Grab Some Wood, Bub

Edson (AKA e4), over at Green, Blue, Brown sent me a very interesting article recently about the differences between cutting boards made from wood vs. those made from plastic. The article is from Ellen Sandbeck's book Green Housekeeping.

The article states that researchers at the University of Wisconsin had discovered that wooden cutting boards are safer for food preparation than plastic cutting boards. That's right -- safer. A 1993 press release I found online confirmed the article. Here's what the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Research Division at the University of Wisconsin-Madison had to say:


For decades now, cooks in homes and restaurants have been urged to use plastic rather than wood cutting boards in the name of food safety. The fear is that disease causing bacteria – salmonella from raw chicken, for example – will soak into a cutting board and later contaminate other foods cut on the same surface and served uncooked, such as salad ingredients. It’s become an article of faith among “experts” that plastic cutting boards are safer than wood for food preparation because, as the thinking goes, plastic is less hospitable to bacteria.

It seems reasonable, but it just ain’t so, according to two scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Food Research Institute.

Dean O. Cliver and Nese O. Ak, food microbiologists in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, have found that in some as yet unknown way wooden cutting boards kill bacteria that survive well on plastic boards.

“This flies in the face of prevailing wisdom”, says Cliver, “It isn’t what I expected. Our original objectives were to learn about bacterial contamination of wood cutting boards to find a way to decontaminate the wood so it would be almost as safe as plastic. That’s not what happened.”

Cliver is quick to point out that cooks should continue to be careful when they handle foods and wash off cutting surfaces after they cut meat or chicken that may be contaminated with bacteria.

“Wood may be preferable in that small lapses in sanitary practices are not as dangerous on wood as on plastic,” he says. “This doesn’t mean you can be sloppy about safety. It means you can use a wood cutting board if that is the kind you prefer. It certainly isn’t less safe than plastic and appears to be more safe.”

Cliver and Ak began by purposely contaminating wood and plastic boards with bacteria and then trying to recover those bacteria alive from the boards. They also tested boards made from several different species of trees and four types of plastic. They incubated contaminated boards overnight at refrigerator and room temperatures and at high and typical humidity
levels. They tested several bacteria – Salmonella, Listeria and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli – known to produce food poisoning.

The results consistently favored the wooden boards, often by a large margin over plastic boards, according to Cliver. The scientists found that three minutes after contaminating a board that 99.9 percent of the bacteria on wooden boards had died, while none of the bacteria died on plastic. Bacterial numbers actually increased on plastic cutting boards held overnight
at room temperature, but the scientists could not recover any bacteria from wooden boards treated the same way.

Huh. Well slap my ass and call me Sally, it looks like plastic is NOT the 'be all / end all' when it comes to sanitary. Who knew?

I guess can stop using my one plastic cutting board that I've always kept specifically for use with poultry, beef and pork. Turns out my meat likes a little wood.

Thanks for the great article, Edson!

Plastic - Friend or Foe?

So obviously last month's challenge got me thinking a lot about plastic. Mostly, I was amazed to discover that this simple polymer that was first discovered less than 100 years ago is now so ensconced in our daily lives.

Plastic is so pervasive it is difficult, if not damn near impossible, to avoid in day-to-day life. It is the packaging around our foods, the gadgets in our kitchen, the fibers in our carpet, the decals on our shirt, the toys our children play with, the skins on our electronics, the dashboards in our cars, the decorations in our homes. It is the bench we sit on, the floor we stand on and the mattress we sleep on.

Not only that, it is in our landfills, strewn by our roadsides, and littering our oceans. It is choking fish, suffocating birds and poisoning children. Why, then, do we keep creating, purchasing and using it?

• It's cheap. Sure it's cheap now, but not for long... plastic is a polymer that is derived from oil. Oil prices, as we all know, are skyrocketing out of control and, IMHO, it won't be long before the price of plastic follows suit.


• It lasts forever. Yes and no. The individual molecules do take a very, very long time to break down, but the toy itself? In my experience the toy (or whatever the object is) generally falls to pieces, breaks or simply gets discarded in a relatively short period of time.


• It's convenient. Well, you got me there. Some of it really is.

So if it's so nasty, why is my post titled "Plastic - friend or foe"?

Plastic is bad, I know, but does it occassionally serve a greater purpose? I'm not talking plastic tubing used in hospitals to save lives -- that's a no-brainer in my book. If I've got a choice between a flexible plastic catheter or a straw fashioned from recycled aluminum, I'll opt for the non-recyclable #5, thankyouverymuch. But here I'm talking about day-to-day plastic that we use like garbage bags, food packaging and, oh, I dunno... maybe ziplocks.

Example: I have begun purchasing as much locally grown produce as possible, in order to reduce the amount of oil used to transport my food. This works out great in the summer, when bounty is at its peak, but what do I do in the winter? The simple answer from a "food miles" perspective -- to preserve as much food as possible, either by canning or freezing. The most efficient way to freeze these items? In a Ziplock bag. They take up minimal space and I can easily remove most of the air from the bag, resulting in less spoilage.

So does that make Ziplocks good or bad? Can you tolerate my use if I label them all and reuse them next year? What about for two years? Five?

And what about those yogurt cups? You know, the non-recyclable (in my area, at least) #5 plastic? Stonyfield yogurt did a whole buttload of research on the issue of using various packaging materials (AKA a Life Cycle Assessment) and found that "...the lightest-weight package, per unit of delivered end product, is generally the lowest-impact product". This would indicate that lightweight plastic actually beats out heavier materials such as glass, when it comes to environmental friendliness.

