Made from recycled yogurt cups. Also, recyclable itself! Just mail it in.
I think it was $2.99.
The idea of using a recycled and/or recyclable toothbrush gave me the heebie jeebies. At first… But then I wrote to the people at Preserve. Basically THEY recycle it into something else, not another toothbrush. (Jeeez, Christina!)
Not only is it made from recycled yogurt cups, but it’s recyclable as well. I just tucked the wrapper it came in under my sink so I can mail it off when it gets worn down.
The company that makes it is called “Preserve Products” and they also recycle Brita water filters. Just click on the link to see what they do!
My first thought: the perfect toothbrush for me! Imagine if all 7 billion of us threw out a toothbrush every 3 months (as advised.) Lucky for us we’re not all brushing our teeth!
My second thought: where’s the catch?
1. Plastic can usually only be recycled 0 times, 1 time and more rarely 2 times. Therefore, will this toothbrush eventually be thrown out?
2. Where does the recycling take place? Often times recycling is outsourced to other countries and the facilities can pollute the local air/water/soil (see US car batteries being shipped to Mexico for recycling)
I just emailed the company. Will update blog with the answers when I hear from them.
I dropped the ball on my “Weekly Green” posting. Not that I don’t have a TON of them in mind. But I felt overwhelmed about where to start. That and I didn’t want to come across as smug about being eco-conscious. Or maybe I just got lazy? It’s hard to compete with food porn.
Anyway, I’m bringing it back! Hopefully it’ll be in the spirit of collaboration not a know-it-all posting. I just want to share my ideas and hear other peoples’ as well.
So, here’s a teeny tiny one:
Our toaster oven bell no longer functions. I just noticed that this morning when I found this dried out old bagel in there.
Petrified bagel.
You know what happens when you leave a bagel in the toaster oven for an hour? It becomes hard as a rock.
A few years ago I would’ve just tossed it. It’d be a lot easier to toss it. But it’s a waste of food. The more I read about the Horn of Africa’s famine
Warning: this is a BIG image – it was impossible to read the smaller version.
Graphic from foodandtechconnect.com
and even here in the “Land of Plenty” I try to use everything. There are a few things that help with this endeavor:
1. Plan meals ahead of time BEFORE grocery shopping. I am a pretty disorganized person and usually fly by the seat of my pants. If I happen upon a farmer’s market, I’ll buy things just because they’re beautiful when I have no clear idea how or what I’ll do with it. This is great if you are Alice Waters or a Top Chef contestant. Also, works really well if you’re a natural cook who knows what to do with things. (Rebecca Trotsky) I am neither. I have really only been cooking for a year and have 2 toddlers. This limits my research & cooking time significantly. To waste less, I plan 2 or 3 meals per week and then add only those items I need to my shopping list. This has helped me a TON. Buying fewer items means I have less clogging up my fridge. I also have a lot less stress about having to use things up out of guilt.
I don’t care how pink that rhubarb is, keep on walking, girl.
2. Find recipes that use leftover veg or day old bread. A great example is the quinoa cakes recipe. You can literally chop up any leftover veg you have into the mixture. Another example is the Spring Vegetable Risotto with Goat Cheese which I’ll post this week. Bread can become croutons.
3. ROAST any leftover veg you don’t end up using. Just have a night of leftovers/odds & ends. G is usually at work late & my kids usually don’t care that much about dinner anyway so I just do it for myself!
But what about this old bagel I’ve just shown you?
Here’s my GREEN idea(r): freeze it in a Zip-Loc bag & use for croutons. I am really into croutons right now! I make plain, garlic & dijon mustard. That’s it so far but they are gooooooooood. I actually add any bread that is over a day old that I know is in danger of being tossed. Next time I need croutons (which is every 2 days right now!) I use whatever bread is in that bag.
Stay tuned for link for DIJON CROUTONS! (coming VERY soon…)
If anyone’s reading this (besides my sister) I’d love to hear what steps you’re taking in this vein? It’s always helpful to get ideas from other folks…
This is SO easy. I started it with some Greek Yogurt I had.
I wanted to do this for a while because I am sick of throwing away all those little half eaten yogurt cups. This way I can control the serving size and use a lot less packaging. Also, I just wanted to try it!
