My inspiration to write is fairly low right now so just a quick update on things and a few highlights...
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This kills me:
it turns out, the greenest thing about paper bags is the way people perceive them. Because they seem more natural, people think they're better for the environment. Well, it's a damn shame, but they're wrong.
Whole Foods' moving over to 100% recycled paper is actually going to be worse for the environment.
Creating recycled paper, it turns out, is a much more energy-intensive process than creating plastic bags. That's why grocery stores prefer you take the plastic. Plastic is also much easier to ship, as it takes up way less space in packing, and they weigh far less per item of shopping you take home with you. And while we might worry that all that plastic is coming from foreign oil, the amazing thing is that even with all the billions of plastic bags we use every year, they constitute about 0.03% of our oil use in the U.S.. Obviously not the most pressing problem we've got.
Frustrating because of the perception dissonance but a good thing to know regardless.
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Speaking of getting things in perspective, watch this space:
www.eyesofatexan.com
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Speaking of Josh projects, check out my updated lens:
www.squidoo.com/joshisjosh
And my website under construction:
joshcanhelp.com
Big things! and also reasons why I have been able to blog as much.
Also check out the Young Forest Martial Arts Academy website... my first web site!
www.yfmaa.com
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Back to the grin, more soon for sure!
2 comments:
on inhabitat (i feel like a broken record), 1/16, there was an article about the plastic bag ban in israel. in the comments, someone mentioned that a local supermarket chain in italy has bags that "are fully bio-degradable in less than 2 years time, and they have indeed an expiring date on the bag: I can confirm that just after 1 year they become so thin they’re unusable." interesting! obviously reusable shopping bags (given as x-mas gifts!! :)) are the best option, but it's a necessary step in the right direction.
i believe i saw a comment from you there as well, saying how great it would be for a large u.s. city like san diego to hop on the banwagon (wow, so it's come to bad puns, huh). did you know san francisco has (partially) banned plastic bags? it'd be interesting to find out how that was set into motion.
according to an inhabitat 12/17 article, plastic bags are a shockingly devistating problem in africa, in ways i had never specifically considered. it's an intersting point comparing the environmental impacts of manufacturing and distributing the two types of grocery bags. but don't you think that since people and businesses worldwide aren't all going to change overnight that it would be worth the extra energy to produce biodegradable bags that won't litter the landscape, block sewage systems, kill livestock and wild animals, and provide breeding grounds for malaria-infected mosquitos? what are your thoughts?
the article also reminded me of an inhabitat (jeez, i'm an inhabijunkie) article about biodegradable disposable "plastic" silverware. along with those starch-based packing peanuts, what else could these materials replace?
kat
also, it bears mentioning that your new photo is a serious upgrade. you look so friendly, not brooding over your computer at three in the morining, which was a little bit the vibe of the previous one. i'd hire that guy to work on MY personal computer.
congrats on the entrepreneurial undertaking! ..i feel like i put too many letters in that word. good gravy, though, how much more can you fit onto your plate?? school, work, book, looking at houses, new business, the rest of life in general, etc. you, my friend, are a glutton for punishment.
kat
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