In fact, the Stonyfield study goes on to say that "The concept of source reduction-reducing the amount of material in a product-has been overshadowed by the tremendous enthusiasm to recycle. Recycling is very important, but it can be more environmentally advantageous to reduce the amount of material generated in the first place. The solid waste hierarchy teaches us to first reduce, then reuse, and finally recycle."

"After examining our options (including glass, poly-coated paper, and plastic), we chose a lightweight plastic. Glass, which is widely recycled and made from recycled material, was rejected as the environmental costs of transporting the heavy material outweigh the benefits. The energy (fossil fuels) used over the entire life of the glass package for its manufacture and transport exceeds the energy that goes into the manufacturing and transporting of a plastic container."

So, personally, I think I'll continue my current love/hate relationship with platics. I'll still avoid as many disposable plastics as humanly possible. I'll definitely shun polystyrene and disposable bags, and I'll opt for more durable toys for my kids, but I don't think I necessarily view all plastic as evil. It does have its advantages. Although, I do think that with the rise in oil prices, it may be a moot point soon.

Who knows. Maybe when oil hits $200 a barrel, McDonalds will start filling their Happy Meals with little wooden puzzles instead of plasticrap. We can only hope.

Extreme Eco Challenge Wrap Up

As you know, I participated in Crunchy Chicken's Extreme Eco Throwdown last month. Out of the seven suggested changes, I, of course, selected the easiest - to give up plastics. And I didn't even do that whole heartedly.

Instead, I took the lazy way out and simply made my daily changes be ones in which I found plastic alternatives to everyday problems. Also, I managed to turn a month-long commitment into a scant 17 modifications. Because I'm mathletic like that.

Anyhow, along the way I actually got a few questions from folks wondering how this or that worked out. Since I'm generally too lazy to answer comments as they come in, I thought I'd give you the low down on all those plastic-free adjustments.

1. Swapping My Neutrogena Toner for Burt's Bees Garden Tomato Toner - Although I did end up with a nice little breakout this month, I must be honest and tell you it had a lot less to do with my toner than it did with the 40 pounds of leftover Easter Candy I found hidden in the back of the pantry. The toner did a fine job of clearing away the excess dirt that soap just doesn't get. All in all, this change is a keeper.

2. Switching from Traditional Toothpaste to Baking Soda - LOVE this change! I improved the toothpaste recipe by adding some water and a generous amount of peppermint extract. I keep it all in an old glass spice jar and it works like a freakin' charm. This is also a keeper.

3. Making My Own Whipped Cream Instead of Buying the Stuff in the Tub - Great stuff! I made it all fancy a couple of weeks ago by adding powdered sugar (instead of granulated) and a couple drops of red food coloring. Made a nice pink dip for my strawberries. The only downside to this change is that I tend to eat a little too much of the stuff and give myself a nice case of the lactose-ly challenged stomach cramps. Keeper, but in moderation.

4. Choosing Pencils Over Pens - I like this change a lot, but I'm thinking I need to invest in one of those "old school" style, crank-handle pencil sharpeners. Because the plastic piece of shit sharpener that the boy has just ain't cutting it - so to speak. Keeper, but with a real sharpener.

5. Switching From a Plastic Disposable Razor to a Safety Razor - This requires a bit more finesse than one would expect. I have the pits down no problem, but find that to get a really close shave on the legs I need to draw a bath and concentrate. It's all in the angle, I think. Hopefully I'll get the hang of it soon and will be able to shave in the shower, but for now I need to take my time, lather up and pay attention. Oh, and maybe keep a Preserve razor in the shower as back up. Just in case. Keeper, but with backup plan.

6. Using Home-Frothed Shaving Cream - OK, so the truth comes out. The only reason I want to draw a bath to shave is so I can use my super-cool shaving cream kit. Hell, it's all the fun of making whipped cream, without the gas. Keeper.

7. Using Biodegradable, Non-Plastic Trash Bags - Oh the Controversy! Holy crap, who knew people felt so passionate about their plastic bags?!?! Anyhow, while I'm still on the fence about using corn as a plastic alternative, I think that bio-bags are a nice reminder that, by thinking outside the box, industry can and will find ways to reduce all of our dependency on oil. However, as we all know, the BEST solution is to cut down on the amount of trash produced - which I have done and continue to do. Verdict? Jury Still Out. Unfortunately, I bought a box of thirty gigabillion, because that got me free shipping. So I guess it's a keeper - until I run out at least. Maybe by then there will be an even better alternative available.

8. Switching from Plastic Sponges to Cellulose - I really like the sponges, I just really hated the price. I will definitely look for a way to either source these locally or buy in bulk. Or better yet, make the ones I currently own last forever. Keeper.

9. Buying Toilet Paper Without Plastic Packaging - Love this change! Something so nice about opening the vanity doors to see rows and rows of neatly stacked, paper wrapped toilet paper. Yeah, I know... cloth wipes. Just not there yet, folks. Keeper.

10. Using Paper Tape for My Packages - A bit of a PITA, but the satisfaction I get from not having to use plastic tape makes it all worth while. Plus? I found out there's a dispenser I can get that will wet the paper as I pull it out. It's a hundred sheckles so I won't be buying it anytime soon... but it's nice to know it's out there. Keeper.

11. Switching to an All-Natural Deodorant Stone - 95 here today. With high humidity. Outside most of the day. Got a little stinky. Reapplied and de-stinkified. And you know what? Even if it turns out I can only use it for nine months out of the year, isn't that still better than using the plastic-encased aluminum slab of death year round? Keeper.

