Edible Chips & Computer Chips: How Do We Get Rid of Them?

Here are a few developments that I've been mulling over lately. I thought I would share with you all...

SunChips, Frito-Lay’s popular line of multigrain snacks, announced recently that on Earth Day April 22, 2010 this year it will introduce the first fully compostable snack chip bag made from plant-based materials. The change is designed to significantly improve the environmental impact of its packaging.



SunChips brand is taking the first step towards this transformational packaging. The outer layer of packaging on 10½-oz. size SunChips snacks bags will be made with a compostable, plant-based renewable material, polylactic acid (PLA). PepsiCo's Frito-Lay North America division plans to rollout a package for its SunChips snacks where all layers are made from PLA material so the package is 100% compostable.

“We know environmentally friendly packaging is a priority for our SunChips consumer,” says Gannon Jones, vice president, marketing, Frito-Lay North America. “Today’s launch of packaging made with 1/3 renewable materials is an important first step towards having a fully compostable chip bag in market by Earth Day 2010.”

Current snack food packaging has three layers: a printed outer layer with packaging visuals/graphics, an inner layer, which serves as a barrier to maintain the quality and integrity of the product, and a middle layer that joins the other two layers. When the packaging is 100% compostable, it will fully decompose in about 14 weeks when placed in a hot, active compost pile or bin. NatureWorks LLC is providing the PLA, which is trademarked under the Ingeo name.

“Packaging is clearly the most visible interaction consumers have with Frito-Lay’s brands,” says Jay Gehring, vice president, packaging R&D, Frito-Lay North America. “To make packaging that would interact differently in the environment we had to change the composition of packaging and invent key technologies. Using plant-based renewable materials, we have a promising solution that will transform packaging and significantly impact the billions of snack food bags produced annually.”

Once the 100% compostable bag is introduced, the company anticipates the switch will lead to reduced greenhouse gas emissions in the production of the packaging and the elimination of petroleum-based packaging material. The launch of PLA packaging is yet another small step in the SunChips brand’s sustainability journey.

Hmmmm interesting. That seems very promising!

Here's another tidbit.......

Over the weekend my laptop computer stopped working, so I'm currently trying to find the best option for recycling it.



Getting rid of a computer can be a complex process that isn't necessarily environmentally friendly. Right now I'm looking at several options. I found a reuse organization, a zero landfill option and a donation/computer repair center (although I'm cyncial about where the actual components end up.) Any other suggestions?

Happy Wednesday,

-BA

Chapstick (and Other Products) For the Greater Good

Hello readers,

I'd first like to offer a little confession: I've been on hiatus from this blog for quite some time now. The end of last semester and my leg surgery over the holiday definitely took me down a few notches in terms of blogging availability... but I'm back!

I trust that everyone had a restful and relaxing new year and are back in the swing of things like I am here. I've settled back into my routine and have been thinking about green initiatives to keep me occupied during the wintertime here in Ohio. One recent change that I made had to do with my choice of shampoo. Even though this seems somewhat mundane, I think some of the most trivial choices can be some of our best and worthwhile.

I was using Organix Hydrating Teatree Mint

but have recently switched to Nature's Gate Chamomile & Lemon Verbena

... for the simple reason that (for about the same price) I am assured that it is ecologically safe, environmentally friendly, cruelty-free... and better for my hair and scalp (I have VERY sensitive skin.)

Anyway, thinking about this minor change also spurred me to question some of the other things in my posession that I rely on daily during the winter months. Case in point: a chapstick that I use religiously that boasts it is "earth-friendly personal care for the greater good." That's a pretty weighty claim to make about a chapstick!

So yes, I use the classic Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm:...and after doing some detective work of the ingredients list I'm still happy to note that it is ALL NATURAL! Looking over the website, I'm also reassured of a few of the company's other initiatives concerning green living, sustainability, etc. Maybe this chapstick is for the greater good! I know that it has had an impact on me (I hate products that add alcohol so that they make your lips more dry, thereby resulting you needing more of the same stuff. It's like an addiction.)

Anyway, peruse a few of the products you rely on once and a while and do some research to find out if they really do measure up to the words that they place on their labels. Kids can also do the same and they might begin to learn new things about the true meanings of "organic", "green", and "natural." I'm going to put on a fresh coat of lip balm right now... my lips are feeling pretty dry =)

Hope your February is unfolding nicely! Until next week! -BA

Thinking warm thoughts, planning spring garden

My garden is covered in snow, and it's not pretty. We just had a thaw and a freeze, and the snowbanks are dirty and chunky. Fortunately, I know the soil beneath is still resting in its insulated blanket of (dirty, grimy, ugly) snow and ice.

Meanwhile, I'm thinking of tools. As I get older, I need to be more cautious in the ways I bend and straighten and put stress on my body. I saw this article and it got me thinking: what do I need to take care of my vegetables and take care of myself, too?

I like the garden cart in the feature; I have one already. Mine was an inheritance of sorts from my Mother-in-law when she moved from her home to a condo. We sold a lot of their old tools, but we kept this one (and the chain saw, too). I wasn't ready to pass on the wagon to another owner without some serious thought. We found ourselves using the cart for several purposes. It held my tomato and pepper seedlings until I put them in the ground; it was the perfect size for firewood when Chuck cut down a tree. It's held piles of brush and made it easy to drag said brush to the minivan for the trip to the (you guessed it) brush dump. A garden cart is one item I won't need to buy.

