Welcome to Change The World Wednesday (#CTWW)! If this is your first visit, please click
HERE for information and a complete list of all the challenges we've taken on so far.
There's a lot of great information in this post and I encourage you to read through it ... however, if you don't have the time right now, you might find the following quick links helpful:
Our challenge for the last two weeks has been to give up paper towels, paper plates and disposable utensils. With the 4th of July in the US, picnics and summertime BBQs (activities where disposable items seem to make the event easier), it was the perfect time to test ourselves. In my house it was an easy activity. We decided some time ago to stop using disposable items. Instead we have rags for messy cleanups, cloth napkins for meals and reusable dishes, utensils and cups for picnics. It's really more of a mindset ... once the decision was made, it didn't seem all that hard to use other things.
The Honor Society are those people who help us spread the "green" word by writing an article about our challenges and/or leaving pertinent comments. Here's what they had to say:
Kim stepped up to the challenge ... here's what she had to say:
"This is going to be interesting with a holiday, where we tend to go for disposable clean up. I've actually addressed this in the past, one of my very first posts. (http://ourdailygreenlife.blogspot.com/2009/07/celebration-green.html) I think the key is to make a one time investment in reusable dishes, flatware, napkins, etc. Think of going to a restaurant supply and getting bulk or ... a THRIFT store. Some white plates will work for all occasions. Plus, if you've ever tried to eat something with a plastic fork, you know how much nicer metal utensils are. As to the paper challenge, just move a hamper to your laundry area and wipe up every spill with cloth rag. Okay, now you've sparked another post!"
Alicia also accepted the challenge and shared this:
"I hadn't bought a roll of paper towels in about four years until recently my husband needed me to buy him a roll for something that he was working on. We use kitchen size cotton towels for cleaning and drying our dishes and hands. Several years ago I bought reusable plates, cups, bowls and utensils to take on picnics and cookouts.They are so much sturdier than any paper plates and you can use them for years. I always tuck in lots of cloth napkins as well. Anytime I see cloth napkins marked down at a really good price I will buy them because we use them all of the time instead of paper napkins. You will be amazed at how Eco Friendly cloth napkins are. You will feel so good about all of the trees you will be saving and all of the paper you will be keeping out of the landfills by just simply using cloth napkins. It is so true we can all make such a huge difference by just starting with small things that we use everyday! Great Challenge!!
Pat has been using less and less paper towels so she felt that giving them up entirely wouldn't be too hard. How did you do, Pat? By the way ... I'm sorry about the capcha on comments but I've been spammed so many times that it really is necessary. If you'd rather comment via email, I'd be more than happy to add your thoughts to the post for you. You can email me
HERE. That goes for anyone who finds the capchas a little too annoying to deal with. Thanks!
In Argentum Vulgaris' first
POST about this challenge, I could envision him standing at a meeting for paper towel addicts, stating the number of days that he has gone without. He goes on to talk about cat "accidents" and dead rats. Yeah ... you know you want to read it! In his second CTWW post, which you can read
HERE, he shares a simple, easy way to avoid paper towels. Argentum also wrote a third post
HERE (wow, he's on a roll). In this one, he offers us another challenge (to fill in those lonely days, last week, of not having a new CTWW):
"How many useless appliances do you have at home? How many appliances do you have that you could do without? How many appliances do you have that should really never have been invented?" Who's going to take him up on his challenge?
Onya Dan stopped by. He shares this
"we use people towels instead of single use paper towels in the uk you can get them from www.onyabags.co.uk or US peopletowel.com Cheers Dan" Thanks, Dan!
Kristina accepted the challenge and had this to say:
"This is a good one. We already use cloth napkins and I haven't bought paper plates or plastic utensils in the longest time. The paper towels are a bit tougher. I don't use them all the time, but still have them sitting on the counter. They ran out last week and I haven't replaced the roll. Only once did my daughter ask for them and I handed her a sponge to use instead - which was fine for what she needed. Doing without the paper plates and plastic utensils will be a challenge as we are going on vacation with another family and tend to use them. I will try though!" So ... how did she do? In this
POST you'll find out which items she's eliminated, which items she's working on and her very interesting take on single-use items in our society.
