would you like less trash with that?

To me, stepping lighter means not having to drop out of society, move to a cabin in and grow my hair out. Therefore, I think the possibility of never getting take out food or beverages again is, well, not a possibility.

But what am I to do with the plastic and Styrofoam garbage that's leftover, not to mention the guilt?

Biodegradable and compostable containers. Cutlery and straws that aren't individually wrapped. Condiment dispensers instead of packets. All of these things are available, so why aren't restaurants clamoring to implement them?

Cost, I'm guessing. Maybe availability. So in the spirit of convincing my friend and restaurant owner to go green, I'm committed to finding a solution to this issue. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, the folks over at ecoagents are busy encouraging everyone to adopt the phrase "Eco to Go," the Waste Reduction Store is making cups from corn, and Ecovoyageurs is getting kids to do garbage audits of their homes. Good work people.

disposables - less terrible, still bad

Starbucks napkins now read "Less napkins. More plants. More Planet. Less Napkins" and claim to be made from "100% recycled fibers with at least 40% post-consumer material in a bleach-free process." Still disposable, but you can feel less guilty about it (that is of course unless you're one of those people gobbling up rolls upon rolls of virgin trees a week in the form of paper towels.)

Starbucks also claims their cups are made with 10% post-consumer recycled fibre, which is more than our old stand-by Tim Horton's can say (since the wax lining in their cups makes them non-recyclable in most places). But shouldn't we be bringing our own mugs anyway?

Hundreds of millions of paper cups are tossed into trash bins across Canada every year, and they all wind up in landfills. Coffee shops have for years offered discounts for those that bring their own cup, but I rarely see people do it, and admittedly rarely do it myself. I guess because it's inconvenient. Or maybe it's because I secretly want to roll up the rim.

But whatever our selfish reasons, it's also time for the food and beverage industry to step-back and take a serious look at what they're contributing to landfills every day. Bridgeable containers and cups are now readily available and should be used. And as for our old nemesis, Styrofoam, it's time to say "absolutely not."