When I read The $64 Tomato I considered getting a shuffle hoe. I've applied square foot gardening principals to my small plot, and the results are good: much less weeding. The shuffle hoe, however, will help in the areas that still need help. It might save my poor aging back (oh, I complain!), too, by allowing me decent posture instead of bending or kneeling in the dirt.

I think I'll keep my eyes open for a shuffle hoe. Maybe I'll spot one at a garage sale or auction. If not, I'll price them in the local garden shops; it may be a good investment.

The temperatures may be a balmy 16 degrees Fahrenheit today, but I'm looking ahead to spring.

The $64 Tomato: a good winter read for a summer gardener

Someone (I can't remember who) recommended The $64 Tomato: how one man nearly lost his sanity, spent a fortune, and endured an existential crisis in the quest for the perfect garden. I put it on my wish list at Paperbackswap.com, and when it came up, I said sure, send it my way!

The memoir chronicles William Alexander's journey to create the perfect country kitchen garden, lessons in planting and cultivating, humor, and life lessons as well.

I can't consider myself a genteel gardener in Alexander's league. For one thing, my small city yard is nowhere near the size of his plot, the one he called a baseball field. Read "small city yard" any way you wish: small city or small yard, either works to describe the piece of land that holds my home, garage, and garden.

My husband and I haven't hired people to do any of the garden work, which means my garden history pales in comparison to Alexander's. From Lars the young guy who drives the tractor too fast to Lou the plumber/excavator that leaves his backhoe stuck in the Alexanders' clay soil backyard all winter, the hired help provide many stories so funny they must be true.

Size and perspective make a difference, too. Weeding is a small job in my garden due to its smaller size and the application of square-foot gardening principles. Poor guy, Bill Alexander got roped into a design of rows, rows, and more rows, which meant weeding, weeding, and more weeding, which he attempts to minimize by calling it "cultivating."

He describes his tools with such awe that I want to buy a shuffle hoe now, not wait until spring. By spring I'll remember that I have a fairly small vegetable plot, and I won't spend a bundle on a limited-use tool. My regular hoe will do.

In The $64 Tomato, Bill waxes poetic in an attempt to rationalize the size and design of his beds to minimize the huge job of weeding. He doesn't put the same poetic response toward his failure to remain organic. Good intentions were the road to chemical intervention in his garden as the pests got tougher and tougher - and bigger: Superchuck the woodchuck! My woodchuck visitor last year didn't come back, and didn't provide me with the same level of entertainment as Superchuck did the Alexanders, thank goodness.

I mentioned life lessons. To keep this post short and sweet, I'll let you read the book to find them. Is it worth the marital trauma to spend nights canning peaches? Does the time and financial investment necessary for a kitchen garden truly pay back in quality? Can this family be considered (gasp) normal?

If you're looking for a gardening book with straightforward advice, this isn't it. If you're looking for a good read with a fun take on the entire gardening experience, this is just right.

Disclosure: I found my copy of The $64 Tomato on Paperbackswap.com. This is not in any way a compensated post.

Merry Christmas!!

Those of us here at GreenSpot-On would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

A few quotes for you to ponder this Christmas:

"Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart." - Washington Irving

"Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home !" - Charles Dickens

"When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things-not the great occasions-give off the greatest glow of happiness." - Bob Hope

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Sincerely,
GreenSpot-On

Christmas Craftiness #2

Hello Everyone! I am listing a couple more ideas for Christmas Crafts! This time for adults only!!

Aluminum Can Luminaries: Do you have left over aluminum cans from you pumpkun pie filling or the canned baby formula that you haven't recycled yet, but want a fun craft to do for a gift? Why not make them into luminaries!

Materials:
Aluminum Can (Large Baby formula or Pumpkin Pie Filling Can)
Hammer
Nails
Sturdy Cardboard
Marker
Paint (Spray paint or acryllic)
Large Rubber Band
Saran Wrap
Water
Small Candle holder (Cheap from a dollar store)
Votive Candles (Again cheap from a dollar store)
Cat Litter or Sand

Instructions:
1. Make a template out of dots (Punch holes into a piece of cardboard with a nail). A prety simple one is a snowflake.
2. Useing a permanent marker; use your template to transfer the dots onto the can. Use it multiple times around the can with enough space between the individual designs.
3. Fill the can with water, put the top back on it. If there is no top, fill it with water, then take saran wrap and a sturdy cloth with a large rubber band. Wrap the end with the saran wrap with the cloth over it and secure it with the rubber band.
4. Freeze the can overnight.
5. When completely frozen take a small hammer and a nail and punch it on the dots you made on the can. You may have to refreeze the can in between individual designs so it doesn't start leaking on you badly. The reason you want the can completely frozen is so that the force of you hammering the nail into the dots doesn't dent your can. When you get all of your dots punched, you can empty the can and let it dry completely.
6. After it is done drying, take the can and either spray paint the outside or you can use acrylic paint and paint the outside with a design. With the snowflake design, I really liked using a dark blue, that was shimmery and silver on the dots I punched (so it would show up when it wasn't lit).
7. The last part to this is to get a cheap, short glass candleholder that you can put inside the can with a tealight candle or equivalent.
8. Put either a cup of fresh catlitter or sand in the can (To help keep the can from heating up). Then you can set your candleholder with candle inside.
9. You are now ready to light your luminary!

Christmas with Grapevine: I am lucky enough to have access to grapevine in my own yard. I have to cut it back each year. Instead of getting rid of it I use it for many things. Try a grapevine ornament ball! I'll write up instructions for it when I try it, hopefully with pictures. Stay tuned!

Sincerely,
Khrys @ GreenSpot-On
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