Katie read our challenge while sitting next to her husband and laughed out loud. Why? Read her
POST to find out who, in her household, will have the toughest time with the challenge. I won't mention any names but ... how did HE do, Katie?
The Accessory Lady found this challenge to be a tough one. Here's what she had to say
"When you don't have a convenient to launder re-usable cloths or napkins to use instead of paper, it's a bit more 'challenging'. Yesterday we did have a small BBQ and only used conventional plates and then used washed them afterwards. I do sometimes replace paper tower with biodegradable bamboo cloths that can be used several times and then composted after they start disintegrated so I hope that counts! You can find these here: http://www.gogreenbamboo.com/product/10400 Have a great and green holiday everyone!"
Veronica stopped in to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July. Thanks, Veronica ... hope you're doing well!
EcoGrrl had no problem with this challenge. Here are her thoughts:
"I've not used paper towels for several years and haven't missed them at all. Dish towels and sponges pick up everything, plain and simple. Everything washes out. Newspaper btw is great to pick up messes, and with an advanced age Rottweiler who occasionally poops in her sleep (sad face), toilet paper works for her just like for people... No way using disposable silverware. I have a bamboo spork in my purse for emergencies but I rarely need it as I just don't find myself at many places where there's not a real eating utensil to use. "
Our friend Rewinn comes across disposable utensils occasionally. Here's what he does:
"When presented with a "single-use" utinsle (e.g. plastic fork) I try to remember to give it a quick clean and stash it in my jacket pocket. At home, it gets washed with the other dishes and then popped into the party box. We haven't had to buy such things for years, because a typical "single-use" fork will last for years! Even plastic cups can be washed and reused until they crack, saving the planet and your pocketbook - what a combo!" He also wrote this
ARTICLE about flying the flag. How many of us have thought about buying second hand when it comes to the flag? As Rewinn says
"Buying 2ndhand goods is environmentally responsible, and what could be more patriotic than that?". Well put, Rewinn!
Mrs. Green doesn't even think about disposable plates, utensils, etc. and has cut paper towel use to having only one "emergency" roll on hand. WhooHoo! So how does she avoid these items? She offers us some terrific tips
HERE.
Our Twitter friends shared their thoughts:
From @pinkladyapril
- The only thing I use paper towels for is cleaning up when my cats throw up! I use damp sponge for greasy spills
- or cloth/linen tea towels for anything wet - these then go through washing machine & get reused! some of my cloths ...
- are old terry towelling squares that were my daughter's nappies! 12 years on and I still use them regularly!!!
From @rulesofgreen
- one week pasted so quickly! I only avoided 4 car rides but I wasn't really planning on driving either as I'm on holiday
From @givetreegifts
- Single use utensils break or even melt. Use real cutlery & plates from the flea market then socialize while washing dishes :)
- Save a bundle by not using paper towel #CTWW Make rags of old worn out tshirts & towels for cleaning up messes instead of paper towels.
- BPA Alternative in Paper Products Raises Concerns http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/29/bpa-alternative-in-paper-products-raises-concerns/
- Austrian Family Lives a Life without Plastic http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/austrian-family-lives-without-plastic-a-840955.html
- What's in your wallet? Another 'estrogen' http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/341655/title/Whats_in_your_wallet%3F_Another_estrogen
- We use cloth napkins. Frankly, they're much nicer than paper as well as being eco friendly.
