I thought I’d start today’s blogpost with some actuarial figures.  Taking a very conservative actuarial assessment (not accounting for the previous medical history of McCain, the difficulty of the job of president, et al.) there is a 15.4% chance that Palin will become the next president.  That’s approximately 1 in 6, and if you add in McCain’s health issues, the numbers get much closer to 1 in 4 - a 25% chance that he will die in the next four years.  Thus, I’m going with the average number of 1 in 5.

Actuarial tables are extremely accurate - that’s how insurance companies make their money, by predicting precisely when people die.

This Salon article also carries the interesting statement:

Even a member of McCain and Palin’s own party, Senator Chuck Hagel, has said of Governor Palin, “I think it’s a stretch to, in any way, to say that she’s got the experience to be president of the United States.”

Zakaria thinks it is time for Palin to step down in his Newsweek article.   He also cites the actuarial tables.  And I think he’s right on the money.  It isn’t so much that she doesn’t have answers.  No one is going to have answers for everything, and that is why the president surrounds him/herself with quality advisors.  However, Zakaria brings it right on point: Palin doesn’t even understand the question!

Some might say - well, so what?  Palin isn’t very good, but she can’t harm much.  But Zakaria brings up other good points about what the next president faces:

The next administration is going to face a set of challenges unlike any in recent memory. There is an ongoing military operation in Iraq that still costs $10 billion a month, a war against the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan that is not going well and is not easily fixed. Iran, Russia and Venezuela present tough strategic challenges.

Domestically, the bailout and reform of the financial industry will take years and hundreds of billions of dollars. Health-care costs, unless curtailed, will bankrupt the federal government. Social Security, immigration, collapsing infrastructure and education are all going to get much worse if they are not handled soon.

And the American government is stretched to the limit. Between the Bush tax cuts, homeland-security needs, Iraq, Afghanistan and the bailout, the budget is looking bleak. Plus, within a few years, the retirement of the baby boomers begins with its massive and rising costs (in the trillions).

All of these things are true - this isn’t just another four years.  We are at the crux of major changes and decisions.  It’s time to acknowledge that with responsible choices.

Palin is too much in the media.  I promise that unless she does something of major stupidity, I won’t harp on her as much as I have been.  But she scares me.

I don’t think there’s any way to deny it - to vote for McCain/Palin really WOULD be voting for another four years.

• Sarah Palin doesn’t even realize that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are NOT government programs - at least, they weren’t until the government decided to bail them out.  This is just another part of the Bush-Can’t-Say-Anything-Without-Putting-His-Foot-In-His-Mouth administration.
• Sarah Palin’s team of advisors is stacked with Bush cronies.
• McCain can ease up on his “hard” Republican stance now that he has bulldog Palin on his ticket.  She’ll get the fundamentalist crazies foaming at the same time as appealing to the “average” American with her false rhetoric about being a small town mayor.  Doesn’t this remind you of a friendly Texan Governor and his bulldog Cheney?
• Lies, Lies, Lies, Lies, Lies and more Lies.  How does this make them any different from the Bush administration?  Guess what - It doesn’t.  It IS the Bush Administration.
• BS Politics.  Oh the hipocrisy drives me wild.  Perhaps McCain/Palin are trying to disgust Americans so much with their political machinations that they won’t bother to vote at all?  If Americans believed the filthy smears of the Republican party, I might get depressed and withdraw too.
• Defining “patriotic” as someone who would rather undermine the freedoms this country represents, including the freedom of speech to disagree with how things are going.  How about being read my rights? Unbelievable that we could even THINK about allowing someone like this into the highest office of the country.
• In Bed with Big Oil?  Literally.
• Lewis, a prescient novelist, once wrote that fascism won’t come to America wearing jackboots as in Nazi Germany, but acting like a good ole boy.

Seriously, do I need to go any further?  McCain/Palin represent the same old way of putting corporations over populations.

You want to say that social views don’t matter?  An administration’s social programs and beliefs directly impact their fiscal beliefs.  Those out there saying, “Well, I prefer Republican fiscal views” need to take another look at their fiscal views.  Our debt has gone up astronomically, we are paying for a war that should never have happened, and social security is in danger.

You want to say that the Vice President doesn’t do anything really?  Hmm, perhaps you should talk to Cheney, who has managed to twist many deals in the White House offices.

