An Interview with Beth Terry: Live life with less plastic.
March 9, 2010 by La Mama Naturale'
Filed under Simple & Green Living
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Beth Terry, is someone I consider to be an eco pioneer in attempting to rid your life of pesky plastic. She is the woman behind the Take Back the Filter campaign (urged Brita to take back their filters and succeeded) and is a motivator and inspiration when it comes to living life with LESS plastic. If you haven’t yet visited her site, Fake Plastic Fish, be sure to do so; it’s filled with tons of knowledge regarding the perils of plastic and helpful tips on living a plastic free lifestyle.
Beth was kind enough to take some time away from her busy schedule to do a little Q & A …
La Mama Naturale asked:
What motivated you to start collecting plastic?
In June of 2007 I saw a photo that changed my life. It was a dead albatross chick filled with plastic pieces from daily life: bottle caps, toothbrushes, lighters, plastic toys… At that point, I had never heard of the North Pacific Gyre (the area in the ocean now known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch where so much of our plastic trash ends up) and I had no idea that our lifestyles were causing such harm thousands of miles from civilization. I looked at my life and realized I had to change.
The plastic collection was a way for me to see just how much plastic waste I was generating in the first place and the blog was a way to keep myself on track.
How did you come up with the blog title Fake Plastic Fish?
It’s actually a reference to a Radiohead song, “Fake Plastic Trees.” (Radiohead is one of my favorite bands ever and pretty environmentally conscious.) I came up with name Fake Plastic Fish because if we don’t stop polluting our oceans with plastic, they could be the only kind of fish we have left.
Who are your mentors?
My first inspiration was actually Colin Beavan, the No Impact Man. I had heard about him and his project to live for a year generating no negative environmental impact on a radio program. It was via a link on his web site that I stumbled upon the photo of that albatross chick. He helped me believe that my personal actions could make a difference.
Closer to home, one of my mentors has been Stuart Moody, the coordinator of Green Sangha’s Rethinking Plastics campaign. Green Sangha is a spiritually-based local environmental organization whose philosophy is that there is really no separation between us and that if we want to heal the planet, we need to come from a place of love rather than creating enemies. The Rethinking Plastics program is one of their major efforts, and they give presentations to schools, businesses, and community groups about the problem of plastics for health and the environment. I’ve actually given that presentation a couple of times myself.
And finally, one of my heros is Captain Charlie Moore who first discovered the plastic in the gyre over 10 years ago and has worked tirelessly to bring awareness to this issue. I love that he never minces words. He says that plastic pollution is just the visible symbol of our global crisis of over-consumption. He came up with that in a strategy meeting I attended, and I was so moved that I wrote it down and memorized it.
Honestly, the people I admire are those who stand up for what they believe and don’t worry about looking foolish. That’s what I aspire to.
What are some of the challenges you face when choosing an alternative to plastic?
Some things simply cannot be replaced. That was the hardest lesson for me. I actually was addicted to convenience foods. Energy bars. And especially frozen dinners. But after stubborn trial and error, I found that there is no frozen convenience food that is not packaged in some kind of plastic. Even the cardboard trays are lined with plastic. I used to think I could order drinks in a disposable cup and just ask for no lid and no straw. Then I learned that all those cups are lined with plastic too — as are metal cans, which also contain BPA.
Can you tell us more about your job as the Plastic Sea Monster?
Ha! Don’t know how many more times I will do that because walking around in plastic all day is not fun. Especially in the hot sun.
I created the plastic sea monster costume for the SF Bay to Breakers (the annual foot race/walk across San Francisco). My friend Eli Saddler from Ocean Health (http://www.facebook.com/oceanhealth) dressed as a leatherback sea turtle (because sea turtles eat plastic bags) and I chased him around SF. We actually won the Bay to Breakers costume contest in the green category.
I wore an earlier version of the costume at Oakland’s Earth Expo and for two days in a row at the Marin County Fair. That was what turned me off from ever wearing it in the sun again. I think I need a cloth lining. Sweating in plastic trash is not a good time.
What is your biggest pet peeve with plastic?
Bottled water. Hands down. Not only is the bottle plastic, but the whole idea of bottled water is one of the biggest scams ever perpetrated. Why pay so much money for something we can get for pennies out of our taps? Not to mention the environmental impact of extracting water, shipping it from the source to the bottling plant, using the energy and plastic that go into the bottles, shipping it to the store, and then the waste after the bottle is used. Why can’t we invest in our water infrastructure, making sure there is clean municipal water for all? And that our drinking fountains are plentiful and actually work?
