Beth Terry's Blog, page 7

Hoarding for the Environment? Zero Waste Experts Bea Johnson and Deb Baida Respond.

Do you have a hard time letting go of things because they might be useful one day? Are you reluctant to give away your old plastic kitchenware for fear that someone else will be harmed by it? Or that they won’t dispose of it properly when they’re done with it? Do you resist tossing things into the recycle bin because you know the truth about what happens to most of our plastic recycling, and it’s not pretty? Do you feel compelled to bring homeitemsleft on the streeteven if you have no imme...

Is There Hope For Cleaning Up The Pacific Garbage Patch?

This post might be controversial, but sometimes you have to admit when you might have been a little bit… wrong? Anyway, five years ago, I wrote a pretty depressing blog post about why we cannotsolve the problem of ocean plastic pollution by focusing on cleanup schemes.

2010- 2013: My Doubts

My point was that as long as we continue to consume vast amounts of disposable plastic, any effort at cleanup would be, to quote Captain Charles Moore, “like baling water from a bathtub with the spigot...

Hunting for the perfect bottle drying rack

It’s not easy to do the dishes when there are a bunch of reusable bottles in the way. And early in the morning, when I’m more than a little stressed out trying to get out the door on time, confronting this situationwas making me nuts.

I know, I know. How hard is it to just move those bottles? Terrible problem to have, compared to all the other problems in the world, right? Still, sometimes fixing small, irritating problems–especially those that slow me down in the morning–helps me be more...

Arrifana Resturant in Portugal is saving 5000-6000 single use plastic cups a year!

Photo Restaurante Praia Arrifana ©

Michelle Cassar is a long-time reader of this blog and committed anti-plastic activist, although I’m not sure she would actually call herself an activist. She’s also a surfer, photographer, and world traveller who has been living in Portugal for quite a while. Back in 2011, she sent me a list of the over 10,000 plastic items she had refused since beginning her plastic-free life. And now, she’s helping others to refuse plastic by working with a local resta...

Kamik Recycled and Recyclable Rain Boots

So, I have kind of a confession. I waited until we had the biggest rainstorm in years to even think about buying rain boots. I waited until my work shoes and socks were soaked through, and I was sloshing around the officeall day, to ask myself, “I wonder if I can buy Kamik recycled rain boots here in the Bay Area.” I’d already researched the boots for inclusion in my book. I just hadn’t bothered to actually try them out. Until now.

So, last Thursday evening, I found myself in Nordstrom at...

Kamik Recycled and Recyclable Rain Boots

So, I have kind of a confession. I waited until we had the biggest rainstorm in years to even think about buying rain boots. I waited until my work shoes and socks were soaked through, and I was sloshing around the officeall day, to ask myself, “I wonder if I can buy Kamik recycled rain boots here in the Bay Area.” I’d already researched the boots for inclusion in my book. I just hadn’t bothered to actually try them out. Until now.

So, last Thursday evening, I found myself in Nordstrom at...

GreenCitizen does more than recycle your e-waste

I first learned about GreenCitizenseveral years ago when I was trying to figure out what to do with old CDs and DVDs. Since then, Michael and I havetaken several dead gadgets to them: our old rice cooker, our old blender, and some obsolete computer equipment. So I was excited to take a tour of GreenCitizen’s hub in Burlingame this weekend and have a chat with founder and CEO James Kao.

Kao was born in Taiwan and graduated from UCLA in 1982 with a degree in math and computer science. He wen...

Plastic-Free EcoEtsy Holiday Gift Give-Away

If you’ve read my book or regularly follow this blog, you know I love me some Etsy. I love shopping for plastic-free products on Etsy, and I love that I can contact the sellers and ask them not to use any plastic shipping materials. So, in the tradition of last year, TeamEcoEtsy is once again giving away sevendifferent holiday gifts to sevendifferent readers of My Plastic-Free Life. Please read the full post in order to enter the drawing.

Team EcoEtsyisa global team of eco-minded Etsy se...

Ask eBay to Stop Recommending Plastic Bubble Wrap to Sellers

Sign the petition to ask eBay to quit recommending plastic bubble wrap.

Cory Trusty of Aquarian Bath (asmall business owner and sponsor of this blog who is committed to reducing her plastic footprint) got tired of all the plastic bubble wrap she receives when ordering supplies from eBaysellers. While she has found her own unique way to request and receive less plastic with her orders (explained below), she realized thatgetting sellers to reduce their plastic packaging across the board would...

BALM! Baby’s Plastic FREE July Challenge + Giveaway

It’s the final week of Plastic Free July, and BALM! Baby, a company that packages the majority of its personal care products without plastic, wants to reward everyone who participated by giving away crazy numbers of prizes. I’ll throw in a copy of my book, Plastic-Free, as well. Here’s all you have to do:

Challenge Details:

Challenge ends July 31, 2014.Form must be filled out & filled out HERE(it’s short)


Switch one thing either within your household or your place of business within the mont...