Month: July 2013

Yikes – Wine in Plastic! I’ll Stick to Glass, Thanks

July 16, 2013

16 May 2009 — The Wine Industry Association of Western Australia doesn’t think moving from glass to plastic bottles for wine is necessarily a bad idea.  I don’t know about you, but it would make me not want to drink the wine.  And it appears the Southern Australian wine maker Wolf Blass has already begun to offer some of it’s wines in polyethylene terepthalate (PET) bottles. The main claimed justification is environmental:  i.e., that the plastic bottles create 29% less greenhouse gas emissions and are much lighter.  There does not appear to be any mention of the move to plastic bottles being significantly cheaper for the winemaker.  Greenwashing?  Perhaps it was inevitable in this often bottom-line, convenience-driven world we live in, but the thought of vino sitting and aging in plastic just does not seem right. 

Help Stop Plastic in the Sea – Support the Algalita JUNKride

July 16, 2013

12 April 2009 — It outnumbers surface plankton by 6 to 1 in parts of the world’s oceans, including the North Pacific.  It suffocates sea turtles from the inside out after they have ingested it thinking it is food.  It releases numerous toxic synthetic chemicals into the oceans.  Yes, plastic. 

If plastic pollution in the oceans is an issue that interests you or one you don’t know anything about, I would strongly suggest checking out the website of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation based in Long Beach, California.  The innovative studies being done by Captain Charles Moore and his committed team place them at the vanguard of marine pollution research – and the results they regularly document are alarmingly eye-opening. 

Our Plastic Bag Free Town Initiative Getting some Local Attention

July 16, 2013

20 March 2009 — I have already mentioned that our little village of Wakefield Quebec started a community-based group to try and eliminate the use of plastic bags. Our goal is to launch a pilot project in May that would involve generating a lot of information aimed at customers to encourage them to reduce their consumption of plastic bags. We want the movement to come from customers rather than retailers who would have to force consumers into paying for the bags. So our town newspaper just published an article featuring us on the cover page, arm wrestling over plastic and paper bags.

Plastic Bags are Good for the Health of the Planet, or so Says the Plastic Industry

July 14, 2013

3 March 2009 — Jay and I are involved in reducing the amount of single-use plastic bags being consumed on our little village of Wakefield (La Pêche), Quebec, Canada. In 2007 we became the first Fair Trade town in the province of Quebec, second in Canada (see www.fairtradevillage.ca), and now we want to tackle the ever expanding problem of plastic bags. So we formed a little committee with the objective of having something concrete to announce next May when we celebrate Fair Trade Month.

While researching what other towns in the world are doing to address this problem, we discovered that many towns (Leaf Rapids, Manitoba), large cities (San Francisco, New York), States (Texas, Colorado) and even countries (Ireland) around the world are also trying to reduce the use of carryout plastic bags. This is extremely encouraging. But we also found that the plastic bag industry will not hesitate to use hypocritical means to annihiliate these community efforts.

The War on Plastic

July 14, 2013

I just discovered this new product… It is a reusable plastic bag that comes with its neoGreenaidprene plastic pouch (plastic again) with the large text “WAR ON PLASTIC” written on the front of the bag. So what does this product really stage war against?

Does the Plastic Industry Really Care about your Health?

July 14, 2013

8 February 2009 — On January 19th 2009, Life Without Plastic was invited to attend the Ottawa launch of the campaign”Unbottle It!” by the Council of Canadians (“C of C”). The campaign aims at encouraging individuals to drink less bottled water and more tap water for environmental and health reasons. There is now so much reliance on plastic water bottles everywhere that schools, malls, offices are phasing out water fountains and municipalities are spending less money on water purification technology. We were told we must change this trend which encourages the proliferation of plastic water bottles.

Think Beyond Plastic 2013: Innovation and Beyond in Berkeley

July 14, 2013

24 June 2013 — What is innovation? To me it’s all about creative new change – creating an idea or product or process that changes and enhances the world in a new way. I think of it instinctively with a positive, world-bettering filter. Innovation is important because it can lead to new, positive, disruptive change. Fast. And in the world of plastic pollution – i.e., our shared world, because the plastic waste is now everywhere – new, positive, disruptive change cannot come fast enough.

Just over a week ago, I had the opportunity and privilege to attend the inaugural – and now to be annual – Think Beyond Plastic (TBP) Innovation Competition and Conference, held in Berkeley, California at the gorgeous and green David Brower Center on June 13-14, 2013. That coloured light bulb to my right is the TBP logo symbol, and is itself a visually delightful and innovative take on the light bulb – a perfect representation of the new rays of light and ideas unveiled last week and now radiating all over the world. The purpose of the competition and conference was to find and highlight disruptive solutions to the global plastic pollution crisis. Life Without Plastic was honoured to be a sponsor and enthusiastic supporter of TBP.

pile of plastic bags

Green Festival Fun and Connections

July 3, 2013

I’m now back in Wakefield and very much into the swing of daily life after an invigorating few days in San Francisco for the Green America Green Business Conference and Green Festival. I love the laid back and friendly energy of San Fran. Heck, I think I even left some of my heart there.

In my previous blog posts about this trip I’ve talked a bit about my travels to the city, the city itself, a few of the neat folks and companies I met, and some tidbits from conference presentations. In this final trip missive, I need to tell you about the fun fun time I had on my final day while taking in the Green Festival.