a cold coming on. My face hurt, my head throbbed, and by the second day, I had a sore throat. I’ve written before about plastic-free traveling as well as plastic-free cold remedies, but I wasn’t prepared for the eventuality of both happening at the same time.  Crap.  What was I going to do?  My neti pot was at home.   So were most of my cloth handkerchiefs.  And I had no idea how to get soup or cough remedies without plastic in this unfamiliar place.

At first, I tried to manage the symptoms without plastic.  I drank a lot of water (due mostly to my friend’s helpful nagging.)  I found a glass jar of honey and some lemons at the local grocery store.  And I found Woodford Reserve bourbon–which comes  with a wood/cork stopper instead of a plastic cap or BPA-lined screw cap–at… Read the rest

February 8, 2012

Sullie Saves the Seas, a story for children and adults

Ocean lover Goffinet McLaren has just released a new book for kids — as well as adults — about a seagull named Sullie who organizes all his marine animal friends to combat plastic pollution.  I asked Goffinet to tell her story of how she came to love the sea and to write Sullie Saves the Seas.

 

Goffinet McLaren’s story

I was born and grew up in the small historic town of Carrickfergus, on the water`s edge of Northern Ireland.  Surrounded by the sea, I became aware at a very early age of the importance of caring for the ocean and it`s inhabitants.  As I grew into adulthood, my sense of right and wrong ripened into a positive passion to make a difference to our planet.

In 1979, I moved to the United States, where I married my husband Ian. We have one son, Moutray.

In 2006, Ian and I retired to Litchfield on the beautiful coast of South Carolina where I could renew my association with the sea and it`s precious marine life. From the first day,… Read the rest