Okay, my other pet peeve is overpackaging. Individual fruits and vegetables wrapped in plastic. I recently saw an article about 7-Eleven trying out bananas wrapped in plastic. Bananas come with their own natural wrapper! And all the automatic extras you get at take-out food places. Utensils, straws, condiments, napkins, etc. The plastic containers are bad enough, but restaurants should ask if you need that stuff before automatically sticking it in the bag. Automatic unnecessary plastic that many consumers don’t even question or that they see as an entitlement.
If you had the opportunity to make/change the laws surrounding plastic what would be the first thing you do?
1) I would require full disclosure from manufacturers of the ingredients in their plastic packaging. We know about chemicals like BPA, phthalates, styrene, and recently antimony in #1 PET bottles; but what about the chemicals we don’t know about? Plastic bottles, bags, and containers rarely contain the simple plastic polymer. Companies use additives to affect the strength, texture, pliability, color, and even antimicrobial properties of plastic. And for proprietary reasons, they are not required to disclose any of those additives. If consumers don’t know what’s in the plastic, how can we really know it’s safe?
2) I would like to see packaging included in requirements for organic certification. Isn’t it ironic that we are willing to spend extra money to make sure no toxic chemicals have been added to our foods and personal care products, only to have them packaged in plastic that could potentially leach hormone disrupting chemicals back into them?
3) I would pass EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) legislation which requires manufacturers to provide for the full life cycle of a product. Currently, we as citizens spend our tax dollars to figure out ways to handle all the plastic and other waste generated from these products. Our cities have to pay for recycling services and figuring out what to do with the material. When EPR legislation is in effect, as it is in Europe, companies that make the stuff are much more conscious of the materials they use in the first place, because they are the ones who have to figure out what happens to it when it’s used up.
What do you want people to know about your plastic less journey?
First, I want to clarify that I am not against all plastics. I want to see an end to single-use plastic packaging, as well as plastic used for food packaging and storage. But in terms of durable non-food related items, I’m obviously using a computer made from plastic. My phone is plastic. My kitchen appliances are plastic. To me, the key is reducing our consumption over all. Taking advantage of resources like Freecycle, thrift stores, lending/borrowing programs, repair services. We are living in a disposable society, but it doesn’t have to be that way. For example, why does each home need to have their own lawn mower? Here in Oakland, we actually have a tool lending library, where we can check out tools just like we would books. In fact, it’s part of the public library system.
The other thing I want them to know is that I don’t expect anyone to be as extreme as I am. My goal is simply to show what is possible.
AND just for fun… if there were no issues with plastic whether in landfills or toxicity; what would you buy?
I’d do the same thing I am doing now. You know why? Because of all those things still require materials and energy to produce in the first place. The manufacture of so much stuff is one of the causes of global warming. But also? Living more simply with less stuff just plain feels better. 
touche’
Thanks again, Beth!! It is truly an honor to have you as a guest at RYD.
Hope everyone enjoyed the read as much as I did!
The Young & Sustainable: Owner of barley & birch, Kyle Smitley
December 8, 2009 by La Mama Naturale'
Filed under Interviews
I’m excited to announce today’s interview with Kyle Smitley! Kyle is a young, bright career woman who owns barley & birch; an eco chic kids clothing company. I’ve had the wonderful opportunity of exchanging tweets and conversation (interview) with this down to earth gal and her passion for sustainability and concern for toxic exposure really stand out.
Wow! Making it in Inc. magazine and dubbed as “30 under 30: America’s Coolest Young Entrepreneurs” how does that make you feel?
Read more
8 Question’s for Derek Markham: The Natural Papa
October 20, 2009 by La Mama Naturale'
Filed under interview
Derek Markham is an environmental freelance writer, a father and a tree hugging dirt worshiper. His popular blog Natural Papa offers lessons on homebirth, fatherhood, and food. He also writes for many successful green websites such as EcoChildsPlay, Twilight Earth, Planet Green, and Blue Living Ideas to name a few! In his spare time he ride bicycles, goes bouldering and slacklining, and drink lots of organic coffee. Follow Derek on twitter and see what he’s up to: @DerekMarkham
I’ve always been a writer, but until last year, it was just for myself – filling lots of notebooks for future projects. When I started reading more blogs, I realized “Hey, I can do this too”, and because I saw so many mom blogs, I wanted to write for dads, specifically ‘eco-dads’ like myself. So I started a free blog on Blogger and started trying to put out a post each day about issues that I felt were pertinent to fathers.
