Beth Terry's Blog, page 18
July 6, 2012
Midway Journey: A Personal Plea for Your Help
Five years ago, a photo changed my life. I was just a regular American, choosing double plastic bags at the grocery store, drinking bottled water, living on microwaveable meals and energy bars wrapped in plastic, and buying whatever I wanted whenever I wanted without ever considering how things were made or where they were going to end up. I gave money to Greenpeace, watched environmental documentaries, and had even worked briefly for Clean Water Action right after college, but my environment...
July 3, 2012
Feelgoodz natural rubber and hemp flip flops
Confession: Up until a week ago, I still sometimes wore plastic flip flops. Granted, they were flip flops I purchased back in 2005. And I wore them until they had holes in the heels.
But still, why would I continue to wear plastic ones after discovering the natural rubber flip flops from Feelgoodz two years ago? It had to do with the straps.
The natural rubber straps were fine for short walks, but if I wore the flip flops for an extended length of time, the straps would irritate the top of my f...
Give-away: Feelgoodz natural rubber and hemp flip flops
Confession: Up until a week ago, I still sometimes wore plastic flip flops. Granted, they were flip flops I purchased back in 2005. And I wore them until they had holes in the heels.
But still, why would I continue to wear plastic ones after discovering the natural rubber flip flops from Feelgoodz two years ago? It had to do with the straps.
The natural rubber straps were fine for short walks, but if I wore the flip flops for an extended length of time, the straps would irritate the top of my f...
June 28, 2012
When a Plastic-Free Book is Covered in Plastic
When you write a book called Plastic-Free, and your publisher strives to create the book without any plastic materials, you might expect the book will be offered to the public without plastic. But expect the unexpected. Logic does not always prevail. I’ve received a couple of reports of my book being covered in plastic: one situation is truly unfortunate. The other situation is more understandable. Here’s what happened.
Plastic-Free shrink wrapped!
One of my Australian readers emailed me to say...
June 26, 2012
Herban Crafts: Make Your Own Bath Salts and Empower Homeless Women
I suppose I should be careful when using the term bath salts these days. I could have said lip balm or sugar scrub or herbal soap, which are all products you can learn to make yourself and at the same time help homeless women learn job skills. My friend Karen Lee–captain of the Eco-Etsy team and the author of the blog EcoKaren–and her business partnerMary Kearns of Herban Lifestylehave created a brand new for-profit social enterprise called Herban Crafts, which offers DIY personal care craft...
June 19, 2012
Will a NYC Ban on Large Sugary Sodas Decrease Obesity or Increase Plastic Waste?
When I first heard about New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal to ban the sales of sugary drinks over 16oz from restaurants, delis, movie theaters, street carts and sports venues, I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. The issue was interesting, but I don’t drink sugary soda and I don’t live in New York, so I kind of didn’t pay attention, until one of my blogger friends brought up the issue in a green chat group.
Are Sugary Beverages the Same as Plastic Bags?
Blogger Karen Lee wondered...
June 16, 2012
Plastic-Free Book Officially Launched. Help Spread the Word!
Yesterday was the official worldwide launch date of Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too. Lloyd Alter from Treehugger posted a beautiful review. So many of you have ordered signed copies from me to benefit the Plastic Pollution Coalition, that I keep selling out and having to order more!
That’s fantastic. But there are many more people who don’t get their information from blogs or the Internet and who don’t know there are steps they can take to get plastic out of t...
Plastic-Free Book Officially Launched. Help Spread the Word and Win a Copy!
Yesterday was the official worldwide launch date of Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too. Lloyd Alter from Treehugger posted a beautiful review. So many of you have ordered signed copies from me to benefit the Plastic Pollution Coalition, that I keep selling out and having to order more!
That’s fantastic. But there are many more people who don’t get their information from blogs or the Internet and who don’t know there are steps they can take to get plastic out of t...
June 12, 2012
Thoughts About Recycling Styrofoam After Japanese Dock Washes Up On Oregon Coast
You’ve probably already heard about the Japanese tsunami debrismaking its way across the ocean and the 66-foot long dock that washed ashore on the Oregon coast last week. (According to NOAA, the debris is unlikely to be radioactive, by the way.)
The dock is a story in and of itself, but what made me realize it was also a story about plastic was the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department’s June 8 press releaserequesting bids for removal of the dock:
Salem, OR — The Oregon Parks and Recreation De...
June 7, 2012
Growing food and herbs to avoid plastic
Adding to the continuing series of posts on gardening without plastic, here is another guest post fromRo Kumar, who gave a few tips for avoiding plastic in the garden back in April.
It’s been said by environmental leaders like Michael Pollan that one of the best and easiest things we can do to reduce carbon emissions is to start a garden. Starting a garden can also help to dramatically reduce our use of plastics and improve our health. Here are two great benefits of growing your own food and h...