You want to cite experience?  Perhaps we should contemplate the experience of some of our founding fathers, or perhaps of myriad presidents before now?  Or Senators, or leaders of any movement?  Do you think that a preacher would be a good civil rights movement leader?  Perhaps we should consider the person, and not the background, the skin color, or gender.  Perhaps we should consider their ideas, the people they surround themselves with, and their ability to take on the burden of leading this country.  Perhaps we should consider how they reach out to us instead of how they ask us to reach out to them.  Perhaps we should look at what a person stands for, instead of stands ON.

Perhaps we should remember what Margaret Mead said:

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

You probably heard it, unless you were in the middle of the HarleyFest. My jaw dropping and hitting the desk when I read that McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate.

I don’t remember what my first thought was. It was one of the two: “Wow. Stupid.” Or “Wow, that pisses me off.”

I hope that all the Hilary supporters see through this really clumsy action. This isn’t McCain for Change. This is Same Old, Same Old. With the goal of attempting to reach out to the Hillary supporters who didn’t see their candidate, Republicans chose a young beauty queen to make McCain look less stodgy and more “reform”.

This proves, beyond a doubt, that Republicans have lost touch with reality, and the American people. By bringing in a “token” woman, Republicans have shown that they are still classist, still separatists that live in an America of the 50’s, rather than the global community.

The part that really burns my britches is the fact that it completely reveals Republican platform on women: attractive, a nice smile, and willingness to play the game of the boys matters more than brains, wits, or real experience. The fact that they think that women might choose to vote for Palin because of gender rather than skill or capability COMPLETELY MISSES the Hillary campaign phenomena.

Hillary was such a movement for many reason, but one of the strongest ones was that women FINALLY had a quality candidate that was a woman, not a female playing the typical political game. This candidate had experience, intelligence, wits and skills. Hillary managed to reach out and touch real topics that affect both men and women, and wasn’t afraid to grapple those topics that still are real issues - Choice, Rights, Equality for Women.

To choose Palin, who lacks experience, background, and any connection to the issues that women are concerned about, is a slap in the face of women. It’s the Republicans believing that “Tits, not Wits” are what get the female vote. It shows that they just don’t get it, and Republican Party just doesn’t understand how Americans think or vote. The only “change” Palin represents is that an old white guy is willing to have the woman stand next to him, instead of behind the desk out front.

Let’s look at the facts:

• Sarah Palin was a beauty queen pageant goer, and a Miss Congenality.
• Her husband works for BP, and she’s deeply enmeshed in the Oil Industry.
• Her experience as mayor was for a town of 9,000 people.
• She supports drilling in ANWAR.
• She thinks that creationism should be taught in schools.
• She is against gay rights.
• She is against women’s choice.
• She has 1.5 years experience as governor, of a state filled with people that largely prefer to remain left alone.
• On CNBC, she asked, “What does the vice president do?”
• She’s never been “the average woman”.
• She has a broadcast journalism degree from University of Idaho.
• She used to be a news anchor.
• She stepped into a governor position that was previously held by a corrupt leader who was about to be indicted. Not hard to be more ethical than that.
• Non-existent foreign policy experience.
• She’s being investigated for some unethical behavior with firing whoever doesn’t agree with her.
• Considers Alaska a “blue-collar state” and doesn’t support further education.

In the face of a 72 year old president, we have a barbie doll in place in case he goes down.  This isn’t change, guys.  It’s sad.  It’s proof that you just don’t get it.

Today, I read an article about how Apple, Inc. is suing New York City (aka, the Big Apple) for their environmental logo.  The claim by Apple is:

• the New York logo was “likely to cause confusion, mistake or deception in the minds of consumers.”

AND

• their internationally known logo was the one true corporate representation of tree-borne fruit.

So what do you think?  Here are the two logos, side by side. 

I think I understand though - Apple, Inc. is just paying forward their experience with Apple Records (or Apple Corp) which sued them in the seventies for use of the logo.   

The result of that litigation is that $80K went to Apple Records, and Apple Inc agreed to stay out of the music business.  That was until, in 2003, Apple opened its iTunes music store and the fight renewed.  Apple Corps lost that legal battle, but Apple, Inc. and Apple Corps settled their continued disputes privately not long after that.  Take a look at the logo comparison, and you can see why Apple, Inc. might have originally said, “What the heck?” (and if we included the original rainbow apple from the 70’s/80’s, it would be even more of a difference.)