I made lots of mistakes, wandered way off-topic, and didn’t really understand the nature of the web as it’s being used today. As I studied the style of better and bigger sites, I gradually improved the quality of mine. And then one day, I was approached by the editor of EcoChildsPlay.com to write for her, and it was a very flattering and satisfying experience to know that somebody was reading my stuff and actually wanted to bring me on as a writer. Since then, I’ve managed to land more gigs and give my site a little better visibility in the blogosphere, and the future is looking brighter all the time.
With Twitter, I signed up when I saw some of the buzz surrounding the service, but I really didn’t understand why or how to use it – I was a total n00b, posting really boring things and not really interacting with other users. But I started watching how others were using it and tried to emulate them so that I was adding value and not just telling everyone what I had for lunch Once I started using Tweet Deck and Seesmic, it became more of a useful tool to me, and I started sharing environmental news links and asking questions of others to use in blog posts.
TreeHugger nominated my partner Adam and I as green ‘Celebrities’ on Twitter last year, and my follower numbers skyrocketed. Shortly after that, I was featured in a post on HuffPo Green, and the same thing happened to me. I began interacting more with others and really seeing the value of it for writers and readers alike. I used to warn new followers “I Tweet a lot, be forewarned.”, but now I figure that if you’re following me, you want to know what I’m sharing, so I don’t do that anymore.
{Special Interview} Wendy Gabriel
September 10, 2009 by La Mama Naturale'
Filed under interview
Wendy Gabriel is a Green Living freelance writer for the Examiner. Her popular blog, My Green Side, offers simple tips for green living. You can also find Wendy on The Christopher Gabriel Program every Wednesday where she discusses simple tips for green living and highlights a different green site each week. Listen in at approximately 1020am (CDT) at WDAY.com.
What prompted you to start My Green Side?
I was raised to be a good steward of our earth. That said I was still doing a lot of things that weren’t necessarily environmentally friendly. This all changed during my first pregnancy. I became obsessive about the effects of my actions upon my unborn child and leaving the planet a better place for her. I researched organic nutrition, holistic medicine, recycling, reducing, reusing and the impacts of environmental toxins and became more interested in the unintended consciences of my actions. For example, buying a bottle of water uses precious resources, it’s unhealthy for the environment and wastes money so simply drinking tap water is an easy way to do something good for the planet. As I learned more about environmental and health issues, I talked my husband’s, friends’ and family’s ears off with my new-found knowledge. I realized many people I came in contact with were confused about “green” issues. Many seemed to think it was something other people did and explaining how simple changes make a big difference seemed to strike a chord. After my second child was born, my husband encouraged me to start blogging. My blog, MyGreenSide.org, not only gives me a place to record the things I’m learning, but also gives me a creative outlet. I am a writer and artist who hopes to be a children’s books author/illustrator when I grow up.
You say you “were green long before it was cool to be green.” Tell us about that.
Actually it’s my parents that were green long before it was cool to be green. Back before there was a word for it they were composting, reducing, reusing and supporting quality local businesses. We always had an organic vegetable garden and fruit trees. We were taught to treat animals and nature with kindness and respect. We made the majority of our food rather than buying processed food. We cleaned with non-toxic cleaners; mainly homemade mixtures that always included vinegar. I sometimes think my parents are a little mystified that people are making such a fuss about “being green” because they believe it’s the only way to be.
An Intv. with Kimberly Rosas: Dirty Diaper Laundry
July 28, 2009 by La Mama Naturale'
Filed under cloth diaper roundup, cloth diapers, interview
The following interview is with Kimberly from Dirty Diaper Laundry. Kim graduated from UNC Charlotte, with a B.A. in History. Kim has an 8 month old cutie, named Fletcher. Currently, she runs her blog and tries to live as green as possible!
Why did you start your blog Dirty Diaper Laundry?
I started my blog after I kept searching for blogs to read about my lifestyle (semi-crunchy, cloth diapering, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, young SAHM) and couldn’t find one that really appealed to me. I was hoping to combine my interests in a blog, in hopes that possibly other people like me would find it. Since starting it, the blog has taken a definite shift towards cloth diapering. This is mostly because that is where I am in my life. Plus, I have really begun getting into the cloth diaper video reviews. Even though there are videos of cloth diapers out there, I haven’t found another site to compile them in one place. My goal is to gather as many reviews as possible; to represent the gamut of cloth diapers, and to allow prospective cd’ers to “see” them.
