Fake Plastic Fish is an awesome blog name. But sometimes awesome things have to change. I’ll explain why in a second. But the important thing is that before the end of the year, fakeplasticfish.com will become myplasticfreelife.com.

Change Your Bookmarks, Feeds, Subscriptions, Links:

The site URL is scheduled to change tomorrow (12/31) around 12pm Pacific Time.  So please don’t make these changes until then.

1) If you subscribe to Fake Plastic Fish via a feed reader, you will need to subscribe to https://feeds.feedblitz.com/myplasticfreelife.
2) If you subscribe via email, you don’t need to do anything. I will switch you over automatically.
3) If you have bookmarked this page, please change your bookmark to http://myplasticfreelife.com
4) If you have been kind enough to link to Fake Plastic Fish on your blog, either in a blogroll or in a post, I would be sincerely grateful if you would change the URL to http://myplasticfreelife.com. If you’ve linked to a particular page, all the rest of the URL will be the same, just the domain has changed. If you contact me, I can explain in more detail.

Why Change a Good Thing?

When I came up with the blog name Fake Plastic Fish back in 2007, I had no idea that the name of my blog would matter. I really thought it would be a personal blog that few people would read and a project that wouldn’t last long. Little did I know that Fake Plastic Fish would become the main source of information on the Internet about living with less plastic. But it has.

The reason it’s grown is word of mouth, people telling their friends about it and linking to Fake Plastic Fish articles on their blogs. It’s grown because of the community we’ve built up here. The trouble is it’s not reaching many of the people searching Google for plastic-free information. It’s too hard to find. And a prime reason is the domain name. Fake Plastic Fish. Google thinks it’s a site selling aquarium supplies.

Seriously, Google can’t read. I mean, it can read. But it can’t understand. It has no sense of humor. It doesn’t know that I named Fake Plastic Fish for Fake Plastic Trees, one of my favorite songs from my all-time favorite band: Radiohead. And Google doesn’t understand that the name is ironic: if we keep filling the oceans with plastic, fake plastic fish could be the only kind we have left. Try it yourself. Type “Fake Plastic Fish” into a Google search page and see what ads are served in the sidebar.

And it’s not just Google. When I hand people my card, I get quizzical looks and must explain what Fake Plastic Fish is all about. That’s a good thing in that it can generate memorable conversations. But it’s not such a good thing when I’m at an event with a lot of people and don’t have time to explain to each and every one what Fake Plastic Fish means. Yes, my card has the tag line, “Live Life with Less Plastic.” But it’s still not as obvious as “My Plastic-Free Life” will be.

Why I chose “My Plastic-Free Life”

I thought about many different domain names. Some, like simply plasticfree.com or plasticfreelife.com were already taken. Many people have suggested lifewithoutplastic.com, but that domain belongs to a fantastic company, Life Without Plastic, which not only offers great plastic-free alternatives but is also a sponsor of this blog. What’s more, when I think about the difference between “plastic-free” or “without plastic” or “less plastic,” plastic-free just sounds more positive to me. I’m free of my addiction to plastic.

I could also have chosen “A Plastic-Free Life” or “The Plastic-Free Life”. I chose “My Plastic-Free Life” for two reasons. First, there are multiple ways to do plastic-free. We all have different stories and different situations. This blog reflects what plastic-free looks like for me. I use myself as a guinea pig and example. Plastic-free might look different for you. But second, when you read the words “my plastic-free life,” it might sound like you’re talking about yourself, and that would be good too. Because while the specifics on this blog are about my life, the principals and themes are universal. Is that too grandiose of a thought? Maybe that’s just me… over-analyzing again.

Another reason I chose this domain name is for the word “life.” I’m not an expert on ocean plastic pollution, although that is what brought me to this cause in the first place. I’m not an expert on toxic chemicals or waste management or pollution, although I have learned and continue to learn a tremendous amount about all of those topics as they relate to plastic. My expertise is about the personal changes we can each make in our own lives to solve the plastic pollution problem. This blog is personal and practical. It’s about living plastic-free.

What if you forget and type in “Fake Plastic Fish”?

You’ll still get here for now. I’ll have the blog set up to forward Fake Plastic Fish to My Plastic-Free life. But please do change your bookmarks and links. It’s going to take Google a while to figure out that My Plastic-Free Life is an important web site. The more you guys link to the new URL, the sooner other people will be able to find this site again.

Thank you, thank you for your commitment to protecting this planet. And thank you for support of Fake Plastic Fish over the years. I plan to keep learning, reporting, and ranting throughout the new year. And I hope you’ll stay on the ride with me.

Danielle Richardet is a Fake Plastic Fish reader and writer of the blog It Starts With Me, on which she chronicles her project cleaning up the beach near her home in North Carolina.  A couple of months ago, she and her family took the Fake Plastic Fish Show Your Plastic Trash Challenge, and took their weekly household plastic waste from this:

to this:

Doing the challenge, spreading out her plastic and really seeing it helped Danielle figure out what changes she needed to make in her life. I asked her to tell her story here. Of course, I’m hoping to inspire you to do it too. A 2011 Resolution? Here’s Danielle in her own words…

Back in 2008, we — a family of 5 — were able to eliminate trash service at our home.

We were able to accomplish that mainly by reducing, reusing, recycling and composting. BUT, even though we didn’t have much trash… I still wasn’t completely satisfied. When I looked at the contents of my (unlined) trashcan, it was nothing but plastics. Every time I would throw something away, I would say to myself, “I need to stop buying that.” or “why did I buy that???” I’d do that often and then I would remind myself of all the plastic-free changes that I had made… and I’d move on…. only to repeat the process over and over again.

Truth is… I felt trapped by plastics. Everything comes in plastic. I have 3 young children… how can “I” make less waste than we already do??