Still, it doesn’t appear that Apple Corps ever claimed that it was the “one true corporate representation of tree-borne fruit.”  But Apple, Inc. appears to have learned a lesson from all of this - and apple is an apple is an apple, and they all should belong to Steve Jobs.

Seriously, Apple thinks people might become confused about the logos because all apples reference Apple, Inc.?   Even when New York City has been called the Big Apple since the 1800’s? Look out Adam and Eve and the story of creation! (hat-tip to a comment to the original article.)

Additionally, NYC’s goals are for environmental awareness and efforts to make the city greener.  Apple, Inc. is fighting a positive reform action that NYC is trying to take.

And the reasoning isn’t exactly parallel to the previous case where Apple Corp said, “Hey man, just keep your Apple out of the music business and we’ll be cool.” Apple, Inc. is claiming it owns the image of apples - in any corporate market.  ONE TRUE CORPORATE REPRESENTATION OF TREE-BORNE FRUIT.  Does that include plums and pears, as well as other tree-borne fruit?  Can you “own” the image of something natural?  Or is it really that you can own an interpretation of that natural item?

It really sounds a lot like fundamentalism.  “One true corporate representation” is eerily close to “one true God,” don’t you think?

I feel I have a message for Apple, Inc. : There’s this term called HUBRIS.  You should look it up.  It’s almost always accompanied by a great fall.

[Edit - Check out the Complaint filed by Jizo Sama.  Hilarious.]

Today I was reading Brazen Careerist and noticed Penelope referenced her ex-husband.  Click the link and, sure enough, she’s getting a divorce. 

As you may know, I am also getting a divorce.  The reasons are not the world’s business, and unlike Penelope, this blog is not the right medium for discussion regarding that background.  Suffice it to say, it was unhealthy to remain there and we are jointly filing.

But in reading the comments to her blog post about the decision to get a divorce - and her internal drive to always look forward and move on - I noticed that the world might need to be disabused of a few notions regarding divorce, or in some cases, any end of a long-term relationship. 

Ready?  Ok, let’s go.

1.   Divorce Means You Didn’t/Don’t Love Your Spouse (Or Breaking Up Means You Didn’t/Don’t Love Your Partner)

I’m putting this one first because I’m pretty sure that in 99% of the cases, this is not true.  I repeat, not true.  And the majority of people getting a divorce - or even breaking up from a long-term relationship - DO,  in fact, continue to love the person they started the relationship with.  Relationships don’t work for many many reasons, but rarely because the emotion wasn’t there.

Relationships are crazy things, and they can end because of lack of respect, lack of trust, lack of interest, and yes, even lack of love.  Committments can end because people have changed and they no longer see life the same way.  They can end because one side cannot give as much as the other side, or because they have grown to want other things.  Relationships can end because you hurt each other so much that it is not possible to go back and fix those wounds and live a full, happy life. 

Please stop thinking that “love” has anything to do with why two people don’t stay together.

So you’re saying, “Oh, if you loved each other, then the problem must be that…”

2.  Divorce Means You Weren’t Committed

Oh My God.  If I hear any of the following ever again, it will be too soon:

• Guess ’till death do us part’ doesn’t apply here.
• People these days just don’t want to work on their marriages.
• Everyone always gives up when the going gets rough.
• For better or for worse has become when it is no longer convenient.
• People used to stay together in marriage and find a way to make it work.
• Are you sure you tried everything to make it work?  It can’t be saved?  There’s no hope?

I thought I’d give a head’s up:  many (probably most) of us have worked on our relationships.  Quite a bit, with a lot of blood, sweat and tears.  We don’t want to get divorces.  We go into marriages with the intention of staying together forever, of being with that person till we are old and grey.  We buy into all of that, and believe it with all of our hearts.  Otherwise, we wouldn’t get married in the first place.

Why is it when someone breaks up with a long-term boy/girlfriend, they are supported and encouraged to start fresh, but when your marriage breaks up, you are a pariah and just didn’t give it enough time/energy/committment/love/effort?  Why is the contract of marriage more drama than the contract of relationship?  Why does that allow someone to judge me more than someone else? 

