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.
The Soroptimist is by far my favorite thrift store in my quaint hometown of Enterprise, Ore. The thrift store, located on Main and 1st Street, is full of treasures waiting to be found.
For being in such a small town the location is ideal, it is located in the middle of the town, right next to the public library. Although the store would be more successful in a larger town, it is always busy and is a perfect addition to Enterprise.
The store is organized to the best of its ability. The store is run by volunteers, everything there has been donated and all of the proceeds go towards community scholarships and grants. Because all of the funds generated are used to help others, the store makes use with what they have and many items are folded and set on tables rather than being hung on clothing racks or stacked on shelves. Soroptimist goes through inventory like you wouldn't believe and the women who volunteer work quickly to keep up.
The selection in the store varies greatly. There are clothes for everyone from babies to adults and probably even dogs. There are crafts, fabric, books, electronics, kitchenware and much more. The only thing that the store does not have is large furniture. The quality of the selection also varies from items that are well worn to items that still have tags.
The store doesn't smell the best and could use some deep cleaning, but it is worth bearing to find treasures that you can buy for only 25 cents. Yes, that's right 25 cents is the typical price of every item. Every once in a while a nice coat might cost 50 cents or a dollar, but you can't get a deal better than that. Sometimes Soroptimist even has bag sales where customers get a bag when they walk in and can purchase anything they fit in the bag for just a dollar.
One of my favorite things to purchase at the Soroptimist is holiday sweaters. Many of my friends have hosted ugly holiday sweater parties and at Soroptimist I can purchase a sweater for 25 cents, when they would cost $6 each at Goodwill. My dad found a satellite radio at Soroptimist. He purchased it not knowing if it would even work to discover that it worked great and still had a year left in its subscription. This is an item that would usually cost more than $100 dollars and he only paid 25 cents. On the right is a photograph of my friend Kelsey and me wearing 25 cent Soroptimist holiday sweaters.
Soroptimist International is a worldwide organization for women in management and professions, working through service projects to advance human rights and the status of women. For more information about the organization click here.
In 2006, Who Killed the Electric Car? debuted and raised quite a few eyebrows in regards to gas, cars and conspiracy. The Electric Vehicle (EV1) was a viable option for many drivers back in the '90s. Then it mysteriously was swiped off of the market place. Watch movie trailer here.
Now, The Electrical Vehicle team at WSU is competing to bring back the no-gas dream. Read the article from The Daily Evergreen.
On a recent trip to the liquor store I came across 360 Eco Friendly Vodka. It was priced at $19.95 and I decided to give it a try.
The packaging includes a lot of useful information about the company’s environmental impact. It claims to be the first and only true eco-friendly premium vodka and has received awards in taste, quality, packaging and marketing. I am no vodka coinsurer, however I thought it was good and better than the similarly priced Skyy Vodka.
The store only had the regular 360 Eco Friendly Vodka, but after researching on the Web I discovered that 360 also distills cola and double chocolate flavors.
The vodka comes in an 85 percent recycled glass bottle and 100 percent recycled eco-friendly paper products are used in the labeling, packaging and promotional materials. The shipper uses 100 percent recycled cardboard. Environmentally friendly water based inks are used for printing of all materials. A program called Close the Loop was developed for the metal bottle closures with the purpose of enabling infinite reuse which reduces waste and conserves resources needed to produce new closures. The vodka came with an envelope with prepaid postage to return the closure.
The vodka is four times distilled through an energy efficient process, with every bushel of grain being fully utilized and nothing going to waste. The vodka is also five times filtered at a facility that has improved its eco-footprint measurably over the past five years. All grain is locally grown to significantly reduce fossil fuel consumption in transporting raw materials to the distillery.
According to an Eco-Audit with calculations based on research by Environmental Defense and other members of the Paper Task Force, the Earth Friendly Distilling Co. saved the following resources in the production of 360 Vodka’s labeling:
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 Soapdoes 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.
Paws in Claws Thrift Store is a bit of a misnomer. To some, the name implies used pet goods. Although the product selection is not focused on pets, all of the proceeds go to the Humane Society.
The store has a good location for Vancouver area shoppers. It is just a few blocks off of SR-500, and it is near a Walgreens for those who like to bundle their errands. Altogether, Paws-N-Claws is easy to find on 3308 NE 52nd St, Vancouver, Wash.
The store occupies a medium space, but a multitude of goods create a cramped feel. Also, high shelving sections-off certain areas. This technique is good for organization, but increases the claustrophobia effect. Another negative atmosphere attribute was a distinct thrift shop smell - the worst I've smelled in a while.
If shoppers can overlook the surface qualities, the selection is varied with prices that are reasonable. More importantly, the benefits of shopping at Paws-N-Claws are two-fold: help the environment by reusing goods and help a furry friend!
There's a new co-op in town, and it wields innovative green ideas that go beyond food. Main Market Co-op, Spokane offers a program for patrons to purchase a locker of freezer space in their store. Thus, people share the amount of energy needed to keep goods frozen. In store promotions for the concept claim that a co-oped freezer locker could greatly reduce or eliminate freezer use at home. The concept is designed for families who tend to buy frozen items in bulk.