12. Switching from Laundry Powder to Soap Nuts - Sucked. The nuts kept falling out of the little bag and they would stick to the clothes. Not to mention that I didn't really like the idea of shipping in my laundry detergent from Indonesia. BUT, thanks to the comments from my fabulous readers, I found this new detergent called Charlie's Soap and so far it's kicking ass. Just one tablespoon does a whole load. I also used it to clean up some mysterious crayon marks on the carpets and it worked like a charm. No plastic scoop, it's manufactured right in North Carolina and it's eco-friendly. Great job, Charlie. Passing on the nuts but keeping Charlie.

13. Using Only Beeswax or Soy Candles - I got a soy wax candle at the farmer's market and it does just what a candle should. I don't particularly care for the "flavor" I picked. I deviated from my normal buying pattern and opted for "ocean breeze". It's too perfumey for me and doesn't smell like food. Next time I'll get the vanilla. But that's not the candle's fault. Keeper.

14. Replacing Liquid Soap With Bar Soap in the Bathrooms - I'm using up the last of my Dr. Bronner's peppermint scented castille oil but then plan on switching all the soaps over to handsoap. I found out Mary has a bunch of cute designs, including the hands, Celtic knots and mini goat heads. What's not to love about that? Keeper.

15. Getting Ice Cream in a Cone or in My Own Dish - I already f'd up on this one. We went out for ice cream this weekend and I forgot to bring our own dishes. As predicted, the girl got a dish and the boy got a milkshake and I single-handedly ruined the planet by being a crappy environmentalist. I don't deserve any ice cream. Loser.

16. Making My Own Mozzarella - Now that the hot weather has hit us like a ton of bricks, I'm not even thinking about turning the oven on to make pizza, so why would I need mozzarella? I wish I had the patience to make hard cheeses like cheddar or jack, but come on... eight months?!?!? This girl needs instant gratification. The change has inspired me to find a local cheese artisan and buy all my cheese from them. No luck so far, but I'll let you know if/when I find one. Keeper, when I feel doing something fun, but not an everyday kind of change.

17. Buying Cupcakes Sans the Plastic Clamshell - Got the cupcakes and they were not only cute but delicious! I picked them up in a baker's cardboard box and they survived the ride home without any Kitties Hello-ing my car floorboards. Who knew we could live so well without plastic cupcake partitions? Keeper.


There you have it. The nuts and bolts of my eco-throwdown. Not life-altering adjustments but small steps taken toward a "life less plastic". But I think the real lesson was not in the day-to-day but in how we view the ubiquitous plastic in our lives. More on that tomorrow.

#231 - Hey There, Cupcake

Celebrating Daphne's Birthday in Style - Without the Plastic Clamshell

This is the seventeenth change in my month-long pledge to give up plastics for Crunchy's Extreme Eco-Throwdown.

I can't believe my little girl is going to be 3 next week! My goodness, how the time flies! It seems like just yesterday she was waking me up in the middle of the night, screaming and crying.

Oh wait, that was yesterday. DAMN, that girl is a light sleeper! Maybe I'll get her earplugs for her birthday.

Well one thing I know I'm getting here are Hello Kitty Cupcakes. I know she'll like them because she's been telling me she wants them for about two months now. Anytime you ask here "what do you want for your birthday, sweetie?" the answer invariably comes back "Hello Kiddle-ee Gupgake".

The problem being that I SUCK at baking and I SUPER SUCK at decorating cakes. I do not have a creative bone in my body. After thirty six years of trying, I have finally come to the conclusion that, aside from my offspring, I was simply not meant to create anything with aesthetic value. So I need to have someone else make and decorate the cupcakes. Problem being, that if I call Kroger, they will make the cupcakes and then stick them in those nasty plastic clamshells. You know, for "safe keeping". Because nothing says "food safety" better than non-recyclable, BPA-leeching plastic packaging.

So instead I have called upon a woman in my area who makes wonderful hand crafted treats - Laura at It's the Icing on the Cake. And she's happy to let me pick up my cupcakes without a plastic tray. In fact, she has tupperware cupcake carriers that she rents out! Talk about eco-friendly!

So let's here it for plastic-free, professionally-decorated Hello Kiddle-ee Gupgakes! If only the calories could be removed as easily as the packaging...

#230 - Say "Cheese!"

Making My Own Mozzarella

This is the sixteenth change in my month-long pledge to give up plastics for Crunchy's Extreme Eco-Throwdown.

Have you read Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle yet? If you haven't, you should. I read it this past month for Green Bean's Bookworm Challenge and I loved it! It is the story of one family eating locally for a year in southwestern Virginia. And one of the things Barbara did during that year was to learn how to make her own soft cheeses.

So I figured hey, if she can do it, so can I. You know, because I'm exactly like a well-known, published author with a homestead. Minus the "well-known", "published", "author" and "homestead" part. But back to the cheese...

Luckily, Barbara is not stingy with the details. She tells the reader exactly where she learned her craft and from whom - Ricki Carroll of New England Cheesemaking Supply. So I hopped online and ordered Ricki's "30 Minute Mozzarella and Ricotta Kit" for $24.95. I was so excited to get my package and start making my plastic-free mozzarella!

And then I opened the package. And found?

Really?

Do I even have to tell you?

