I stopped buying microwave popcorn years ago when I began reading a bit more about the health risks linked to the perflourooctanoic acid that lines the bags. I know the Internet has scores of information that we all must sift through to find the truth, but when I repeatedly read about links to diseases, infertility, and cancers, it was quite easy to stop with the microwave popcorn. No matter how healthy the packaging looks, no matter any “organic” labels, I decided it just wasn’t for me.
The great news is it’s SUPER easy to make your own homemade popcorn. AND, not only is it healthier and way cheaper, it’s also so much better for the environment. Instead of purchasing a box of individually-wrapped bags, you’re either buying a single plastic bag FULL of kernels and the bag can then be recycled with plastic grocery bag recycling, or better yet, you can get in a bulk section using or reusing your own bag. You’ve also got way more control over your popcorn when you make it yourself. You can control the amount and the ingredients. You can spend the little bit extra and get organic kernels, which I highly recommend. And you can often choose if you’d like yellow or white corn kernels. It’s so many pluses that it really is hard to justify continuing with the packaged kind.
Remember, if you are going to be using pre-packaged microwave popcorn, reuse and recycle the cardboard box. You also should be able to add the individual clear plastic wraps to a grocery bag recycling station. If you’re popping your own bulk corn, it’s very likely you can recycle that clear plastic bag as well with the grocery bag recycling.
I still remember reading Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle for the first time and reading about her stance on bananas. I quite agree with Ms. Kingsolver about being conscious how far our food travels and being willing to put our foot down about certain foods whose negative environmental impact is just too large to ignore. Buuut, then I had kids. And a zillion and half other things to worry about, and bananas crept back into our kitchen, along with various other foods.
I do my best to reduce food waste. I’m definitely more conscious about food packaging at this point than the food itself. So, I bring my own containers to restaurants for leftovers and we use Pyrex containers at home for everything, instead of plastic baggies. I do my best to make food from scratch. We buy organic, mostly. But, I would say my awareness about food and where it’s come from and its environmental impact, is something I really would like to know more about. I’m far from perfect in the impact-my-food-has-on-the-enviroment department, but all I can offer is my best. And my best right now, is to appreciate the food we use and not waste it. To slowly journey into discovering which foods we might want to steer away from because of their environmental impact. And to share as I’m learning.
This section is devoted to my exploration in reducing food waste, reducing food packaging waste, and sharing ideas for making more meals at home.
Thank you for being here.Your actions can and will make a difference.
As we roll into the last month of this year, I have to admit that my first temptation was to have a post about gifts. And, while I would still like to do that, I stopped myself and realized how strange it is that our holiday season has become so centered around this.
Now, honestly, as much as I’m a fan of reducing unnecessary consumption and waste, I really do love the idea of holiday gift giving. I think there’s a lot of good behind the idea of wanting to show our appreciation of others through giving gifts and recognizing our own part in others’ lives by receiving gifts. But, it seems like the idea behind why we exchange gifts has almost gotten lost. I feel the holidays have become a whirlwind of shopping and lists and obligations. Many of us are going through the motions and doing the holiday “thing” out of habit or a life checklist of sorts.
So, I wanted to pause and think about what the holidays really mean. I know, upon reflection, this answer will be different for everyone. It might be about family or religion or forgiveness. It could be about endings and beginnings as the year comes to a close. It could be about the importance of quiet reflection or finding joy in the moment. But, much like the Whos down in Whoville, I know that the holiday season—for whatever it is you’re celebrating this month—is about more than gifts and feasts. So, while I don’t disagree with many of the traditions behind this month, I do think it’s important to pause and remember just why it is we’re doing them.
Why reduce our paper napkins? Like any product, disposable napkins go through quite a journey to get to us, including trees cut down, transported, turned into pulp, possibly bleached or dyed, transported to be packaged and put in warehouses, transported to our stores or homes. All of this takes energy, oil, causes pollution in our air and water. This is to say nothing of the garbage transportation and afterlife of these paper napkins. So how can we reduce our use of paper napkins?
REDUCE
My favorite way to reduce my use of paper napkins is to use cloth napkins instead. I find them to be superior in so many ways. They’re softer, they’re cheaper in the long run, they are far more absorbent, and they’re better for the environment*. (Cotton is an extremely wasteful crop, so try using eco-friendly fabrics or reusing fabric from other items.) Cloth napkins are easy to make, and they are a great project for reusing fabric pieces. If you want finished edges, you can stitch around the edges, a project that, while a bit tedious if you’re making a lot at once, is easy enough for a novice sewer. Some people might want matching napkins, but I find that using what fabric is on hand is easier and creates a fun assortment to choose from. You can also use napkin rings to keep track of family member’s napkins if they aren’t too soiled, so they can be reused at another meal.
This cloth napkin idea can definitely be carried out beyond the home as well for those who are feeling truly dedicated. A small “clean” cloth bag and “used” cloth bag for cloth napkins can be tucked into a bag or purse for outings.
If you have young kids and you’re anything like me, you may turn away from any food establishment that uses cloth napkins, a quick indication that kids may not be welcome, but I hope to see that shift. I’ve seen lots of casual, smaller, independent food places use fun cloth napkins at their tables, and it’s so nice to see businesses taking charge and reducing their waste. These cloth napkins are also far more useful than the paper ones, which I find people have to sometimes grab three or four of during a meal.
Another simple way to reduce paper napkin waste is to just be conscious of how many you are taking and be sure you are using them wisely. Think about what the napkins have gone through to get to you and appreciate them.
REUSE
Again, reusing a paper product like this seems like a weird thing to address. But, as with the tissue post, for instance, if you find yourself with napkins that for some reason aren’t usable for their intended purpose or aren’t that soiled, you can use these to wipe up oily or grease-y messes. I know we always have certain foods that are tough to wash off of dishes, things like butter or oils. So, it can be helpful to keep a stash of only slightly-used paper products on hand to reuse for wiping up things like this, so they can be given a second life.
If a cloth napkin becomes too used or stained for continued use, see if you can use any bits of it for another scrap sewing project or keep it on hand as a cleaning cloth instead.
RECYCLE?
Just as with some of the other disposable paper products I’ve covered, I find that recycling paper napkins doesn’t seem to be a possibility many places. If your napkins aren’t bleached or dyed, you may be able to add these to a compost pile, especially if they aren’t grease-y.
The plastic wrap that surrounds a package of store-bought napkins may be able to go into a grocery bag recycling bin at a store.
Cloth napkins that can no longer be used as cleaning cloths or scraps, can be recycled with textile recycling.
ENDING THOUGHTS
The great thing about starting to reduce disposable paper products and replacing them with cloth is that it all starts to fit together like a puzzle. Once you start using cloth instead of paper towels or napkins or tissues, it becomes part of your daily life. You never have to run out and buy these products, because they are always on hand. You can group your cloth laundry in a way that makes sense for your family and uses the washing machine consciously.
Cloth napkins are such a fun choice to make. Not only are the colorful or designed napkins a great addition to your table, but these napkins are also far more effective than the disposable ones. This is a great way you can start to make big change.
Thank you for reading. Your actions can and will make a difference!