When I first saw the “Show Your Plastic Challenge“, I got extremely excited and told myself, “I’m going to do this.” I even emailed the link to a few friends telling them that we should all do it. A week later, I put a reusable grocery bag in my pantry and started collecting our plastic waste for the week. BUT… it didn’t last long. I got a couple of pieces of plastic–coffee bag, tea bag wrapper, cereal bag, etc– in the bag and I decided to stop collecting my plastic waste. My reasons for stopping were varied, but….if I’m being 100% honest…. I was embarrassed that we created so much plastic waste. How could I share this with so many people??

I started having all of these “epiphanies” about things I could eliminate and change. I immediately stopped buying bagged coffee and teas. Instead, I grabbed jars that I had saved to reuse (repurpose) and I started buying in bulk. Of course, that eliminated some of our plastic waste. Before long though, I was back in that same cycle of “I should do this, I shouldn’t do that.” THEN…. I made a decision. The decision that I was no longer going to be consumed by plastics. I didn’t really know where to begin… I felt that I had eliminated all that I could… besides… we’re a family of 5… maybe we just can’t live without plastics. I didn’t (and still don’t) know any families of 5 that are living plastic-free.

I decided, though, that I would never know if we could live without (the majority of) plastics unless I did something major.

Through looking at our trash, it was easy to see that the majority of our plastic waste (recyclable or not) came from food packaging. I decided that I was going to do a plastic-free food week with our family. BUT… most people already “thought” that our family didn’t have much trash to begin with (we take a 34 gallon trash can to my husband’s office dumpster maybe once a month). I wondered if people would think, “Well… it’s easy for her. She doesn’t have much plastic waste to begin with.” I felt that it was SO important for people to see that even though we don’t create much waste to send to the landfill, that we do have waste… and that waste is ALL plastic. I wanted people to understand that we didn’t start from zero.

It’s difficult to inspire people when they think there is no way they could ever do what you’re doing ;) SO…the week before I did our plastic-free food week…. I made a commitment and took the “Show Us Your Plastic” challenge. I collected our plastic waste in the kitchen for one week. I cringed every time I added a piece of plastic to my trashcan. But with every cringe, inspiration was forming. At the end of the week, I sorted all of the plastics on my kitchen table and tallied them. (I also reminded myself of all of the things that would’ve been in that tally just a few months earlier.) I took a picture… I looked at my list. So many things… used for just seconds… that would spend a lifetime (and more) in the landfill. Then (in my head) I multiplied that picture by 52… it’s not a pretty picture. I wanted to lose that plastic-weight and make some serious changes for our family, for our community (less waste means fewer new landfills), and for our environment.

It is true that pictures are worth a thousand words. BUT… an experience… well… it’s worth so much more. I learned so much about our habits through collecting our plastics. Things that I felt that I had no other choice about suddenly became clear on how to live without. The second week that I collected our plastic waste, we did a plastic-free food week. The difference in the amount of plastics that we used in just those 2 weeks is something that I am so proud of… and by doing the “Show Your Plastic” challenge… it is a constant reminder to me (and hopefully others) that we– yes, even a family of 5– can live without plastics.

How We Did It:

During our plastic-free food week, I blogged about what we ate and how I made our meals plastic-free. I shared recipes and links to help inspire others to forgo food products wrapped in plastics. It’s my hope that people can take inspiration from what we’re doing (just as we all have from Beth) and realize that we don’t have to be consumed by plastics.

The main ways that I avoid food in plastics are:

CSA — I get a big box of vegies (and sometimes fruit) from a local farmer every week. Most things come loose in the box. Some things– like green beans– come in a plastic bag…. BUT… all I have to do to change that is ask… they are very helpful and will gladly put my “bagged” produce in biobags that I can compost.

Shop bulk (including loose produce…. carrots don’t need to come in a plastic bag!!!)

Shop local — farmers markets, and stores. I have many reasons for shopping local. I like that I can talk directly to the vendor or farmer and let them know my preferences. I don’t have to fill out a comment card, send an email or press 1 for the next available customer support person. For example, at the farmers market there is a farmer who sells goat cheeses. They come wrapped in plastic or in plastic tubs… he has offered that if I’d like to bring him some glass jars (labeled with my name and what I want) they’ll fill them for me!! YAY!!

At my local cooperative food market, I can call and place an order for my cheese to be wrapped in paper. They put it in the fridge with my name on it and when I come all I have to do is ask. I also like shopping local because while at my co-op yesterday I asked about cranberries (they come bulk, but they package them in plastic bags). Of course, I can call and they’ll leave some bulk for me… but wouldn’t it be cool if it was all bulk?? The guys I had the conversation with think “YES!!” Conversations are able to be started… like when I told them I do plastic-free food and he asked “what is that some sort of diet??” and the employee with him says (before I get a chance), “Yeah, it kind of is.” I explain that I’m loosing some plastic weight ;)

Conversations like these could never happen (or create change) in a big chain store.

Stay out of the aisles and frozen food section. I told my mom that I’ve started to view the grocery store as a landfill… because really the majority of all those plastic packaged products will end up in the landfill…. it paints a not so pretty picture….

Invite me to your party. I’ll be the one who heads straight into your kitchen, opens the cupboard, and takes out a glass to use instead of plastic. I’ll rummage through your drawers for reusable silverware. Or I’ll take out the little bamboo set I carry in my purse. Your guests will find me charming.

Bring me homemade Christmas cookies in a plastic bag, and I’ll dump them out into another container and thrust your bag back at you, making you swear to reuse it. You’ll thank me for pointing out your mistake.

Or leave me treats in a plastic Ziploc bag on my desk chair at work, and I’ll regift them to a co-worker instead of bringing them home. Maybe you’ll never find out unless you see the link to this post on Facebook.

Arrive at my parents’ house with an abundance of groceries to cook a holiday dinner, and watch how I thank you by taking pictures of all your plastic bags and containers and posting them on my blog.