A shitload of plastic. The rennet tablets come in those plastic/foil pouches, the thermometer is housed in a plastic sheath, and the citric acid comes in a plastic pouch, as does the salt. To top it off, the whole kit is then placed inside a ginormous plastic bag before being deposited in the nifty little cardboard carrying box. So much for plastic-free. But, it is a kit that will allow me to make up to 30 pounds of cheese, so hopefully that will be less than what is normally used to shrinkwrap my premade mozzie. And in the future I will be sure to order the ingredients individually so as to at least avoid the ginormous plastic bag.

Rant over, details begin here.

So this Memorial Weekend I gave it a shot. Sure as shit, about 45 minutes later (I'm a slow learner) I had turned a gallon of whole milk into a little over a pound of fresh mozzarella cheese! Basically, all I had to do was heat the milk on the stove, pour in some of the citric acid and rennet, wait for magic to occur (about 8 minutes), scoop out the curds, recite "Little Miss Muffet", squeeze out the whey, nuke the curds and pull them like taffy.

Really, it's easier than it sounds.

So we had homemade pizza that night (using my own dough, of course) and fresh basil from my deck. Can't wait for those tomatoes to ripen and I'll have a 10-foot meal! ;-) Well, kind of.

Anyhow, if you're thinking about trying this, it may not be everyday-easy, but it is a lot of fun. Be sure you have some heat resistant gloves to wear when you're pulling the cheese as it's pretty hot. Although I'd stay away from wool gloves, as they might add some texture you're not used to finding in mozzarella.

Just my $0.02.

#229 - I Scream, You Scream!

We All Scream for Ice Cream!

This is the fifteenth change in my month-long pledge to give up plastics for Crunchy's Extreme Eco-Throwdown.

There's a small, locally-owned ice cream parlor just around the corner from me that makes their own special concoctions. They keep the standard flavors on hand - chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, peanut butter swirl, but they rotate a lot of yummy flavors as well like blueberry cheesecake or cafe mocha. Every flavor, and I mean EVERY FLECKIN' ONE is scrum-diddly-icious.

So of course we take the kids more often than we should to get our delectable frozen dairy fix. Unfortunately, the kidlings are not so gifted with the cone and, more often than not, we end up getting Daphne her treat in bowl with a plastic spoon. And Ethan is just as likely to order a milkshake in one of those Godawful Styrofoam cups as he is to get a scoop. So most trips to the ice cream shop are loaded with disposable plastic.

Not cool for an eco-dorkess.

So from here on out, I'll be using the Boy Scout Motto whenever I head over there. I shall be prepared with my own bowl and spoon for the girl and a large cup for the boy. Me? I'll just make sure my order comes to me in a chocolate-coated, sprinkle waffle cone. You know, to help save the environment.

#228 - Hands Up!

Replacing Liquid Soap With Bar Soap in the Bathrooms

This is the fourteenth change in my month-long pledge to give up plastics for Crunchy's Extreme Eco-Throwdown.

Growing up, we had a little soap tray in our bathroom, right next to the sink, that held a bar of soap. Any time we needed to wash our grubby little digits, we grabbed the bar, lathered up, rinsed off and headed out. Sometimes, the bar would get all slimy on the bottom and someone (Mom?) would clean off the soapdish and life would be good again. It was quaint, it was functional, it was all we ever knew.

Fast forward 'hmm-hmm' years and I have a four year-old visiting my house who is in need of a little hand washing. He exits the bathroom all drippy and perplexed, asking me where the bottle of soap is hidden. Sitting on the counter is a rectangular mass with a slimy bottom.

How could the kid possibly know that the green blob next to the sink is hand soap? After all, it doesn't look like hand-soap. It looks like soap-soap. And, to further his defense, he probably has also only ever known baby wash, so the soap-soap just looks like a mushy brick or something. Hell, maybe he thinks it's decoration.

So I give up and buy a bottle of Dr. Bronner's Liquid Castille soap to put in some ceramic soap dispensers in the bathrooms. Eco-soap -- eco-solution. Yes? Well, I thought it was a great idea until I started this dingity dang "no plastics" challenge.

Fortunately for me, the lovely and talented Mary of Goat Soap Lady Fame comes to the rescue again. I stopped by her booth at the market today and picked up a bar of honest-to-goodness hand soap. How do I know it's hand soap? Just look at it:

Kind of says it all, doesn't it? Soap even a four year old can understand.

#227 - Light A Candle, Curse The Glare

Using Only Beeswax or Soy Candles

Frickin' Blogger just ate my whole damn post and now I have to start all over again. It was good too. Really funny. But now it's late and I'm tired and tipsy so don't blame me if this sucks. Blame Blogger.

OK, rant over. Modified, shortened and unfunny version of post commencing here.


I like scented candles. Most are made from paraffin wax, which is derived from petroleum. Petroleum sucks. So I'm buying soy and/or beeswax candles instead.


Bonus points from buying from a local vendor that I found at the farmer's market.



There.



Bastards.

#226 - Oh Nuts

Taking Soap Nuts for a Spin

This is the twelfth change in my month-long pledge to give up plastics for Crunchy's Extreme Eco-Throwdown.

Well Criminy, between these soap nuts and my dryer balls, laundry time at Casa Burban is starting to sound a lot like gay porn. It's not though. I know because there's no cheesy "baw-chicka-baw-baw" music in the background.

So you know that I switched to Seventh Generation Powder Detergent back in.... oh wait. I never posted about it! Egads! You know, sometimes I'm just making so many changes, I forget to tell you about some of them. Oh well, too late now. I've been using the powdered detergent for months now and it works great. The only downside (other than the price tag) is that it comes with a plastic scoop in every package. Like we couldn't just use our own measuring cups? COME ON!

