Which plastics are best?

FACT: Plastics can take up to 400 years to break down. Almost all the plastics ever made can still be found somewhere.

Plastic manufacturers throw around words like degradable, compostable and biodegradable, but what do these really mean? These are all words that mean that the plastics break down, right? There is a difference between all of these and they should play a role in your purchasing decisions.

Biodegradable products break down from naturally occurring microorganisms over a period of time. They are often made from plant and animal sources and some examples of biodegradable products include paper, vegetable scraps and some plastics made from ingredients like corn starch.

BUT: When added to landfills in the oxygen depleted environment, biodegradable waste breaks down under anaerobic conditions and creates methane, which is a greenhouse gas with over 62 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. Biodegradable waste can also contain toxins such as heavy metals and pesticides.

Degradable plastics are oil based and break down through chemical reactions rather that the activity of microorganisms, so they can degrade in an anaerobic environment into water, carbon dioxide, biomass and trace elements.

Compostable plastics are close to biodegradable plastics but "greener", according to a Green Living Tips article. For plastic to be considered compostable, it must be able to break down into carbon dioxide, water and biomass at the same rate as paper. It also needs to look like compost, should support plant life, and not produce any toxic material. Compostable products are usually made from plant materials like corn, potato, cellulose, soy and sugar.

THE BOTTOM LINE: In some scenarios the fossil fuel input is greater in making these "green plastics" when compared to the equivalent in crude oil basted plastic product.

Organic Fashion

A new trend that seems to be gaining more and more attention is organic fashion, like shirts made of organic cotton. But what does it really mean for cotton to be organic? I asked myself the same question and decided to do some research.

According to the Organic Trade Association, organic cotton is grown using materials and methods with low environmental impact. Organic production systems replenish and maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers and build biologically diverse agriculture. In addition, the use of genetically engineered seed for organic farming has been prohibited by federal regulations. All organic cotton grown in the U.S. must beet strict federal regulations covering how the cotton is grown.

The market for organic cotton is growing and this interest has resulted in the use of cotton fiber in products, other than just clothing items. Organic cotton is used in personal care items like cotton balls and sanitary products, as well as in home furnishings, children's products, and even paper products. Organic cottonseed is even used for animal feed.

The Sustainable Cotton Project Web sites has a Fiber Footprint Calculator for both growers and consumers to compare the carbon footprints of different growing systems.

"Because of cotton's versatility, it is used for many food and fiber products, making it one of the most widely traded commodities on earth. Yet the simple act of growing and harvesting one pound of cotton fiber to make a T-shirt takes a toll on the earth’s air, water, and soil, and has significant impacts on the health of people in cotton growing areas," said the SCP Web site.

Also check out recycled cotton for another earth-friendly choice in cotton clothing.

Simple Green Updates for Spring

Spring cleaning is around the corner and it's time to add some easy, green updates to your list. The Natural Abode online or in Moscow, Idaho offers a wide selection of green home products. More importantly, their Web site features a click-able home to help visualize where a green project fits into your life.

A few examples:
Bathroom | low flow shower heads can save up to 7,300 gallons of water a year
Living Room | let your petroleum based candles burnout and switch to 100% beeswax candles
Kitchen | Kirei counter tops made from sorghum stalks
Attic | solar powered attic fan
Roof | solar energy panels

SunChips uses 14 week Compostable Bag

Frito-Lay SunChips are going to "do their part" to help the planet with their new compostable 10.5 oz chip bags.

The new bags are made with a polyactic acid (PLA), produced by NatureWorks LLC. The product line made from PLA is called Ingeo. PLA is derived from plants, and yes, some people still eat plants. Therefore, Sunchips gets two points for effort and decreased use of petrol-products, but minus one for decreasing biodiversity and using plants to produce non-edibles.

Furthermore, the plant in question here is corn. This brings a slew of political factors into the evaluation. Corn is subsidized by our government and is so cheap that it has made its way (as obscure ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup) into over 80% of our food supply. Yet corn farmers take up second jobs to afford insurance and feed their families.

Watch the bag compost in optimal conditions over 14 weeks.

Magic Soap

Have you ever wondered if the same soap you use to wash your clothes could be used as toothpaste and shampoo? Sounds outrageous right? Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap does just that, in fact, it has 18 different uses. The soap, which has been made for decades, is also certified under the USDA National Organic Program and Fair Trade.

Below is a list of just some of the soap's uses, according to the product Web site:

1. Always dilute for Shave-Shampoo-Massage-Dental Soap-Bath!

2. Peppermint is nature's own unsurpassed fragrant Deodorant!

3. A drop is best Mint Toothpaste; brushes Dentures Clean!

4. A dash in water is the ideal Breath Freshener & Mouth Wash!

5. Peppermint Oil Soap for Dispensers, Uniforms, Baby, Beach!

6. Dilute for ideal After Shave, Body Rub, Foot Bath, and Douche.

7. Hot Towel-Massage the entire body, always towards your heart.

8. Pets, silk, wool & body tingles head to toe - keeps cool!

9. 3 dashes in water rinse most Sprays Off fruit & vegetables!

10. 1/4 oz in qt H2O is Pest Spray! Dash, no rash Diaper-Soap!

All of Dr. Bronner’s Magic All-One liquid and bar soaps are completely biodegradable and vegetable-based. They are made with Certified Fair Trade and Organic oils. Both the bar and liquid have 18 uses and there are no synthetic foaming agents, thickeners or preservatives in the soap. The cylinder bottles and paper labels used in the packaging are 100 percent post-consumer recycled.

Dr. Bronner’s is the number one selling natural soap brand in North America. Although I have never used it, I am eager to try it out. A classic bar of soap costs $4.19 and an eight ounce bottle of the liquid version is only $5.99. Not bad at all when you consider all of its uses.

Dr. Bronner must have been an interesting character. This is evident when reading the soap bottle label, and is demonstrated in a 2006 documentary, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soapbox. Click here to see the movie trailer.

Eco-Grooming Products

As I was reading through The Daily Evergreen I came across an advertisement for Red Devil Grooming. It is an online retailer for affordable, organic personal care products. With a tag line "So Natural. It's a Sin." I knew I had to check it out.

There are only 11 products on the Web site, but they are extremely affordable in comparison to similar items. The products, which are aimed towards men, include shampoo, hair gel and body wash. Most of these items cost $8.95, with the most expensive item being a 3-pack of personal care items for $24.95.

The site is very well organized and links to a blog about men's grooming, a Twitter account and a place to sign up for the newsletter.

Red Devil Grooming's mission is to provide products to people that are good for the environment and the people who use them.

In 2009, the company was created in order to "...take the challenge of trying to save the world." The company sought to curb some environmental issues like eliminating the harsh chemicals used in grooming products and shipping products in eco-friendly packaging.

De-code Green Labels

Marketers have jumped on the green bandwagon. Furthermore, they're trying to steer it by utilizing a wide array of labels to boast a product's eco-friendly feature. Educate yourself by finding out what the labels mean and which are essentially meaningless. Consumer Reports teams up with Greener Choices to provide an eco-label search engine and evaluation.

For example, the label Free Range scores very poorly. According to the report, Free Range is not a meaningful or verified label. In poultry, the USDA requirement for free range chickens is that they have access to the outdoors, but there is no guideline for the duration of access.

There are some meaningful and verified labels out there. A highly rated label is Fair Trade Certified. It is rated highly meaningful, the meaning of the label is consistent, the standards are publicly available as is information about the organization.