Threaten to mail me a Christmas present, and listen to me go off in a scenario that might (purely hypothetically) go something like this:

Dad: I forgot to get to the post office to send you and your brother your gifts.

Me: Dad! Don’t send me anything!

Dad: Why? You want me to wait and give it to you when you come to visit?

Me: No! Don’t give me anything. Why? What did you get me? Is there plastic in it?

Dad: It’s books. But forget it.

Me: Anyway, I didn’t get anything for you.

Dad: Screw you. Don’t come visit.

Me: My visit IS your gift.

I’m fun. Who wouldn’t want to hang out with me? But seriously, there’s a balance, you know? A balance between being a dick about things wrapped in plastic, to paraphrase Colin Beavan in the No Impact Movie, and a kind person who appreciates the efforts people make to connect and share. There’s the me that is hesitant to hurt my friends’ feelings and then there’s the me that thinks, “Come on people. I’ve been doing this for over three years. I really, really, really don’t want your freakin’ plastic!”

It’s Christmas Eve. I wish I had a nicer post to write. I just got back from a friend’s party, and it was great. She had all reusables and cloth bandana napkins and there was barely any plastic in sight. And yet, as always, I was on guard, just in case. How I sometimes wish for the old days when I could go to a party and just have mindless fun with my friends, not thinking or caring about our capital “I” Impact. How I wish I could be excited when my dad tells me he’s sending me a gift, or feel the thrill of sending him something without worrying about how it will be packaged.

Those mindless days are over. I can’t go back to not knowing about how my actions affect the planet. But WE are the planet. And what does it matter if I save a few plastic cups and alienate everyone I know? How does that help the planet in the long run? This is not a new topic. I’ve written about it before and will probably keep wrestling with the balance between environmental convictions and personal relationships for the rest of my life.

It’s a few days after the solstice. The days are short, and the lack of sunlight puts me in a brooding mood. Sometimes I wonder if I’d like Christmas better if it came in July instead of December. But then I remember that the whole point of Christmas is celebrating the birth of the light. We’re coming out of the darkness. I’m excited and freaked out by the plans and challenges coming up in 2011 and by how much more there is for me to learn and share. If I’m a pain in your butt, it’s nothing personal. Just the growing pains of a being who’s not yet fully formed. A work in progress… as are you. Right?

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is not just a worrisome chemical in hard plastic water bottles, baby bottles, and sippy cups.  Almost all canned foods are full of the stuff.  And our biggest source of exposure could be the thermal paper cash register receipts we handle every time we shop,  especially during the holiday season.  The fact is that BPA is in a lot of surprising products we touch every day and in higher levels than we previously thought.  Will our government protect us from this chemical? Or must we as consumers take matters into our own hands?

Keeping BPA out of children’s bottles, toys, cups, & dishes

As BlogHer CE Amy Gates reported back in September, Senator Diane Feinstein hoped to give a nice present to U.S. kids this year. She planned to introduce an amendment to the Food Safety Modernization Act that would have banned the use of BPA (a hormone-disrupting chemical linked to cancer and birth defects) in baby bottles and sippy cups, and she worked for months on a compromise measure that members of both parties could support.

Unfortunately, Feinstein didn’t get far. The American Chemistry Council (the primary lobbying group for the chemical industry) made a last minute push against the measure, just as it has against legislation banning phthalates, plastic bags, and other harmful products, and blocked the amendment before it reached the Senate floor. (Video: Feinstein speaks up against BPA & calls the ACC on the carpet)  Bah humbug, kids.

Once again, consumers are left to protect ourselves from toxic chemicals when our government fails to. As Feinstein wrote in her Huffington Post piece last month

I’m not going to give up, and neither should consumers. Just because chemical industry lobbyists blocked a vote on BPA doesn’t mean you can’t vote with your wallet every time you purchase a product. The chemical industry doesn’t want you to know about companies that are already phasing out BPA or are searching for alternatives. But those companies are out there and deserve our support.

Protect yourself: Use web sites like Z Recommends and The Soft Landing to find BPA-free children’s products.  Opt for non-plastic children’s toys, bottles, and foodware whenever possible since even  BPA-free plastic may contain other harmful chemicals.

BPA in metal food and beverage cans

Nearly all food and beverage cans (whether they contain vegetables, fruits, tomatoes, tuna fish, meats, or sodas) are lined with BPA, and according to The National Work Group for Safe Markets’s recent No Silver Lining study, worrisome levels of the chemical were found in every kind of metal can the group tested, whether organic brands or conventional, new cans off the grocery store shelf or those that had been sitting in home pantries for a while.

Protect yourself: Opt for fresh fruits and vegetables when possible rather than processed.  Eating primarily local foods in season can reduce the need for canned foods.  Choose glass jars and bottles rather than metal or plastic.  When necessary, opt for one of the few brands that has switched to a non-BPA can lining.  Eden Organics packages its beans (but not its tomatoes) in BPA-free cans.  Muir Glen has plans to get the BPA out of its tomato products.  And Trader Joe’s has similar plans for its canned foods, although they are not yet stating which of their products is BPA-free.

But be aware that all cans necessarily contain some kind of liner to keep the metal from corroding, and whether or not the alternative liners turn out to be safer in the long run than BPA liners is not yet known.  Limiting exposure to processed foods in general is always a good idea.

BPA-Coated Cash Register and Credit Card Receipts

Some of us may be exposed to more BPA from the thermal paper receipts we touch than from foods and beverages. Unlike the BPA bound up in hard plastics and epoxy linings that can leach into our foods and beverages, BPA is applied to thermal paper as a powder coating that can easily rub off. According to chemist John C. Warner in an article in ScienceNews last year,

When people talk about polycarbonate bottles, they talk about nanogram quantities of BPA [leaching out]…. The average cash register receipt that’s out there and uses the BPA technology will have 60 to 100 milligrams of free BPA.