So since this month's challenge is all about avoiding plastic, I ordered up some soapnuts from Amazon. Just five of them - enough to see if they worked. Of course, silly me, they came packaged in plastic. Sometimes you just can't win.

But here's a review for those inquiring minds: They work.

Yup. Sure as soapnut shit, they cleaned the clothes. I have a high efficiency front-loader and had no problem with over sudsing.

Now for the rest of the inquiring minds who wonder what the hell soap nuts are:

Soapnuts are the dried fruit of the Soapberry tree. They contain saponin, a natural cleaner used for thousands of years to clean clothes. Soap nuts, especially Sapindus mukorossi, have become popular as an environmentally friendly alternative to manufactured, chemical detergents . A few nuts can be placed in a cotton drawstring bag in with a washload and reused several times. Soap nuts are safe for washing silk, woolens and other delicate fabrics.

So, yes, they do work. BUT. (I've always got a big BUT, don't I? Wait. Don't answer that.) I'm just not sure that importing a bunch of nuts from Indonesia is any better for the environment than using plant-based detergent made in Canada that comes with a recyclable plastic scoop. My gut tells me that, at best, it's a wash. hehehehe.

So, to avoid making another decision that doesn't feel quite right, I'm going to zig instead of zag. I think I'll give up my 7G Laundry Detergent AND the soapnuts. Instead, I'll try making my own laundry detergent using a combination of washing soap, borax and goatsmilk soap - all natural and all plastic free.

I guess that'll make me a soapnut then, eh?

#225 - Raise Your Hand If You're Sure

Switching to an All-Natural Deodorant Stone

This is the eleventh change in my month-long pledge to give up plastics for Crunchy's Extreme Eco-Throwdown.

Yeah. Does the idea of a "natural deodorant crystal" just make you think of miracle supplements to enhance breast size and other quack remedies? Me too. In fact, I was so sure I was throwing money down the drain when I ordered my Thai Deodorant Stone that I also purchased a new Degree antiperspirant / deodorant stick the same week. Call it a leap of non-faith, if you will, but I wasn't ready to risk stinking all week long.

The stone arrived last Wednesday and I was all excited to try it out. So, of course, bright and early Thursday morning I forgot I had it and used my regular stick instead. Ooops. Well, I remembered to put it on Friday morning and gave it a full workout. We were heading out camping for the weekend and since hubby was working all day, that meant I had to pack everything up and load it all in the minivan, all while keeping the children amused and cleaning the house. Does anyone else out there HATE to come home from vacation to a messy house?

Anywhich, I packed the stone to bring with me on our trip too. Talk about putting it to the test! We hung out at the beach and went for long nature walks. We sat by the campfire at night and chased the kids around on their bikes during the day. By all accounts I should smell like a dirty jock strap. But I don't. In fact, I don't smell like anything. No body odor, no flowery deodorant smell, no nothing. It's like smelling my elbow. Just nothingness. I am amazed.

I have either spontaneously morphed into a non-sweat producing hominid, have developed an acute case of anosmia, or, and this would be the option that is most surprising to me - this shit actually works.

For those of you who aren't familiar with these magical stones or why we should consider using them, let me give you the low down on traditional deodorants and antiperspirants. This information is from a recent article on Green is Universal:

Thirty years ago researchers first detected significantly elevated aluminum levels in the brain of Alzheimer's patients, and subsequently proposed a link between the heavy metal and the disease. Though scientists still debate the connection, certainly aluminum is a toxic heavy metal that has no useful biological function, and which we don't want building up in our bodies, ever.

Manufacturers long discounted any such effect from aluminum salts in deodorants, which they claimed would not be absorbed through the skin. This assumption has proven wrong, and over time users of commercial deodorant do accumulate the stuff, sometimes in significant levels. A recent medical report described a woman who ended up with severe aluminum toxicity directly as a result of her deodorant use.

Most commercial deodorants also contain parabens, which act as preservatives and stabilizers, but which like aluminum can be absorbed with systemic effects. Parabens mimic estrogen, and though the amounts we absorb on a daily basis might be small, over time, the accumulation can be significant. A report from England in 2004 documented a relationship between parabens and breast cancer.

The deodorant stones, however, are made from potassium alum, which occurs naturally in such minerals as Alunite (alum stone), Bauxite and Kalinite. The alum that is used in the deodorant stone is in the salt form, not the metallic form, which is used in commercial deodorants. The alum is also too large (molecularly speaking) to be absorbed by the skin. Also, the stones contain no other ingredients, such as parabens, fragrances and what have you.

To use the stone, I simply wet it a bit and rub it on my underarms. It feels like a roll on and dries pretty quickly. The stone itself is oval shaped and fits in the palm of my hand. Supposedly, it will last me about a year, as opposed to my Degree deodorant, which lasts about three months.

Now the stone was NOT totally plastic free. As you can see from the picture, it came wrapped in a little plastic wrapper and included a small plastic tray. However, if you compare that small amount of plastic with four plastic deodorant holders, it's obvious that this change would dramatically reduce the waste associated with destinkifying my pits. I smell a miracle, folks!

#224 - Feeling Krafty

Using Paper Tape for My Packages

This is the tenth change in my month-long pledge to give up plastics for Crunchy's Extreme Eco-Throwdown.

Warning: Shameless Commerce Plug

If you're new to my li'l ol' blog, you might not know that I sew for a [meager] living. My extremely talented (but much OLDER) sister is the Very Merry Seamstress and I sew most of her peasant and merchant garb.