Sometimes, you can’t fix things.  Sometimes, it would take more energy than you have left in you to fix that relationship.  Things like respect, trust, intimacy - these all are hard to gain back.  Perhaps you thought you could fix it, but it required some sacrifices from the other half that they weren’t willing to live with.  Maybe, just maybe, you aren’t the same people you were, and you both will be healthier and happier separated. 

No one chastises you for ending a contract in business.  You move on when the deal no longer works for the parties involved.  Guess what - it’s like that here too.

Well, you’re now saying: So you tried to fix it.  That must mean that…

3. A Divorced Person has Issues

Oh yes.  I have three points here:

• Someone is mentally/physically/emotionally damaged and that’s why things didn’t work out. 

While true that one or more people in the relationship may have issues, that does not mean that the issue is the sole reason the relationship didn’t work out.  Thank you, but when a major relationship fails, we are more than capable of blaming ourselves for everything, so you don’t need to contribute.  Yes, we should look at things clearly and honestly, but rarely is one thing the source of the end of a relationship.  And, sometimes you are damaged as a result of the relationship.  Well I guess that means…

• Now you’re damaged goods.

Thanks - I needed the vote of confidence.  Don’t worry, I’m already thinking that, somehow, my failed marriage means that I am not fit to give advice, be a good friend, be a quality employee, or be a health individual.  It’s part of the process of dealing with the ending relationship.  We look to assign the blame.  It doesn’t mean any of those things.  AND - It also doesn’t mean that I cannot have quality relationships that are long-lasting. It doesn’t mean I can’t marry again.  It doesn’t mean that other marriages will fail. 

• One person is responsible for the divorce because they….

I’ve got a news flash - no one person is ever responsible for the end of a relationship.  It always involves poor decisions and actions of both parties.  And yes, I’m using the word “always“. Because it is truth.  It is never that one person didn’t sacrifice enough.  Even abusive relationships involve poor decisions on the part of both people.  Owning up to one’s appropriate portion of responsibility is part of the healing process.

Regardless, after a relationship ends, you must need…

4.  Prescription for Some Time Alone

It always seems like people know what is best for you.  After a long relationship breaks up, that means you should spend some time “with yourself” - aka, stay single, and perhaps you shouldn’t even date for a while.

Ostensibly, this means any of the following: finding yourself, resolving your issues, avoiding a rebound, process what has happened, be single to kill any dependency issues, figure out if the reason your relationship tanked is because you are screwed up. 

This may be something that people need to do after a break-up - I cannot deny that, and I’ve done it before.  However, it is not a universal prescription for every person, and may not apply to every situation.  Some people feel it important to have time to have time alone after a breakup to process what happened and how they feel.  Others might have spent plenty of time doing that during the relationship.  Each situation is unique. 

Overall, it isn’t bad advice - but one must temper it with the fact that it may not apply to the person you are talking to.  And really, it isn’t your place to judge what is right for another person.  So if someone starts dating soon after a breakup, keep your snotty whispers to yourself.  It’s part of moving on. 

Conversely, if someone decides they want to take some time to themselves, as long as they aren’t throwing a rope over the rafters, be their friend and don’t pressure them to get back into the game. 

5.  The Fact that it Ended Means It Had No Value

There’s a quote I want to share. 

There’s a trick to the Graceful Exit.  It begins with the vision to recognize when a job, a life stage, a relationship is over — and to let go.  It means leaving what’s over without denying its value.

–Ellen Goodman 

This piece of advice might apply better to those having the break-up as well as onlookers.  Yes.  It didn’t work.  That doesn’t mean there weren’t good things about it.  That doesn’t mean I’m happy about the fact that it ended, or that I would change my mind at this point.  I find a tendency out there to completely trash the whole past rather than accept the growth one got from it and move on. 

Frankly, I think this is tragic - and I don’t use that word often.  People make choices based on the person they were at that time.  People change.  But to look back and denigrate what choices you made with the information you had at the time is to not only belittle where you were then, but also all the growth you’ve experienced and where you are now.