But not all receipts contain BPA. In a study this year, the Environmental Working Group found high levels of BPA on 40 percent of receipts sampled from “major U.S. businesses and services, including outlets of McDonald’s, CVS, KFC, Whole Foods, WalMart, Safeway and the U.S. Postal Service.” But receipts from Target, Starbucks, Bank of America ATMs and others were BPA-free or contained only trace amounts. Unfortunately, receipt paper doesn’t come with a BPA-free label, so how can a consumer tell the difference?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is currently conducting an alternatives assessment to help identify safer substitutes for bisphenol A (BPA) in the manufacture of thermal paper. So far, they’ve come up with a list of other chemicals that could be used in place of BPA and will be conducting analyses to determine if any of them are safer. I’ve looked at . To my untrained eyes, the alternatives seem pretty scary too. So what can we do?

Protect yourself: The Apple Store has an electronic receipt system in place for customers who opt to receive a receipt via email rather than paper, and companies like Alletronic are developing new paperless receipt systems. But until those systems are ubiquitous, we can reduce our BPA exposure by refusing cash register, credit card, and ATM receipts when possible. My personal rule is to only take a receipt when there’s a chance I’ll need to return the item. I tell the cashier ahead of time that I won’t need one. And I skip receipts at restaurants (I’ve already eaten the meal!) and for most small purchases. Noting ATM transactions in a checkbook or electronic device can reduce the need for those receipts. And making fewer trips to the store will mean fewer receipts in general.

But sometimes receipts are necessary. In its consumer tip sheet, National Work Group for Safe Markets recommends washing your hands after handing thermal paper receipts and not allowing children to handle them at all. However, according to EWG, “a study published July 11 by scientists with the Official Food Control Authority of the Canton of Zürich in Switzerland found that BPA transfers readily from receipts to skin and can penetrate the skin to such a depth that it cannot be washed off.” So reducing the number of receipts we handle in the first place is more effective than hand washing after the fact.

BPA on Money and in Recycled Paper

BPA receipts not only affect us directly, but they spread BPA to other aspects of our lives. A Safer States study found BPA on 21 out of 22 dollar bills it tested, presumably the result of contact with thermal receipts. And when tossed in with regular paper waste, thermal paper receipts contaminate the recycling stream as well. Sadly, a Dresden University study found BPA in recycled toilet paper, with thermal paper considered to be the culprit.

Protect Yourself: First, do not put thermal paper in the recycle bin. Throw it in the garbage. After that, the question of whether to use recycled paper is tricky. Which is worse? Cutting down virgin forests to wipe our butts? Or exposing ourselves to the small amounts of BPA found in recycled toilet paper? I posed this question to Mia Davis, BPA Coordinator for Clean Water Action, who said that while it’s important to consider our aggregate exposure to toxic chemicals like BPA, we must not lose sight of the bigger picture. Our forests are crucial for sequestering carbon to stave off global climate change. She personally still uses recycled toilet paper, and so do I. Of course, you can avoid the issue altogether by installing a bidet, rinsing with pitcher of water as is done in Indian bathrooms, or switching to “family cloth.” And cutting your consumption of disposable paper products in general (paper towels, facial tissue, etc.) will help conserve resources and reduce exposure to BPA in recycled paper.

BPA is Everywhere

The primary market for the chemical BPA is the production of polycarbonate (PC) plastic, hard plastic like those infamous water bottles, baby bottles, and sippy cups are made from. But according to ICIS market data, applications like those account for only about 3% of demand for polycarbonate. Most PC is used for automotive components and in architectural, security and transportation applications. CDs and DVDs are made from polycarbonate, as are most of our eyeglasses. Now, we’re probably not going around licking our CDs or car windows or eyeglasses (although apparently some people do) and the BPA in those products is not going to rub off on our hands like it does from thermal paper. But the point is that enormous amounts of BPA are produced, and according to the EPA, 1 million pounds are released into the environment each year.

Protect Yourself: Reducing our personal consumption of BPA-containing consumer products like CDs and DVDs might have miniscule direct effect on our own health, but it helps reduce the demand for this toxic chemical in the first place. More important, we must support our legislators in demanding accountability from the chemical industry and protecting citizens from toxic chemicals before they are put into use. The American Chemistry Council may have won the battle in the Senate last month, but we can’t let them win the war.

Finally!  The videos from the TEDx conference in L.A. last month have been posted.   Here is my talk on living la vida sin plástico, as well as links to/descriptions of all the speakers and performers that day.  Learn how plastic affects people  across the globe, animals on land and sea, and what individuals, businesses, and communities can do about the problem.

(Video link: TEDxGreatPacificGarbagePatch – Beth Terry – Living Plastic Free. Please click link to visit Youtube and view/rate/share this video with others.)

Topic 1: Plastic Pollution and Ocean Health

Captain Charles Moore: Ten Years Later, the Gyre is All Around Us

Dianna Cohen (filmed at TED Mission Blue Voyage):  Tough Truths About Plastic Pollution

Fabien Cousteau: Ocean Animals and Plastic Pollution

Ben Lear: song performance

Topic 2: Plastic Pollution and Terrestrial Animals

Bharati Chaturvedi: Not Just the Ocean — A Report from India (pre-recorded video not posted yet)

David Wernery: In The Desert – A Report from the United Arab Emirates (pre-recorded video not posted yet, but read the article about camels eating plastic in the desert here.)

Topic 3: Plastic Pollution and Environmental Justice

Van Jones: Environmental Justice (One of my favorite talks! I wrote this blog post about Van’s talk the week I got home from the event.)

Suja Lowenthal, Vice Mayor of Long Beach: Growing Costs of Collection and Disposal (Long Beach just passed its own plastic bag ban less than two weeks ago!)

