50 Acts of Green: Day Twenty Five - Styrofoam
Day Twenty Five! Halfway through my 50 Acts of Green Challenge!
Of course, there is always more that can be done to help the Earth.
50 Acts of Green is only a starting point.
The kitchen can be a magical place. Just watch any Disney movie in which there is a kitchen. Magical things always happen in the kitchen. I'm thinking of Fantasia's Sorcerer's Apprentice, the Fairy Godmother's kitchen, Cinderella's kitchen. Merlin's kitchen in the Sorcerer's Stone. A lot of magic happens in kitchens. But not everything that happens in a kitchen directly deals with food. Garbage bags, containers, utensils, appliances, cleaning supplies, and a whole host of things happen in the kitchen, which can also be made more environmentally friendly.
Today is going to start a series of other kitchen items beyond food which can be changed to be more environmentally friendly. The kitchen is one of the few places in the home left that can contain a lot of Styrofoam. Most Styrofoam enters a residential environment either as packaging material in delivered items (which a consumer only has limited control over) or as containers for food items. Styrofoam cups, plates, microwavable dishes, egg cartons are all ways in which Styrofoam is used and marketed.
Unfortunately Styrofoam never dies. It is a chemical plastic known as polystyrene and it has a stable lifetime of millions of years. Which means it doesn't break down, it is not easily destroyed by other means either. Burning or melting can give off toxic chemicals. Cutting up Styrofoam to use in other ways can also release chemicals. Styrofoam which ends up in landfills can break down into tiny pieces and enter the water system and harm plants and animals. Styrofoam may be a miracle material, light and durable and very mold-able, however, it is also miraculously bad for the environment.
What can we do to cut down on the production of Styrofoam? Use the consumer power of purchase. Don't purchase items which come in Styrofoam. Buy eggs which come in other containers (preferably the recycled paper variety), don't buy noodle cups which come in Styrofoam. Ask companies how they package their products for delivery and if they answer with any kind of Styrofoam, take your business elsewhere! Don't buy Styrofoam coffee cups or plates. There are lots of good environmentally friendly alternatives out there. Stick to your values!
One small act of green, reducing the use of plastic, saving our oceans!
Of course, there is always more that can be done to help the Earth.
50 Acts of Green is only a starting point.
The kitchen can be a magical place. Just watch any Disney movie in which there is a kitchen. Magical things always happen in the kitchen. I'm thinking of Fantasia's Sorcerer's Apprentice, the Fairy Godmother's kitchen, Cinderella's kitchen. Merlin's kitchen in the Sorcerer's Stone. A lot of magic happens in kitchens. But not everything that happens in a kitchen directly deals with food. Garbage bags, containers, utensils, appliances, cleaning supplies, and a whole host of things happen in the kitchen, which can also be made more environmentally friendly.
Today is going to start a series of other kitchen items beyond food which can be changed to be more environmentally friendly. The kitchen is one of the few places in the home left that can contain a lot of Styrofoam. Most Styrofoam enters a residential environment either as packaging material in delivered items (which a consumer only has limited control over) or as containers for food items. Styrofoam cups, plates, microwavable dishes, egg cartons are all ways in which Styrofoam is used and marketed.
Unfortunately Styrofoam never dies. It is a chemical plastic known as polystyrene and it has a stable lifetime of millions of years. Which means it doesn't break down, it is not easily destroyed by other means either. Burning or melting can give off toxic chemicals. Cutting up Styrofoam to use in other ways can also release chemicals. Styrofoam which ends up in landfills can break down into tiny pieces and enter the water system and harm plants and animals. Styrofoam may be a miracle material, light and durable and very mold-able, however, it is also miraculously bad for the environment.
What can we do to cut down on the production of Styrofoam? Use the consumer power of purchase. Don't purchase items which come in Styrofoam. Buy eggs which come in other containers (preferably the recycled paper variety), don't buy noodle cups which come in Styrofoam. Ask companies how they package their products for delivery and if they answer with any kind of Styrofoam, take your business elsewhere! Don't buy Styrofoam coffee cups or plates. There are lots of good environmentally friendly alternatives out there. Stick to your values!
One small act of green, reducing the use of plastic, saving our oceans!
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