6. It’s a Sad Thing, Not Always a Bad Thing

I don’t want a cake.  I don’t want drinks.  I don’t want a party.  It isn’t something happy for me to be getting a divorce, so when it is final, I’m not expecting to whoop it up around town and declare - Whee!  I’m a free woman again!  I am grateful now that I got out while it was still time to salvage myself from more damage.  I’m not going to toast the passing of a relationship.  I might sigh in relief when it is all done because it is sad, annoying and painful, even more so if you have children.

It’s a passage, and it deserves some respect. 

Once upon a time, I used SBCglobal (a Yahoo company) for my phone and internet services.  That was around 3 years ago.

A couple days ago, when visiting with a friend, she indicated that she had found a strange charge on her account for $2.99 for Yahoo voice.  She called and disputed it with them.  However, before she could fully dispute it, they requested so much information from her that she was very uncomfortable - passwords, addresses, phone numbers, and the number of the debit card that the erroneous charge was on.

Once they had all the information, they told her that someone had used her information to purchase the item, and they would refund the money.  They recommended that she call her bank and get a new debit card.

My friend was a little surprised that someone would steal her card number to buy yahoo voice services. It seemed also sort of odd that they needed so much information to cancel an erroneous charge. She immediately ordered a new card from her bank.

Today the same exact thing happened to me.  I found a charge to my bank account for $2.99 from Yahoo voice.  My story mirrors hers exactly, except that the woman on the phone said, “Oh, yes.  We can see that you did not make this charge.”  Which seemed, to me, odd.  I’ve also ordered another card. 

Given the recent nature of these events, we wondered if other people hadn’t had this happen to them and they didn’t notice the purchase on their bank account.  I’d recommend that you check your account.  Whether the debit card numbers are being mined somethow, or if Yahoo has set this up on purpose (or at least made a huge mistake they aren’t admitting to), with all the purchases being done this week, who would notice an extra $2.99?

You might say that you’ve never used Yahoo.  However, my friend never used Yahoo/SBCGlobal for anything - but used to use Flickr as a professional account, and Flickr was purchased by Yahoo.

Goes to show you that information never gets truly wiped away.

I did a search today and there isn’t much out there yet about others having this same issue.  However, I found one other person  had the same exact issue in the last week, and then I found another who had an issue with a different aspect of Yahoo in early November.  Apparently, Yahoo charges accounts at their whim.

Just another reason why I’m no longer with them. 

So the White House has received a court order from the Supreme Court saying that they have to preserve ALL their emails.  Because, well, they just misplaced 5 million emails, according to an NPR Story. 

Oh wait, let me be clear.  When asked for these emails, at first the White House said they were lost.  Then the White House claimed that those emails are actually priviledged.  Now the White House has indicated that the emails have “gone missing”.

These 5 million emails are all from the time between March 2003 and October 2005.  You know, periods in time when the White House was dealing with things such as Hurricane Katrina, the US Attorney Firings, and the Ideological Prosecutions occuring nationwide. 

Even more incriminating is that most of these emails were purportedly sent on private Republican National Committee (RNC) email accounts, which many individuals in the White House were conducting White House business over.  Not a pretty picture.

It’s also been said that the RNC  was using Blackberries to avoid Federal archiving laws. 

It isn’t just Republicans who have managed to subvert the public disemmination of email.  The Clintons requested that this information remain private as well.  However, they did not delete the information - merely requested that emails between Bill and Hilary are not made public.  I certainly hope that doesn’t amount to 5 million emails.

Now they have a court order to save them.  Will that make a difference?

Incredulity #2.

I hate having such negative information to give out.  I really do.  I don’t want to  spend my blog posts writing about items that I feel people should know.  Well, I DO want to, because I want you to know.  But I’d much rather have a healthy mix of good and bad.

I really have been feeling lately like I’m in the Twillight Zone and this cannot be the world I’m supposed to exist in.  The slam of the recent jaw-dropping topics (plastic in the ocean, mercury in vaccines, the San Fran oil spill, and my next blog post topic - 5M emails ‘missing’ from the White House) just have made my brain spin, wondering if I really am seeing all of this happen. 

Let’s not forget that China has had numerous exports pulled because of lead contamination, and one toy pulled because the chemicals in it become a date-rape drug when ingested.  From a NY Daily News article about the guy they executed (let me say that again - that they EXECUTED) who was the head of their food and drug administration -

 China is caught in a PR catastrophe after a series of export scandals: toothpaste tainted with antifreeze; contaminated pet food that killed as many as 4,000 American dogs and cats; lead paint on Thomas the Tank Engine toys; eggs colored with a carcinogenic industrial dye and frozen fish laden with pesticides.