Monica Wilson: Waste, Justice, and Livelihoods

Victoria Sloan Jordan: poetry performance

Topic 4: Plastic Pollution and Public Health

Arlene Blum: Plastic Pollution in Our Homes (Focusing on flame retardants)

Ken Cook:  Plastic Pollution in Our Bodies

Jeanne Rizzo: The Breast Cancer Connection

Stacy Malkan: Plastics Industry Makeover

Topic 5: The Real Problem: Our Attitude

JD Russo: Awareness is Not Enough

Chris Jordan: We Must Be The Change

Fernando Pullum Jazz Band: musical performance

Charlotte Weir:  Let’s Work for Solutions

Topic 6: Awareness and Outreach:Leading by Example

Lila Roo: dance performance

David de Rothschild: Tackling our Nature Deficiency Disorder

Beth Terry: My Plastic-Free Life

Jordan Howard: Organizing for Change

Ed Begley, Jr: Living in a Sustainable Way

Topic 7: Getting Business on Board

Andy Behar: Engaging Business Through Shareholders

Andy Keller: Business and Industry – Part of the Solution

Topic 8: Global Policy Initiatives

Lisa Boyle: Around the Globe — Policies That Work

H.E. John Dramani Mahama: Ghana — A Success Story (pre-recorded video not posted yet)

Rose Mukankomeje: Rwanda’s Ban on Plastic

Topic 9: Investing in the Future: Science, Research, & Technology

Aimee Christensen: Design for the Future

Patrick Kenney: Stopping the Flow of Toxic Plastic

Ellyn Maybe: poetry performance

Announcing the Crapola Islands Project

Ferris Thompson: Innovation through Entrpreneurship

Closing Session: Four Challenges to Humanity

Daniella Russo: Global Policy Initiatives Introduction

Erica Williams: To Individuals and Businesses: REFUSE disposable plastics.

Wallace J. Nichols: To Plastic Manufacturers: Take responsibility for your products; develop alternatives; voluntarily cap non-biodegradable virgin resin products.

Leslie Taminen: To Policymakers: Develop policies that curb the irresponsible use of plastic; protect the weak.

H.E. Stuart Beck, Ambassador of the Republic of Palau to the United Nations: To Plastic Manufacturers from the Ocean Nations

Sylvia Earle: The Ocean is Connected to Everything

Jackson Browne: Music (Jackson’s performance is not posted, but there is a short clip from someone in the audience.)

12/21/2010 Update: You can now also watch the videos in the Plastic Pollution Coalition’s TEDx Talks video gallery.

Last week, I got an email from Cascades Boutique generously asking if they could send me a 100% FSC-certified recycled cardboard Christmas tree.  Of course they hoped I would review it on my blog. Well, I’m not really a Christmas tree kind of person. My feelings towards the holiday haven’t changed that much since my post last year about learning how to love Christmas and my other post about holiday buying. Still, I love the idea of a recycled cardboard Christmas tree, which makes irrelevant the eternal question of which tree is greener — a live tree or an artificial one made from plastic.

So I’ve asked Cascades to send a recycled Christmas tree to one of you. (12/14/2010 Update: Winner announced below.)

There are several style, sizes, and colors/patterns to choose from.  Classico (41″ tall), Moderno (52″ tall), or Piccolo (24″ tall).  Plain green, plain white (which is great for kids to color themselves), or brown with green and white decorations (as shown in the photo above.) The following video shows how a plain white tree can be transformed into a work of art. (The children all dressed like little white angels are a bit much for my taste. But what they do with the tree looks really cool. Great idea for the classroom?)

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFvuh_LMBuk

Enter the Give Away

Here’s the catch. This give-away will only be open through Monday 12/13 at 11am PT in order to choose a winner and get your mailing info to Cascades in time to ship it out. To enter, please leave a comment below specifying which tree you would choose and, since this give-away is so last minute, please help me get the word out by emailing your friends and posting on Facebook, Twitter, or other social networks. Let me know in the comments how you’ve shared. Yeah, I know sharing decreases your chances of winning, but it increases your good karma and helps promote Fake Plastic Fish’s plastic-free message.

12/14/2010 Update:  The winner of the Cascades recycled Christmas tree is Andria.  Congratulations!

Don’t Lose Your Head

Cascades is a company that makes all sorts of products besides recycled Christmas trees. On the green end of the spectrum, they produce recycled toilet paper and other recycled paper products. Greenpeace Canada has included Cascades in its 2010 Shopper’s Guide to Ancient Forest Friendly Tissue Products. But on the less eco-friendly end of Cascades’s product line are things like polystyrene foam food containers and trays. Ironic, isn’t it? I mention these other products because I think it’s important to both support the green efforts of big companies and also voice our concerns about products that are damaging to the environment. And because I want to stress to bloggers and consumers the importance of doing some research before accepting a company’s product pitch at face value.

All that said, I think the recycled Christmas trees rock. Hurry up and enter the contest before I change my mind and decide to keep the tree for myself.

In my post on green holiday gift giving last month, I mentioned donations to nonprofits. Several commenters suggested charitable gift cards, so I decided to look into them.  Giving directly to an organization that you know your giftee supports can be a great idea, but if you’re not sure in what way your recipient is philanthropically inclined, charitable gift cards are a good alternative.  The way it works is that you buy a gift card in the amount of your choice, and your giftee then visits the web site to enter the gift card number and choose which charity will get the money.

But with several different gift card organizations to choose from, how to you decide which one to support?

If I buy a $20 gift card for my co-worker for Christmas, will her selected charity receive that entire amount? It depends on the policies of the gift card service I use. Most will deduct processing fees before sending the money to the charity. Some services charge a fee to the purchaser on top of the card value, and others don’t. What happens to the money if the card is never redeemed? And does the card expire? What charities can my recipient choose from in the first place? And what about the environmental impact of the cards themselves?

