Styrofoam Remorse

Confession time: I brought home take-out in a styrofoam box Friday night, and it has been haunting me since. After reading Gabe's great post about how to reduce waste when you go out to dinner, I was determined that I would say good-bye to styrofoam take-home boxes forever, but here's what happened.

A few minutes before my mother-in-law planned to take me and the kids out to dinner, I had thought, "I should really put a few Tupperwares in the car." Soon ensued the mad scramble for a clean shirt for Bobby, nicer pants for Devin, and two shoes that matched for three kids. My good intentions hit the back-burner until we neared the end of our meal.

The boys had a good amount of food left-over, and I'm never one to waste food. When the waitress politely asked if we needed a box, I hesitated and then conceded, "Sure." Why was asking for foil so hard? Was I afraid she would think I was an environmental freak? Even if she did, why should I care?

I begrudgingly accepted the box, even though I was consumed with guilt. We then ordered dessert and once again had left-overs, but this time, I mustered more courage: "Could you bring some foil instead of styrofoam, please?" I asked. Without a second thought she responded, "Of course!" and returned with foil and a smile. It wasn't an imposition for her, it saved the restaurant money, and helped me feel confident about making better environmental choices. I finally felt empowered to refuse styrofoam!

The following night Bob and I went on a rare date night since the mother-in-law was leaving the next day--two meals out in a row, alert the media! My meal was delicious but more than what I needed. I was secretly excited to demonstrate my new confidence. When the waiter asked if I wanted a box, I boldly replied, "No, could you bring some foil instead?" He looked puzzled and headed to the kitchen. He returned with a box of individual sheets of wax paper, explaining they had no foil. Huh? I hadn't expected a restaurant wouldn't have aluminum foil. How exactly was I supposed to wrap up steak with some juice, asparagus, potatoes au gratin, and squash in these small sheets?

This was clearly a project for an engineer; thankfully, I happen to be married to one. Stack the food just so, fold it this way, then that way, tuck in another piece the opposite direction and presto! Another waitress seeing us wrestle with this project offered, "We have boxes; would you like me to get one?" We burst out laughing.

Bob: "Styrofoam boxes?"

Waitress cheerfully: "Uh-huh!"

Bob: "No thanks. It'll just sit in a landfill for 100,000 years."

Waitress confused: "Then you don't want one?"

Bob politely: "No."

Still not getting that we are avid environmentalists, she returned a few minutes later with a plastic bag. She seemed surprised when we refused that too. We should have taken it to at least recycle it because she just probably put it in the trash. Sigh.

In the future, I probably will bring a couple of reusable containers with us--yes, even on date night. I don't think about it because we go out so infrequently, but just like with cloth bags, every little bit counts. Even though I'm happy Knoxville now recycles styrofoam, it's always better to not use it in the first place.

A few fun facts about styrofoam:

• Each year Americans throw away 2.3 million tons of packing peanuts, used coffee cups and other Styrofoam products. Source here.
• Styrofoam products take up approximately 25 to 30 percent of space in landfills around the world. Source here.
• Styrofoam was invented in 1952 and is created from petroleum and natural gas by-products. It's unclear how long it takes to biodegrade, but once it does, harmful chemicals can eventually end up in groundwater. Source here.
• Burning landfills containing Styrofoam release 57 dangerous chemical byproducts into the air. Source here.

Top 8 for Earthfest

Call me a crunchy chic, call me an earthy geek, but I had a GREAT time at Earthfest yesterday. If you missed it, too bad, but Oak Ridge is having its Earth Day next Saturday, April 24, 11am-3pm. Many of the same vendors will be there with the addition of lots more based in Oak Ridge. Check it out!

Due to our busy schedule, I actually went to Earthfest twice: once with the kids and once without. Here are the Top 8 Reasons I'm glad I went:

• Kids Tent: They had several eco-friendly crafts which Bobby loved. I'll be repeating some of these for them during the summer. They turned toilet paper rolls into bugs, made art with seeds and glue, and painted their own canvas bag with vegetables. Bobby painted his initials with a carrot, stamped shapes with potatoes, and made interesting effects with broccoli and artichokes.

• Thank you, Earthfare, for that $10 off $30 purchase coupon. I'll probably be using mine on 4/22 to get one of your free reusable bags along with organic apples, potatoes, and strawberries--on sale for $3--zowie! (Kroger had organic strawberries for $6.25 last week).

• All the major solar installers in Knoxville were there. In no particular order: EETN, Green Earth Solar, and Sustainable Future. If you own a business and are interested in solar, this is a particularly good time to pursue that technology. A system could pay for itself within 5-7 years!

• Alcoa was selling their very sturdy recycling bins for $5 each (a great value). Since we've loved the one we got last year, we picked up another one. Tip: If you don't yet recycle, start with aluminum and steel. I'll be posting about the many reasons why in the future.

• The Green Living Tent was filled with expert farmers. I learned there is not a single certified organic farmer in all of Tennessee, largely because of the expense and red tape involved. However, dedicated farmers to sustainable farming practices have created a comparable certification: Certified Naturally Grown. There are 15 CNG farms within 100 miles of Knoxville and 5 or 6 of them--including Organicism Farms and Colvin Family Farm--regularly sell at our farmers' markets. Look for them on your next visit.

• Farmer's Market tip: Off the record, some of the farmers I spoke with preferred the Market Square Farmer's Market to the others. Starting May 1, I'll probably be making that part of my routine: Saturdays 9am - 2pm, Wednesdays 11am - 2pm. We're also partial to the New Harvest Market because the kids can play on the playground and splash pad during the summer.

• I stopped to chat with the police in charge of the medication disposal program. I learned that they dispose of them through incineration. In a special giant oven with enormous heat, an entire batch of unwanted medication is evaporated within 30 seconds. Cool! This program is important to keep powerful medicines out of our water supply. So NEVER throw away extra antibiotics. Take them to the police department downtown instead.

• Finally, I was SO EXCITED to learn there is now a way to recycle styrofoam--what I call "the scourge of the earth." I bought a massive plastic bag from the Knoxville Recycling Coalition for $5. Once I fill that with as much styrofoam as I can fit, I drop it off at their Bearden location, take my bag home and fill it up again as many times as I need--no additional costs. With special machines, they compress an entire bag into a dense block you can hold. They in turn sell this to a company that uses it in their products. I encourage you to buy a bag to do the same. I'm going to offer to accept styrofoam for my entire neighborhood. Think about all the electronics, kids' toys, etc. that are shipped with styrofoam that now will never see landfill! Gives me the warm and fuzzies just thinking about it! ;-)