Honestly, I can’t decide if I think it’s an effective retribution for potentially poisoning millions of people or human rights issue.  I’m leaning towards the former.  Perhaps fewer things like this would happen worldwide if your life was on the line.

Is this the world I really live in?  Has this sort of thing always been happening?  Or are we at some tipping point where I feel like the whole world has gone NUTS?! 

Anyway…back to my topic…the oil spill in lovely San Francisco Bay.  Yes, 58,000 gallons of oil is washing up on the beaches, spreading around the Pacific.  Probably going to join some of the plastic in the Pacific Trash Patch and have a little toxic get together shindig. 

This is me, holding my head in my hands.

And someone on NPR said something I’d not yet voiced.  How do these things HAPPEN?  Seriously - everytime I turn around there’s some oil spill endangering wildlife and ecosystems and I always think - Why?  Why does this have to happen?  It almost always ends up in some idiot who was being lazy or confused or drunk (in the case of the Exxon Valdez).  And I have to wonder - is this how we do business?  Is this who we have behind the wheels of our cars and our planes and our ships? 

This became something of a rant.  I’m sorry.  I’m just beside myself.  Onto the next incredulity.

Today, I was beset by moments of incredulity.  Three to be exact.  I’ll write about the other two in a moment.

The first was shared with me through an email reposting of an article that came out in the Journal Sentinel today.

Apparently, when you get a flu shot, you also getting a dose of mercury through a preservative that is used to create cost-savings for the corporations that are making them.  Thimerosal has been used as a preservative in vaccines since the 1930s. It is 49.6% mercury by weight and is metabolized into ethyl mercury and thiosalicylate. 

The negative effects of mercury have been known for some time.  Here is the EPA’s website on the effects of mercury.

The EPA classifies a liquid with 200 parts per billion of mercury as hazardous waste. The limit for drinking water is 2 parts per billion.

A typical 0.5 milliliter flu shot contains 25 micrograms — or 50,000 parts per billion — of mercury.

There has even been some conjecture that mercury is connected with autism.  It does make you wonder.  Babies and children are recommended to get flu shots - this year, according to the article, they are recommending that babies get TWO flu shots.  So, 100,000 parts per billion of mercury. 

The thing is that you don’t have to have a vaccine with mercury.  You can request one without.  But no one knows about this because - well - no one knows that there is mercury in the vaccines.

It’s not only Flu vaccines that have mercury.  Check out the table here with information about which vaccines have thimerosal.

Groups that are keeping abreast of the issues with thimerosal and mercury include the website Thimerosal News.

 Incredulity #1 done.  Onto #2 in the next post.

So, you read my post about the Continent of Trash in the Pacific called the Eastern Trash Patch.

And hopefully, you were appalled.

So, what do we do now?  I wanted to open this up to anyone and everyone to really brainstorm on what we can do to make a difference here?  No - perhaps you and I cannot go and clean up the Pacific Ocean (but hey…Hawaii is nearby…).  But can we do things to keep from adding to it?

Right now, I’m searching the net for ideas, and I’ll post more about my ideas in further “parts” to this post.  I’ll post my ideas and my findings.  But I really want to know what YOU do as well, because I know there are a lot of green-minded people out there.

Have you checked out Fake Plastic Fish?  This blogger is trying to change the world, one plastic item at a time.  She’s got a lot of stories about what she does to avoid plastic in her life.  Some are seemingly annoying.  Others are pretty easy.  Here are a few items from her List of non-plastic alternatives:

Stopped drinking bottled water and bottled soda except for the occasional glass bottle of seltzer. Now, I fill up my stainless steel Klean Kanteen bottle with filtered tap water before leaving the house and refill it wherever I happen to be. If I have a craving for soda, I buy seltzer in glass bottles and add a little fruit juice. I’m considering buying a soda maker but haven’t gone there yet.

Carry reusable utensils in my backpack. I bought this cute little To-Go-Ware utensil set, but there are also stainless steel travel utensils as well as just plain reused plastic cutlery. I’m not suggesting anyone go out and buy new plastic forks and spoons. But if you already have them in the house, why not put a few in your purse, backpack, or briefcase in case you’re out in the world and can’t live without a hot fudge sundae on your way to work?