I compared the policies of five major charitable gift card organizations to figure out which ones were actually giving the most money to the intended recipient and whose policies seemed the most eco-friendly. All of them are registered 501c3 organizations, which means that the gift card purchase is tax deductible to the giver. (The recipient does not receive a tax deduction for redeeming the card.) Here’s what I learned…

TisBest Philanthropy: TisBest offers a list of 250 major nonprofit organizations to choose from as well as some local charities from 8 different U.S. cities. TisBest limits the number of charities so that they can vet the organizations, including reviewing their 990 tax forms. Gift cards are offered in any denomination from $10 to $5,000.

TisBest offers three delivery options: email, print-at-home, and physical cards made from 100% recycled plastic from Earthworks Systems. What’s more, TisBest is the only organization I found actually encouraging its gift card recipients to send back the spent cards for recycling. All plastic gift cards (whether from TisBest or any other organization or store) can be returned to Earthworks c/o Halprin Ind., 25840 Miles Rd., Bedford, Oh 44146. And TisBest is the only service offering a fully cutomizable option. For no extra charge, you can choose one of their designs or upload your own image to be printed on the card.

Of course, the greenest option is to send an electronic card and skip the plastic and paper altogether. All of the gift card services offer electronic options. And like some of the others, TisBest’s e-cards can be scheduled to be sent on a future date that you select.

So what about fees — to you and to the charity? TisBest plastic cards cost $1.49 for materials and handling. Regular shipping is free. There is no charge for email or printing at home. How much does the charity get? The face value of the card less a $1.95 transaction fee and 3% credit card processing fee. So for a $20 gift card, you would spend $21.49 for a plastic card or $20.00 for an e-card, and the charity would receive $17.45 (87% of the face value). Of course, that percentage gets better with higher donations. From a $100 donation, the charity would receive $95.05. (95%)

There is no expiration date on TisBest’s cards, but any money that is not spent goes towards supporting TisBest’s advocacy work promoting a non-consumerist message and creating programs to help its charity partners raise funds.

Charity Choice: Charity choice allows gift card recipients to donate to a little over 100 different causes, major organizations like the American Cancer Society, SPCA, American Red Cross, etc. Cards are offered in a limited number of specific denominations from $5 to $1,000.

Charity Choice offers four options: email, print-at-home, plastic card, and “biodegradable” corn plastic card. Honestly, I’m skeptical of the new corn plastics, as I wrote in my articles about Sunchips compostable chip bags and Stonyfield compostable yogurt cups because of the environmental impacts of growing corn. But like I said before, the question of corn vs. petroleum-based plastic is moot if you choose the email gift card option.

Charity Choice does not charge a fee to the purchaser for the cards, but it does charge $4.95 for first class shipping of physical cards. The charity receives the face value of the card less $.50/card + a 3% credit card processing fee + a 5% administrative fee. So for a $20 gift card, you would pay $24.95 for a plastic card or $20 for an e-card, and the charity would get $17.90 (89.5% of the face value), which is more than from the TisBest donation. But consider what happens with bigger donations: from a $100 gift card, the charity only gets $91.50. (91.5% vs. TisBest’s 95%)

There is no expiration date on Charity Choice gift cards. Any money not spent from cards and administrative fees go to fund the Special Kids Fund, an umbrella organization supporting developmentally disabled and at-risk youth.

JustGive: JustGive allows gift card recipients to choose to donate funds to any registered U.S. charity and provides a full database of over 1.5 million of them. But you can also choose from the JustGive Guide, a list of 1,000 selected charities in 10 categories that have met JustGive’s criteria for inclusion. Cards can be created in any whole dollar denomination from $10 and above.

JustGive offers 3 card options: email, print-at-home, and a physical card made entirely from recycled paper. No plastic! E-cards are sent immediately after purchase or can be scheduled for a future delivery date.

Online gift cards cost $5 for the first card and $2 for each additional card. Mailed cards are all $5 each. The charity receives the face value of the card less a 3% credit card processing fee. So for a $20 gift card, you would spend $25, and the charity would receive $19.40 (97% of the face value) and the same percentage from any other denomination.

The cards do not expire. As far as I can tell, any unspent money is used to fund the work of JustGive in creating tools to promote charitable giving.

Network for Good: Network for Good also allows gift card recipients to choose to donate funds to any of the 1.5 million registered U.S. charities. According to Kate Olsen at Network for Good, their mission is about “choice in charitable giving.” Cards are offered in any whole dollar amounts between $10 and $250.

Network for Good offers 3 delivery options: email, print-at-home, and a flexible plastic card attached to a paper mailer. I don’t believe these cards are recyclable. Like JustGive’s cards, e-cards are emailed at the time of purchase and cannot be scheduled for the future.

The big difference between Network for Good and the other gift card organizations is that 100% of the face value of the card is sent to the charity. Purchasers pay $5 per card, which includes free shipping. So, for a $20 gift card, you would spend $25, and the charity would receive the full $20. For a $100 gift card, you would spend $105, and the charity would receive $100.

The other big difference is that Network for Good’s cards expire after 6 months. After that time, funds revert back to the organization to support its work helping train charities in outreach and online fundraising.

Global Giving: Global Giving offers gift cards to support specific charity projects throughout the world. On the site, you can read about the projects, many of which are not funded in traditional ways, and learn how various donation amounts could be used. Cards are offered in whole dollar amounts from $10 to $10,000.

Global Giving offers 3 delivery options: email, print-at-home, and corn-based plastic card. The purchaser can schedule cards to be emailed on a future date.

Charity projects receive the face value of the card less a 15% fee which supports Global Giving’s work vetting charity projects and providing the platform for them to get their message out to the wider world. Purchasers also have the option of paying the 15% so that the entire face value of the card goes to the charity. So for a $20 gift card, you would pay $20 and the charity would receive $17. Or you would pay $23 and the charity would receive $20. Either way, you are supporting the work of a unique organization helping to support projects that might have no other way of getting funding.

The cards expire in one year and any unspent funds go to support the work of Global Giving.

Some things to consider:

1) As long as they are made thoughtfully, charitable donations can be great green gifts that show your appreciation to the giftee and help make the world a better place.