- A Vegetarian 4th of July Menu bit.ly/AoXvq
- 8 Ways to Green 4th of July bit.ly/aB1hIN
- An Eco-Friendly 4th of July Celebration bit.ly/mLidr7
- Red, White & Green: Eco-Friendly Tips for the Fourth of July bit.ly/Lxf4fS
- 5 Fabulous Tips for an Eco-Friendly 4th of July Celebration bit.ly/lipXK5
From @ecowarriorme
- Paper towels aren't always the worst option: in a public toilet they are better than hot air dryers if you have the option.
In reply, @noteasy2begreen says this:
- Is it totally gross that I just wipe my wet (clean) hands on my jeans? ;-)
From @waxelene
- We use 100% recycled cardboard for all of our shipping!
From @anitaadamsnc
- I was out of touch but thinking of all of you & doing my best to do my part in WNC. All the best to the #CTWW gang!
From @itstartswith_me
- I haven't used paper towels in (at least) 8 years! I'm definitely in for the challenge! Let me know how I can help! :)
- To clean icky messes w/out paper towels I use old ratty towels & pick up mess, (if needed dump mess in trash) rinse & wash.
- When I clean a VERY icky mess (vomit/pet accident), I use cloth diaper trick (toilet), rinse/hand wash THEN sanitize wash.
From @themac533
- I save vehicle trips by having a backyard that, although needs endless tending due to prior vacancy, provides food and enlightenment.
- I also save the spare paper napkins provided with take-away. Select old clothes go to my rag-bag. So I don't buy paper-towel.
- My Goldens are excellent to take care of some edible spills. Dogs can save on your consumption of papertowel! :) #CTWW pic.twitter.com/Syq1NqF8
From @nonmom
- For my #CTWW I've been on @Pinterest looking up safe cleaning ideas. We have to be careful w/our furballs so very helpful info to have :)
From @janetbotes
- Thanks!! Very happy to be part of the gang - every little change helps and builds the bigger picture!! Keep it up, woohooo! x
The #CTWW Gang are those folks who share our challenges on twitter using the hashtag #CTWW. If you're a Twitter member, I highly recommend following them ... they have a lot of great things to say. Let's meet them:
My Final Thoughts:
I've recently read some interesting statistics:
- The US produces over 3,000 tons of paper towel waste each day (Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1070655).
- As many as 51,000 trees per day are required to replace the number of paper towels that are discarded every day (Article Source: http://1800recycling.com/2009/10/going-paper-towel-less/).
It seems to me that it is a lot of waste and a very high cost for a convenience item ... for something which typically is lightly used and then tossed. We take things, like paper towels, for granted in our society ... they are accessible everywhere and are easy to use. And perhaps that is part of the problem ... they are so convenient that we don't stop to think about where they came from or what happens to them in a landfill. If, when reaching for that paper towel, we think about the tree that was sacrificed for it and the fact that in an anaerobic environment (aka landfills) paper towels will have little chance to biodegrade ... perhaps we will begin to see that paper towels aren't really convenient at all.
Thanks, everyone! If you wrote an article, I have
Stumbled,
Tweeted,
Facebooked and posted it on
Google +. You can help spread the "green" word by using the share feature at the bottom of this post.
This Week's Challenge:
This week's challenge comes from
Anita Adams (aka @AnitaAdamsNC). It doesn't seem like a big thing ... and most of us probably don't give it a second thought. But ... the potential for reducing waste is HUGE. Here you go ...
This week refuse to use plastic wrap (aka cling film, cling wrap, glad wrap, etc). Instead, choose Eco-friendly, safe ways to store food. And, as always, we'd like to hear all about your efforts.
Or ...
If you've already banned plastic wrap from your life, please review your food storage methods to see if there's any room for improvement. For example, if you're reusing plastic containers to store food consider glass, ceramic or stainless steel containers instead (old plastic containers may leach harmful toxins into your food). If you use aluminum foil to cover your food, consider covering food with an inverted plate, a lid from a casserole or pan, etc. And, please tell us about your efforts.
Will you accept this challenge?
Until next time ...
WE'RE CHANGING THE WORLD ... ONE CHALLENGE AT A TIME!
