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My kids don't drink out of plastic water bottles. That's not to say that they have never done so, or that they never will again. It's just that early in this year, as my awareness grew to the problems at hand, we decided to get them some stainless steel bottles that were small and had cute little designs on them. They took them to school and not only did they like them, but most of their friends liked them so much that they asked their parents for them, and as a result, the water bottles coming into the classroom are much less than they used to be.
While this works most of the time, we generally fill the bottles up and bring them with us and our kids think nothing of drinking clean LA tap water, it's not foolproof. Take last Thursday.
I went to a party with my daughter at one of her friends house. As is usually the case, I had my backpack and had packed her water bottle for her along with some other things like a cool little plastic set of cutlery she likes which she can use when she has cake if she wants to.
We got there and she started running around with her friends and having a good time. She's 4 so we're still at the point where parents stay, so I sat down and started talking to a few of the other folks I knew there. About 5 minutes later, she came over and asked for some water so I pulled out her bottle, handed it to her, she took a big swig and off she went.
Another 5 minutes or so passed and again, she asked for water, but this time, she didn't want her cool bottle. Instead she pointed to the crate of small water bottles that all the other kids were grabbing from.
Now i know what you are thinking, that my heart sank, that i took her home, that i couldn't bring myself to do it. But actually, quite to the contrary, I reached over, grabbed her one, cracked it open, and gave it to her, much to the shock of some of the folks who know me fairly well and what i've been up to.
Don't get me wrong, it bugs me to have her drinking from plastic, health implications not being my only concern, but that said, life is not an all or nothing game. Even at 4 she gets that drinking out of steel is smarter than plastic (and cooler) but at the same time, she wants to be like her friends. At school she has made that happen, at home parties it can be another story.
Why am i writing this. Partly because it pains me to add a plastic water bottle to the basement, but moreso to throw the idea out there that we all need to do the best we can and recognize that an occasional slip up doesn't nullify everything else we are doing. Life is about steps and as long as the overall path leads forward, we're on the right track.
Allright, jumping down off my soapbox. I've got clean up duty down in the basement, and then I need to play subliminal anti plastic cds in my daughters room for a few hours (I kid).
Dave
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Plastic Water Bottles, Kids Parties, And Being Different
Day 291 - Saturday 10/18/08
Today's Haul:
- 1 wine bottle - recycle
- 1 cork from wine bottle - recycle (eventually)
- 1 mettalic wrapper from top of wine bottle - garbage
Early Adopters Fear Not!
I've gotten a few emails from people who signed up for the newsletter before I announced the Dave's Bag competition. Fear not, for all newsletter recipients will be entered into the Dave's Bag Competition, and if things work out how I'd like them to, there will be more than one drawing.
Stay tuned for more details and spread the word!
Dave
Friday, October 17, 2008
Day 290 - Friday 10/17/08
Today's Haul:
- 1 plastic pretzel bag - recycle
- 1 plastic cup PP5 - recycle
- 1 paper napkin - worms
- 1 plastic crackers bag - recycle
- 1 small chips bag - garbage
- several lengths of fuel hose from car - e-waste
- 1 printer cartridge - recycle
- 1 cardboard box from new printer cartridge - recycle
- 1 pull off tab from new printer cartridge - garbage
- 1 mettalic wrapper from new printer cartridge - garbage
- 2 broken zip ties - garbage
Email Troubles
Apparently those of you who receive posts via email have found that the Subscribe button doesn't work. Sorry about that. if you head to the site there is a link at the top of the main column and you can sign up there. Our technicians are working feverishly to rectify the situation.
Thanks for the heads up.
Dave
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Day 289 - Thursday 10/16/08
Today's Haul:
- 1 plastic water bottle - recycle
- 1 paper plate - worms
- 1 parking pass - worms
The Sustainable Dave Newsletter is HERE
I have been asked several times to start a newsletter and now, after a lot of help from computer savvy friends and some gentle prodding to get things moving from some others, it is finally beginning to take shape. Below you'll find the email signup and the newsletter should start coming shortly (although don't hold me to that).
What will you be getting you ask?
Well, some of that is still being determined and some of it is not being talked about just yet. Suffice it to say though that it will include video, humor, simple tips that every one of us can make a apart of our lives to change things for the better, and the occasional how to video on subjects from Baltic Seal Wrestling to Professional Molting competitions. And much much more.
Want to win some cool stuff? Sign up!
Want to learn some cool ways to decrease your impact on the planet? Sign up!
Want to amaze and impress your friends, find a new job, and appear taller to everyone you meet? Sign up (but we really can't guarantee the last two...but we'll try).
Come January, Sustainabledave.org will be relaunching as a one stop shopping, video heavy, geek friendly, hip place to learn everything and anything about what can be done and this newsletter will be a huge part of the site. And that's only the beginning.
Children will smile, women will swoon, and men will fawn.
And all of this is just the beginning.
Afraid you'll miss out? Then don't. Sign up today!
What are you waiting for?
(Did I mention you should sign up?)
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Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Day 288 - Wednesday 10/15/08
Today's Haul:
- 3 thin plastic bags - recycle
- 1 used cupcake tin - garbage
- 1 plastic tag from greens - garbage
- 12 ozs paper - recycle/worms
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Day 287 - Tuesday 10/14/08
Today's Haul:
- 1 bread bag - recycle
- 1 hard cider bottle w/top - recycle
- 1 piece cardboard - recycle
- 1 corn muffin mix box - recycle
- 1 corn muffin mix bag - recycle
Monday, October 13, 2008
Day 286 - Monday 10/13/08
Today's Haul:
- 1 toilet paper roll - worms
- 1 yogurt tub PP5 - recycle
- 1 cardboard butter box - recycle
- 1 wax butter wrapper - disposed of due to health reasons
- 1 plastic soup starter mix container PP5 - recycle
- 2 veggie soup boullion wrappers - garbage
- 1 wine bottle - recycle
- 1 wine bottle cork - recycle (eventually)
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Week 37 pics
As you can see I did a bit of cleaning and harvested the worm bin. There are now 3 recycling misc bins and I've closed garbage box number tow. Gonna go dumpster dive for another one tomorrow.
Kamikatsu Japan, a trashless existence
I've been meaning to post this for quite a bit but am just now getting around to it. Kamikatsu is a town in Japan that has decided to go completely trashless. Residents from the town split their refuse into over 30 different recycle groups. Just goes to show you what can be accomplished when people are willing to go the extra mile.
Dave
Day 285 - Sunday 10/12/08
Today's Haul:
- 1 glass juice bottle w/top - recycle
- 1 plastic wrap from top of glass juice bottle - garbage
- 1 wrapping from tiolet handle - garbage
- 1 broken toilet handle - garbage
- 1 plastic fork - repurpose
- 1 wooden ice cream stick - worms
- 1 ice cream wrapper - garbage
- 2 thin plate liners - worms