2) When you know what organization your giftee would support, give a direct donation to ensure the highest percentage of your funds go to the actual charity. But charitable gift cards are a good alternative when you want your gift recipient to have a choice.

3) E-mail is the most eco-friendly option, requiring no paper, plastic, or shipping. If you choose to print your gift card, use recycled paper. Of the physical gift card options, I would choose the paper cards from JustGive over plastic or corn, and I honestly would choose TisBest’s recycled plastic card as my second choice since the card is not only made from recycled plastic but can be recycled again.

4) Giving gifts is supposed to be fun. In my real life, I’m an accountant, so analyzing gift card options and creating the above list was beyond thrilling. (And I’m only slightly exaggerating.) If looking at all those choices and numbers gives you a headache, don’t worry. All five organizations are worthy.

5) A benefit of these sites is that they can expose your gift recipient to nonprofits and causes they might not otherwise have known about. But if you’d rather avoid gift card processing fees, another alternative is to ask your recipient for a list of their favorite charities and send a donation directly to the one you like best. That way, you’re both happy.

1.6 oz Plastic Waste [1.6 oz new/0 oz acquired prior to June 2007]

November brought new clothes (see below), a TEDx presentation, and all kinds of nutty experiments that I’ll be writing about in December. It also means 2010 is almost over. I had hoped to keep my plastic waste under 2 pounds this year (last year’s was 3.7 pounds) but sadly, that’s not going to happen. I’m already up to 1.99, and ironically, part of November’s plastic waste is the indirect result of the TEDxGreatPacificGarbagePatch conference early this month.

Not really. I’m making excuses, as you’ll see.

Beth’s November plastic waste collection

Plastic purchased before June 15 2007 and used up in the last month (.5 oz):

Nothing. This month, it’s all new plastic.

New plastic waste (1.6 oz):

• Plastic packing tape from package ordered from Hempest.com. I am aware of the stereotype that women love to shop for clothes and will do it for sport. I am not one of those women. I hate analyzing myself in the fitting room mirror. I hate trying to understand the latest styles (just give me something comfortable with lots of pockets. I’d live in cargo pants if I could.) And nowadays, shopping is even more of a drag because I’m trying to avoid synthetic (read: plastic) fabrics. Plus, I’ve gained weight in the last three years, so shopping is even more of a drag.

  All this adds up to the dilemma I faced trying to figure out what to wear for my TEDxGreatPacificGarbagePatch presentation. I looked in my closet 15 times hoping I’d discover some new outfit I’d forgotten about, which is silly because my closet is not that big. I went to the mall. I went to boutique stores. Anything that looked good was made from acrylic or polyester or some other plastic fabric. Anything made from natural fibers was too expensive or too small. (As I and my friends discovered, eco-friendly clothing tends to be made for skinny bodies — unless you’re just looking for hoodies and sweat pants.)

  So anyway, I finally discovered a cool online shop called Hempest.com, which sells cute clothing made from organic cotton, hemp, and other natural fibers. At my wits end, I took a chance and ordered a few tops in large and extra large and prayed they would fit, requesting no plastic packaging in the box. The tops fit. The box contained no plastic on the inside but was covered with plastic tape on the outside. It’s still the rare vendor that will switch to paper tape, but I’m working on it.

• One big fat cheese wrapper. What can I say? The cheese got the better of me. Some nameless person bought it and let it sit in the refrigerator for weeks and weeks, unopened and unloved, taunting me. I mean, who buys cheese and doesn’t eat it? So, one night, stressed out about the TEDx conference and what I was going to wear, I broke into it. The comfort was momentary. The wrapper will last forever. Desperation gets the best of us sometimes.
• One square of plastic wrap. After arriving in L.A. on Friday, I thought I would treat myself to room service lunch at the hotel — something I never do. When asked what I wanted to drink, I said, “Nothing. I don’t want anything to drink.” So naturally my meal arrived accompanied by a glass of water with a piece of plastic wrap on top. I didn’t want the water in the first place, but I accepted it and drank it because it would have been tossed out anyway and because I was too tired to get into an argument. The irony of coming to a conference devoted to plastic waste and ending up with another piece of plastic to add to my stash was not lost on me.
• Two plastic-tipped toothpicks. From the same room service meal. These were holding my sandwich together — for all of 5 minutes, or however long it took to bring it up to my room from the kitchen.
• 2 vials of Frontline flea treatment for cats. Read about our flea dilemma here. I’ve gotten suggestions to try rubbing diatomaceous earth directly on the cats’ fur, but honestly, I don’t want to breathe that stuff, or allow my cats to breathe it. Lung disease vs cancerous tumors? *Sigh*
• 4 plastic envelope windows from bank notices, Social Security, & IRS.Learn about what plastic envelope windows are made from. And yes, I’ve requested online access, but this particular account doesn’t offer it yet.
• One prescription bottle and cap. Preserve’s Gimme5 program will accept these #5 bottles for recycling. But sadly, the state of California will not allow pharmacies to refill them, which would be the ideal solution to me.
• Hotel key card. From a hotel I stayed in a couple of months ago. I forgot to turn it in when I left.
• Plastic cap and threads from a tube of Tom’s of Maine toothpaste. The aluminum tube can be returned to Tom’s for recycling. Read more about my less-plastic dental regimen here.

That’s it for November. December is always tricky, what with holiday gift giving. Hopefully, I’ve got my friends and family trained not to buy me a bunch of stuff I don’t need and that will inevitably come packaged in plastic.

Last Friday night, my brother Will and I were hanging out on the phone discussing our book-writing aspirations: his dream of writing children’s books (He’s already a fantastic illustrator of books that other people write.  See the end of this post for an amazing demo) and mine of creating a plastic-free book to inspire or at least entertain the masses.    