On a side note, all the cool people order from her. You want to be cool, don't you? Well what are you waiting for then?

Anysides, I sew various gowns for people and then mail them out via US Post. I use the Post because I feel it's the most environmentally friendly choice. Afterall, I know that the mailman is already coming to your house so no special trip is required. Of course, it helps that it's also the least expensive method of shipping and that they give you free boxes to ship your stuff in. What they don't give you is packing tape.

I have always used the standard plastic shipping tape that you can find in any office supply, drug or even grocery store. But recently I made a switch to kraft paper tape. You know the kind I mean. It's brown and it looks like it's got thread crosshatched throughout. Well that is a non-plastic alternative to the regular see-through stuff. What you might not know is that it doesn't arrive all sticky. You have to wet it to make it work. It's kind of like hanging wall paper, except the wall has a corner every eight inches. So yea, it's lots of fun.

But it works. In fact, that shit sticks like a mo' fo'. Jesse Ventura himself couldn't get that tape off. I don't think Ace Ventura could either. And honestly, it doesn't take but a minute longer to use than the plastic stuff. A little swipe with a washcloth, slap it on, and I'm good to go. So a little convenience is traded for a little piece of mind. Totally worth it, in my opinion.

Unfortunately, the local Office Max doesn't stock the stuff. But, the Staples store has it online and I'm hoping that when I venture over to the other side of town I'll find that they stock it in store as well. I'm over that way at least once a month, so it shouldn't be difficult to remain well stocked. And maybe I'll even hang some on the wall. It might make a nice, understated wall border.

#223 - Pl-ass-tic Free

Buying Toilet Paper Without Plastic Packaging

This is the ninth change in my month-long pledge to give up plastics for Crunchy's Extreme Eco-Throwdown. And I got the idea from Fake Plastic Fish. Actually, I got most of my plastic-free ideas from her. :-) Thanks, Beth!

I switched to Seventh Generation's toilet paper last August because their tp made from 100% recycled paper, with 80% of it being post-consumer waste. Great stuff. Actually, rough stuff, but it gets the job done. My only beef with the paper was that it came wrapped in plastic packaging. Well no longer.

Taking Beth's advice, I hopped online to Amazon.com and got me a by-the-case toilet paper subscription. Cuz hey, I may have given up the Sunday Times, but I sure as hell ain't canceling my subscription to a wiped ass. Anyhow, the cases come packaged with 48 rolls, each roll individually wrapped in paper. No plastic to be found! Plus, with so many of them, they make great building blocks for the kids :-)

#222 - Sponge-Worthy

Switching from Plastic Sponges to Cellulose

This is the eighth change in my month-long pledge to give up plastics for Crunchy's Extreme Eco-Throwdown.

I used to buy a three-pack of Scotch-Brites every month or so, before I "turned green". I haven't bought a new plastic sponge now in almost a year. The ones I have are ragged and worn and are, most likely, thoroughly laden with a thousand garden variety household bacterium. But they still work, so I'm keeping them - holes, inhabitants and all.

However, since I am working to find non-plastic alternatives this month, I got me some stylin' cellulose scrubbers to supplement my septic sponges.

I ordered a two-pack of the Twist Loofah Sponge from BuyGreen.com for $4.49 plus $8.00 shipping, because, of course, I can't find a natural cellulose sponge with a scrubber side anywhere in Richmond. I have two kids, a dog, a husband, and poor cooking skills. Trust me - I NEED a scrubber side.

Anyhow, I've been using the new sponges and they seem to work just fine. The sponge, as I mentioned is cellulose (which means it's made from trees) and the scrubber side is a loofah (made from a tropical dried fruit). The loofah part doesn't seem to hold up quite as well as its petro-counterpart, but then again, that's the idea, isn't it? That we're trying to move away from the infinite life span of plastics to a more natural, biodegradable product?

That being said, I hope these suckers last a long time. At over six bucks a pop, that's a lot of jingle and unless I can find these locally, I don't think I'll be buying them again. I do have my cheap-ass backup system on hand, though: Standard Cellulose Sponge + Elbow Grease + Fingernail Scraping + Occasional Stainless Steel Pot Scrubber = less than $3.00 at Kroger.

#221 - It's In The Bag

Using Biodegradable, Non-Plastic Trash Bags

This is the seventh change in my month-long pledge to give up plastics for Crunchy's Extreme Eco-Throwdown.

Let me tell you right off the bat, that I'm not 100% convinced that this alternative to plastic trash bags is the best solution to the problem of waste disposal. I have mixed feelings about any technology that uses corn (ie: ethanol fuel, bio-bags, etc.) for anything other than food. Especially when you consider the current world food market and the sharp increase seen in basic grains, just over the past year. However, the bio-bags are an alternative to petroleum-based garbage bags and, since plastic avoidance is the name of the game this month, I'm giving them a go.

For those of you who don't know, BioBags are 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable waste bags made from the material, Mater-Bi. Here's the LD from their website:

• BioBag products are certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute to meet the ASTM D6400 specification.


• BioBag products meet the new California law, SB 1749, for biodegradable and compostable product claims.


• BioBags are certified GMO Free. Furthermore, we only source corn from countries that do not allow GMO testing.


• No polyethylene is used in the production of BioBags.


• BioBags are DEN certified for restricted use of metals in our soy-based inks and dyes.
  BioBags are shelf stable, just like paper plates or paper towels. There are no chemical additives to enhance decomposition. The bags biodegrade naturally when expose to the earth’s elements and micro-organisms in the soil.