Brought my own tableware, glass, and utensils to keep at the office. This way, I can avoid all the disposable cups, plates, and cutlery in the lunchroom.

When ordering online (which I’m trying to do less and less of), try to include a message to the seller requesting zero plastic or Styrofoam packaging. When this doesn’t work, I’ve started to send back unwanted plastic packaging with a letter of explanation. And I send back unwanted plastic I receive unsolicited in the mail or on my doorstep.

When ordering sodas or coffee in paper cups from take out places, try to always specify, “No straw and no lid.” This can be hard to remember. But the more you do it, the easier it gets.

Buy in bulk as much as possible. As I’ve mentioned before, we have some great bulk food stores here in the Bay Area (Rainbow, Berkeley Bowl, Whole Foods, for example) and I can get almost all dry foods as well as some personal care products from the bulk bins. These foods include rice and other grains, pasta, beans, seeds, nuts, all kinds of flour, baking soda and other dry baking ingredients, cereal and granola, pretzels and chips, some candy, tofu, oils, nut butters, olives, herbs, tea & coffee, and more things than I can think of right now. The key is bringing my own reusable bags and containers with me to the store. But even if you live in an area that does not have bulk food stores, you can still buy non-perishable goods in large size packages, which will decrease the amount of plastic used overall.

Reuse all the containers that I can. I especially love glass pasta sauce jars but I also save plastic tubs and bottles from products I bought before this project began.

Do household cleaning using white vinegar (which comes in a glass bottle), baking soda, Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap (which comes in 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles) and a few essential oils. Baking soda is awesome as an alternative to any kind of scouring powder. I cleaned my refrigerator with it the other day and was amazed how effective it is. I use a mixture of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water as an all-purpose spray cleaner (storing it in a reused spray bottle) and produce wash. I’m using the Bronner’s to wash the dishes, but I think I may have ruined it with too much lemon juice. (Does the lemon juice cancel out the soap?) So next time I’ll just add a few drops of a citrus essential oil and see if it works better.

Switched to compressed natural cellulose sponges for cleaning dishes (instead of synthetic) and other natural scrubbers and brushes. Compressed sponges are often sold without any plastic packaging because they don’t need to be kept moist. They expand when wet.

Avoid products sold in liquid form when a solid alternative is available. By doing this, I can reduce the need for plastic bottles and containers. I switched from liquid hand soap to bar soap, liquid shampoo to Lush bar shampoo (and am looking forward to trying Burt’s Bees bar shampoo when that is gone), Lush solid container-free deodorant (and am considering trying baking soda when that is gone), and am currently testing bars of shave soap (Simmons, Williams, and Lush Emperor of Ice Cream soap) instead of canned shave gel.

Brush my teeth with baking soda instead of toothpaste and use a Preserve toothbrush. Preserve toothbrushes are made from recycled plastic and are recyclable by sending them back to the company. Baking soda rocks, once again. More info here.

Switched to buying cases of Seventh Generation recycled individually wrapped toilet paper. It’s recycled, plastic-free, and I can get a great deal on it through Amazon.com.

Additionally, Fake Plastic Fish has a Plastics Guide, that explains a lot about the realities of plastics.

Green Sangha also offers information about non-plastic alternatives, and from their “Don’t Think Plastic Bags” come the following recommendations:

Alternatives to plastic bags→  Take alternative carry-out bags with you, made from all-natural fibers:  jute, hemp, woven cotton, and canvas are all available.  →  Use, and re-use, brown paper bags for fresh produce and bulk items such as beans and rice.→  Use no bags – simply pick things up and put them in your shopping basket (this works for large items such as apples, bananas, carrots, melons, etc.). Two large canvas bags of premium quality cost about $30, and should last about 10 years.  If plastic bag fees, under consideration in some

California communities, are instituted at a conservative 15 cents/bag, a family switching from four plastic shopping bags per week will recover its purchase cost in the first year.  In the nine years following, an additional $30 per year would be saved.

These are two websites that have immediate ways to make a difference that probably only cost a few cents more right now, in exchange for cost savings later.  Plastic bag charges are becoming more prevalent - Ikea is charging 5 cents per plastic bag. 

Please - share your thoughts and ideas!