Will’s not a treehugger, but unable to avoid my plastic-free influence, he wants to help me figure out the best way to speak to a wider audience of people — people like him who care, but maybe not yet enough to act.  So he wrote the following letter to you guys.  Overlooking spelling, punctuation, and the fact that he was most likely drunk on half-cooked brownie mix when he composed it, what do you suggest? 

I was thinking about plastic the other day partly because I had run out of things to think about but also because my big (big as in older not heavier, taller, fatter,or meaner) sister just spoke at the TEDx conference, and I’m proud of her. I started to think about my own relationship with plastic and that became painful because I’m a slacker by nature – so then I thought about my dog because that was more fun. But then I knew I was avoiding thinking about plastic which forced me to think about plastic more – then I couldn’t get it out of my head. Oh yeah – I forgot to mention that I was on my daily walk, and so I knew I had to have a personal conversation with myself to finally confront my plastic usage so I could get on with thinking happy thoughts – like soap.

I’ve always rationalized my plastic usage with 3 arguments, and mentally I usually only need the first one to content myself. 1) I’m a family man raising 3 boys  - I have a wife, a dog, a mortgage, and I have little time left over to worry about plastic. 2) I run my own illustration business, and I usually work 60 – 80 hrs/week.  I’m sure that living plastic free will cost more – extra money that I don’t have. 3) I consider myself a “normal guy” not some tree hugging freak… if I start down this road I’ll have to change… change isn’t fun.

Ok – before you all start picking up stones hear me out – I don’t stand behind any of those ideas. It’s taken me 44 years to confront those irrational thoughts, and I’m doing it because of the awesome example my big sister is setting. I’ll admit that being busy is no excuse for environmental carelessness. I remember making a life choice when I was about 7-8 years old not to litter. It felt cool to label myself at the time – “I don’t litter.” I’m sure that I need to do the same sort of thing with plastic.

The money excuse – I know – lame – it will probably cost less in many cases to avoid using unnecessary plastic.

The environmental wacko thing – also lame – it’s been my way of avoiding the crucial conversation I’ve needed to have with myself.

So here’s what I’m asking Beth:  knowing me, my lifestyle, and guys like me – could you give me 3-5 of the most important and highest impact ways I can reduce my plastic usage? I can’t live like you overnight but perhaps you could give me the most important baby steps. I think if you can get a guy like me to make environmental lifestyle changes you’ll be successful getting other “normal” dudes on the bandwagon.

He likes winter sports.

He likes his dog.

He likes Photoshop.

No, I mean, he really, really likes Photoshop. And making videos.  Even if you have no suggestions for Will regarding plastic, watch this video just because it’s awesome.

A Fairytale from will terry on Vimeo.

So, um, Will’s not exactly normal after all. But then, is there really any such thing?

Dear Toshiba Satellite S105 Laptop Computer:

I’m sorry I never gave you a better name in the 9 years that we were together. I was so sad last week when I traded you in at CeX in Berkeley for a bigger, faster, more powerful computer. For a second, I thought I might jump across the counter and grab you back from that sales dude who was checking all your buttons and parts to make sure you worked okay. I don’t think anyone else has had their hands on you except for Michael maybe and that computer doctor I brought you to a few times when you crashed. See? I loved you. I didn’t toss you away like most people would after two years.

With you, I learned to blog and create web sites and little Flash videos. Remember that stupid animation we made back in 2003 where we knocked off the Governator’s head with a baseball bat? Good times. And better — you were there when Michael and I got married. You helped me make the DVDs we inflicted on our friends and relatives afterwards. But even then, the work was slow-going.

Toshiba, I need more from a computer now. Programs are bigger. File sizes are massive. Remember what a hard time we had at the BlogHer conference this past summer? It took an hour to upload pictures from my camera. Your memory isn’t what it used to be, even with the upgrades I gave you, and neither are your processing skills. But don’t worry. This is not the end of the road for you, my friend. Because instead of tossing you away as just more e-waste, I have sold you back to CeX to be refurbished and resold to someone who will appreciate what you have to offer. You’re still great for email and web browsing and other basic tasks.

Goodbye little friend.

Love,

Beth

P.S. I can’t believe I’m crying over a stupid computer. I must be hormonal. Or materialistic in a good way?

Dear secondhand Sony Vaio Laptop:

If I didn’t give the Toshiba a better name, I’m certainly not going to give you one.

It took a long time to find you. Why? Because I refuse to buy a brand new computer and add to the toxic waste stream resulting from our thoughtless over-consumption of electronics. Over the years, I upgraded my Toshiba and got the most use out of it I could.  Nine years is ancient in techno time. Then, I waited until I found the right secondhand computer. I searched Craigslist for months and never found what I wanted. Then, last week, walking past CeX, I saw you in the window. I couldn’t believe it. Your price was right. Your features were awesome. CeX paid me cash for the Toshiba so that you cost even less. And best of all: no plastic packaging waste. I took you home in my backpack. No padding necessary.

But you’ll have to prove yourself to me. Yes, we’re having fun now. But this is just the honeymoon stage. Are you going to hold up? One thing I notice is that you don’t get as hot as the Toshiba. That’s a good sign. Also? You don’t crash as much. Is that because of Windows 7?

Well, for better or for worse, you and I are a team. Are you ready to blog about plastic? Get ready to do a lot of that.  We’re writing a book on the subject, too!  (Oh, don’t feel bad. I know you are made from plastic. But you’re not brand new plastic, and secondhand is okay, according to the rules of my No New Plastic game.)  You will be my only computer from here on out.  I’m giving my desktop computer to Michael.  His beat up Compaq is even older and slower than my Toshiba, and sadly, I don’t think he’ll get money for that one.  We’ll have to find an e-Steward recycler.

Technology is a beautiful and scary thing.  I’m trying to be responsible with it.  Sony Vaio, I hope you’ll hold up your end of the bargain.

Sincerely,

Beth Terry (That’s Mistress Beth to you.)