What kind of cloth diapering method do you prefer?
Well, this is an ever evolving answer. If you had asked me 1 month into my journey, I would have answered “Bum Genius 3.0.” I actually sold off all of my prefolds and covers to purchase more pockets. I stuck with that for another month before the fluffy mail bug bit me! I started buying different types of pockets and AIO’s from Diaperswappers. I moved onto buying a couple of fitteds to try and see what all the hype was about. Then, I came full circle and bought prefolds (granted, these are Organic Bamboo Velour prefolds, not DSQ). Now I have a little bit of everything. There are days I love prefolds, days I am all pockets, and days of AIO’s. Variety is the spice of life!
What advice do you have for mom’s who want to start cloth diapering?
The one thing I tell everyone is this: try everything! There are some great ways to try cloth diapers for very little money. You can buy used, do a trial package, or sign up for a diaper service. Also, diaper laundry sounds daunting but it isn’t. My diaper routine takes 10 minutes or actual effort. I made a video of my routine.
Why did you decide to start cloth diapering?
When I was pregnant I came across a website about cloth diapers. Like most people, I had no idea there were modern cloth diapers out there. The moment I saw them I knew I would never use disposables. I already knew they were terrible for the environment, but didn’t realize there was a way to prevent using them!
Do you practice EC?
I do practice EC, and have been since my son was 6 months old.
In your experience what has been the biggest advantage of ECing with your son?
Less laundry! I used to wash diapers every 2-3 days, but not I can sometimes go as long as 4-5 days. I have enough diapers to go longer, but I always wash when my pail is full. I also see EC as a way to hopefully prevent my son from having a fear of potty training. For those who don’t know what EC is, I have a lot of posts about it, including a review of The Diaper Free Baby, on my blog.
Thanks for letting me share!
Interview @ Pregnancy Today!
July 7, 2009 by La Mama Naturale'
Filed under Pregnancy Today, eco-friendly
Hi there!
Been meaning to mention it…
My interview is up at Pregnancy Today with Katherine Bonganger titled An Eco-friendly Baby Shower forget- pink and blue throw a green shower!
Don’t miss it- lot’s of great info!
One Mom and A Party, Interview!
May 22, 2008 by La Mama Naturale'
Filed under Uncategorized
I had the chance to interview the founder of One Mom and a Party, Terry Wieler…
What motivated you to start One Mom and a Party ?
I have always loved planning and giving parties, from holiday open houses and neighborhood barbecues to birthday parties for my own children. I know that not everyone shares my enthusiasm and that some Moms even dread the prospect of giving a party! I started One Mom and a Party to help busy moms plan birthday parties for their kids, starting with my own daughters-in-law. It soon became apparent that there was an overwhelming reliance on paper product in the party supply sector – a child’s themed birthday party could be entirely 100% paper and 100% waste! I figured the time was right to offer a greener alternative, so I researched ideas for party themes and activities that would be more environmentally friendly. Along the way I designed and started making a few party items like tablecloths, napkins and favor bags that could be reused or repurposed.
What are your hopes for children’s parties in the future?
A child’s birthday is such a sweet and important day. I truly hope that children’s parties can be more about celebrating the child and less about the grand and wasteful extravaganzas that many parties have become. A birthday party can be a valuable learning experience for children and we should be mindful of exactly what it is we are teaching. A thoughtfully planned day can create beautiful memories that will last a lifetime and be eco-friendly at the same time.
What do you want to say to Moms about One Mom and a Party?
If you are reading this, I don’t need to persuade you that birthday parties need to be more eco-friendly. What I would like you to know is that it is really easy to give a greener party! Just like everything else we do to try to live a greener lifestyle, you can start to green up your parties by taking little steps in the right direction. Choose a green theme or replace paper product with fabric or biodegradable materials. Every change we make toward a more eco-friendly lifestyle has value. Don’t hesitate to start making small changes just because you don’t feel able to make big changes.
How does One Mom and a Party differ from your average party supply store?
One Mom and a Party is definitely not your average party supply store. With the exception of some party “extras” everything I offer is handmade locally and intended to be reused or repurposed. There aren’t many other party supply stores that can make this claim. In addition to the party supplies, One Mom and a Party is a great resource for eco-friendly ideas to make your party planning easier.
** Throwing your little one, an eco-friendly birthday bash can be a snap…especially with ONe Mom and a Party serving your eco needs. Check out her blog too, @ Notes from One Mom
What earth friendly ideas, do you have in mind for your child’s birthday?
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