Here’s all you need to get it started:
YOU NEED:
2 quarts milk (I used whole milk but you can try 1 or 2% if that’s all you have)
1 fine mesh strainer
1 candy thermometer (oops mine isn’t in the picture – we had it from deep frying a turkey a while ago)
cheesecloth/coffee filters or thick paper towels (I had the coffee filters)
2 teaspoons of plain yogurt (this will be your starter)
This is so easy! I recommend starting this an hour or two before you go to bed. Then the yogurt can incubate while you sleep…
1. Heat 2 quarts of milk (on medium-high heat) in a pot to 180 degrees F. Stir occasionally.
2. When temperature reaches 180, remove from heat and let cool down to between 110 and 120 degrees. Stir occasionally as it’s cooling. When it’s between those two temps, add the 2 teaspoons of yogurt whisking to combine.
3. Turn oven on for about a minute – just to take the chill out.
4. Pour milk into large bowl, cover with a heavy plate or lid and place in oven. Leave for 8-12 hours.
5. When you take it out, strain it into the mesh colander lined with cheesecloth, coffee filters or THICK paper towels. Do this over a shallow pan or bowl with a lip as the whey will drain out of your yogurt. Place this draining contraption in your refrigerator for a few hours, or until it seems to have stopped dripping. Honestly, I didn’t have room in my fridge so I just strained it on the counter for an hour (I think!) and then I poured the yogurt into a large plastic container, whisked it to combine & stored it in the fridge.
OPTIONS: add a couple of teaspoons of vanilla extract and/or honey or just toss fresh fruit on top. I love it with honey!
Making your own yogurt is soooo yummy! You can use it to replace sour cream or to cut the heat on spicy dishes. Think of all the plastic yogurt containers you save AND all the chemicals & added sugar you and your kids are not getting.
Make your own yogurt with NO special equipment! Great for toppings on spicy meals, baked potatoes, in smoothies, baking & just as a snack.
Ingredients
2 quarts milk (1%, 2% or whole)
a fine mesh strainer
cheesecloth, coffee filters OR thick paper towels
candy thermometer (or any kitchen therm. that can measure liquids to 180 degrees safely)
Instructions
Heat milk to 180 degrees F over medium heat.
Take milk off heat and allow to cool.
When milk cools to between 110 and 120 degrees, whisk in 2 teaspoons of plain yogurt.
Turn oven on for about a minute just to take the chill out.
Pour milk into oven safe bowl with lid (I used a ceramic plate as a lid) and allow to “incubate” for 8-12 hours.
Line mesh strainer with the cheesecloth/coffee filters or paper towels and rest over a shallow pan. Pour yogurt into strainer and allow to drain for a few hours or until it’s done draining. The liquid that ends up in the pan is your “whey” which you can use or discard.
Pour strained yogurt into a lidded container for the refrigerator.
Notes
Yogurt will be good in refrigerator for about a week.
Add a couple of teaspoons of vanilla extract if you plan to serve it with fruit etc.
Add honey to taste or fresh fruit. YUM!
I need a new nozzle! How much water to make & ship THAT?
I’ve had this for a few years now and it definitely looks like it fell off the roof of my car a few times. I got it to carry my water around with me so I wouldn’t buy water in plastic bottles. I heard this would, ironically, save some water.
How much water does it take to make a plastic bottle for bottled water?
1.85 GALLONS of water.
Can you believe that?
Well, this article is a couple of years old so things may have changed slightly but still!
All I knew when I got my bottle was that:
1. It takes more water to MAKE a water bottle than is actually INSIDE the bottle!
2. It takes petroleum to make the plastic.
3. It can only be recycled once and not into another water bottle. (Although in parts of Europe that capability does exist.)
This is a really easy step to take – REI sells these and you can also order them online. I take it empty on the plane and fill it up (yes, using bottled water on the plane which sucks.) But then I have my bottle for the rest of my trip.
Devil’s Advocate Question: how much water does it take to make this aluminum bottle AND when you do the math(s), is it still the eco-friendlier path to take?
What do you all think about aluminum versus plastic water bottles? Do you care? If you do care or if you couldn’t care less, I can’t wait to hear from you below!