• BioBags “breathe”, which allows heat and moisture to escape or evaporate. This feature reduces bacterial build-up of collected waste, thus reducing odor.


• BioBags will decompose in a controlled composting environment in 10-45 days, leaving no harmful residues behind.


• BioBags will decompose in a natural setting at an extended rate comparable to other naturally biodegradable materials, such as paper, leaves and food waste.

Now, just so we're clear here, I'm not using these bags for my compost waste. All of my compost is collected in a tight-sealing tupperware-style container under my sink and is then dumped directly into the ol' Garden Gourmet. I'm instead using these bags for my regular trash that goes to the dump. "Why bother?", you ask. Great question, considering the bag will most likely never see the light of day or even enough air and dirt to cause decomposition anyhow.

I guess the reason I'm switching has less to do with the end of the process as the beginning. Meaning, if I have to toss something into a landfill, never to be seen again, I'd rather it come from a renewable resource like corn, rather than a non-renewable resource like oil.

So far, the bags are working quite well. My trash is relatively "clean" though, because I'm so anal about my recycling and composting. I don't know if they would hold up as well under the stress of soggy vegetables and wet cans and bottles. But, I'm guessing if you're thinking about compostable trash bags, odds are that you too are recycling and composting. If you're not - give them a try! Hell, if I can do it, ANYONE can!

So what are your thoughts on the biodegradable bags? Is there a better alternative available?

#220 - A Mug of Sudser, a Leather Strop

An Apron, a Towel, a Pail and a Mop

This is the sixth change in my month-long pledge to give up plastics for Crunchy's Extreme Eco-Throwdown.

So the first thing I learned about shaving with a safety razor is that you wants lots of thick, foamy lather to help the razor glide across your skin. Unfortunately, my "no plastics pledge" precludes me from picking up a can of Skintimate Shaving Gel at Walgreens, because, although the can is made of recyclable steel, the packaging includes a big plastic cap and spout.

So enter once again - Mary, the Goatsoap Lady. Last week at the farmer's market, Mary hooked me up with a shaving kit - complete with ceramic mug, goats-milk shaving soap and shaving brush. Unfortunately, it also included a disposable razor that I didn't see until I got home. Ooopsie. I considered taking it back to Mary with a stern lecture about the evils of plastic, but thought better of it. One should never piss off a goat-milkin', soap-makin' woman, you know. It creates bad karma and you're likely to find more than goats milk in your next bar of soap. Instead, I'm going to keep the razor in my "I forgot it" box of toiletries that I keep on hand for friends and family who come to visit.

But I digress. Again.

My new plastic-free solution to creating a thick, creamy lather works quite well. I place the soap circle in the bottom of the mug, add some hot water and stir. I feel like Sweeney Todd, minus the whole vengeful, homicidal-maniac thing. In fact, I find myself singing "Swing your razor high, Sweeney...." every time I shave. And yes, it does creep out my husband.

#219 - Safety First

Switching From a Plastic Disposable Razor to a Safety Razor

This is the fifth change in my month-long pledge to give up plastics for Crunchy's Extreme Eco-Throwdown.

The timing on this change just happened to be perfect. For several years I have been using a Venus plastic razor with disposable blade heads. These heads are made of plastic and come individually sheathed in mini plastic cups. The whole package of six blade heads is, of course, then wrapped in more plastic. None of which is recyclable in my area.

Last week, I finally used my last plastic blade. Like I said, the timing was perfect.

So instead of purchasing more plastic replacement heads, I hopped on eBay and purchased a "vintage" (translation: "used"-but-can-charge-double-because-"vintage"-sounds-cool) woman's Gillette Safety Razor. It's a butterfly twist-to-open model that takes a single, stainless steel blade. So far, my source for the blades has been a bit disappointing -- they are sold in a plastic container at Walgreens-- but if I continue my search I'm hoping I can find them in a cardboard box (translation: little help here!).

Surprisingly, I have not cut the crap out of my legs with the new razor. But I also am not getting as close a shave as I'm used to. From what I've read, though, using a safety razor does require a certain technique that takes time to hone.

Yeah, sometimes I just write these posts to amuse myself.

#218 - I'll Pencil You In

Choosing Pencils Over Pens

This is the fourth change in my month-long pledge to give up plastics for Crunchy's Extreme Eco-Throwdown.

Why is it that once you pass the age of twelve, using a pencil feels so juvenile? Who determined that pens were for grown ups and pencils for kids? Is it because we want to see ourselves as so infallible that we no longer have need for an eraser?

In truth, the only occasions that require a pen are those that legally bind us to an agreement. Whether it's something complex as signing a mortgage or as mundane as putting your John Hancock on a check, legal agreements are really the only items that require ink. Everything else, however, can be done in pencil. The grocery lists, the to-do lists, random doodles and blog ideas - all these and more can be done with a old fashioned pencil.

Why does it even matter? Because the majority of pens found in our homes and offices are disposable pieces of crap. The body of the pen is generally made from plastic and the ink is a combination of solvents, pigments, dyes, resins, lubricants, solubilizers, surfactants, particulate matter, fluorescers, and other materials. I wonder what the river that runs by that factory looks like.

A pencil, on the other hand, is made from a mixture of graphite and clay encased in a wooden sheath, with perhaps a rubber eraser attached to one end. Couldn't be simpler or more natural. Unless I was writing on a cave wall with like, a charred stick or piece of dried animal dung or something.

And unlike a disposable pen, when a pencil is used up, it's used up. There's nothing left save some wood shavings, a nub of eraser and a metal ring. A pen, on the other hand, still retains all its plasticky likeness - an empty shaft to be tossed in the landfill where it may or may not degrade in a thousand years or so. And since Bic alone has sold over one hundred billion disposable ballpoint pens since the 1950's, you can imagine the tons and tons of waste these hollow cylinders create.

So I'm giving up plastic pens in favor of pencils. I don't see myself signing a new mortgage anytime soon and maybe by then I'll have found a nice aluminum or stainless steel refillable fountain pen. In the meantime, though, you'll find me with an old #2 in my hand (and by that I mean the pencil, not the poo).

#217 - Whip It Good

Making My Own Whipped Cream Instead of Buying the Stuff in the Tub

This is the third change in my month-long pledge to give up plastics for Crunchy's Extreme Eco-Throwdown.

Strawberry season is upon us here in sunny Virginia and the kids, hubby and I picked twenty pounds of the beautiful red jewels yesterday at a farm around the corner. My god, they are sweet and juicy, bursting with flavor and they smell of early summer.

And like all good fruits, they need whipped cream.

I know the spray whipped cream is lots of fun to use, but with two little kids in the house, it's a little too fun, if you know what I mean. So that means I'm left with "Cool Whip" which is not even a distant cousin to the dairy family. In fact, the ingredient list reads like a chem lab experiment: water, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated coconut and palm kernel oil (CPKO), sodium caseinate, vanilla extract, xanthan and guar gums, polysorbate 60 (glycosperse), and beta carotene. Not exactly "down on the farm goodness". And if I want to avoid the non recyclable #5 tub (check your own municipality to see if it's recyclable in your area), I've got no other option but to make it myself.

Which is actually really easy. The ingredient list reads like this: Heavy Whipping Cream and Sugar. I put my metal mixing bowl in the fridge and let it get all cold. Then I put it on my mixer (you could do this by hand, if you're a masochist) and whip it good. I pour in some sugar as I go.

It's pretty hard to fuck this up. Unless you whip it for too long, in which case I believe you'd get butter. Very sweet butter. Which I would probably still eat because, well, I just would.

It takes less than five minutes to make the real deal at home and oh, it is so yummy! Store it in the fridge, it will last for days, if you have that kind of willpower. And if she starts to lose some of her "oomph" (technical term) just whip her a little more. It's ok. She likes it.

#216 - A Salty Bitch Am I

Switching from Traditional Toothpaste to Baking Soda

This is the second change in my month-long pledge to give up plastics for Crunchy's Extreme Eco-Throwdown, and I must say, it was easier than I thought. I dumped a couple tablespoons of baking soda in an empty glass spice container. I shook some of it out onto my recycled toothbrush and proceeded with the ol' Burbanmom tooth-brushin' routine.

It did a great job getting my teeth clean, but I must confess, my mouth still tasted a little funky. I'm not talking about the extreme saltiness of the baking soda (which I actually like) I mean that I can still taste what I had for dinner. So I'm thinking I would need to supplement this new toothpaste with mouthwash, which comes in a plastic bottle, thereby defeating the whole idea of going tubeless.

OR...

Now, align yourself here....

The purpose of this challenge, for me at least, is to find creative ways to avoid plastic. I'm looking for something minty, perhaps even slightly medicinal, to remove the stale taste from my mouth. And it must come packaged in a glass bottle. Hmmmmm.....

Is anyone else here thinking "Peppermint Shnapps"?

No? What's that? "Peppermint extract" you say? Well, that doesn't sound nearly as much fun for Burbanmom, but I guess I'll give it a go.

And in honor of my new plastic-free oral cleansing routine, I present to you -

The Burbanita:

Serves 4 1

12 oz. Vodka
6 oz. Rumpleminze Shnapps
2 oz. Jagermeister

2 oz. Blue Curacao Liquer
3/4 tsp. sugar
2 -2 1/2 cups of ice

Add ice to the blender first and then the above ingredients. You might have to adjust the amount of ice you use depending how thick you like your burbanitas. Play with this until you get the consistency that you like, or until you get bored and/or sober. Be sure to rub the rim of a margarita glass with your tongue and dip in salt. Pour burbanitas into the margarita glass and garnish with mini candy-canes. Or, if no one else it there, just stick a straw in the blender and have at it.

Invite some with friends tonight. Hell, have some tomorrow night too, it's the weekend! In fact, Cinco de Mayo is Monday, why not make it a long weekend and just get plastered? Your mouth will feel minty fresh every time you puke! :-)

#215 - Making A-Toner-ment

Swapping My Neutrogena Toner for Burt's Bees Garden Tomato Toner

Today starts Day One of my participation on Crunchy's Extreme Eco-Throwdown. I have pledged to give up plastics for the month of May and, in typical 'Burban style, I'm gonna pussyfoot my way through it, one change at a time.

Today's change has me dropping my old faithful, but plastic-packaged toner with an all natural toner that comes in a glass bottle with just a small plastic top. The added bonus is that its ingredients consist of words I can actually pronounce.

Here's the down side. I have a nice diagnosed case of postule rosacea. Which means any changes in my diet, the weather, or my face care regimen will turn my face into zit city. And I'm not talking little whiteheads that you can pop with your fingernail, I'm talking big-ass, subterranean pimples that hurt when the wind blows on them. It takes about two weeks from the date of the "incident", so I'm expecting to look like a real purdy chick by mid-month.

But I'm hoping that once my skin adjusts I'll be able to keep my new toner and will have permanently eliminated yet another plastic bottle from our home.