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green living
EarthXFilm Strike Out Straws Campaign
Eco-Packaging Progress Report
Innovative Uses of Pulp, Paper and Mushrooms by Avery Mack
Manufacturers need to protect their products from damage and theft, and also want them to stand out on retail shelves. A common result has been hard-to-open containers relying on excessive cardboard and plastic. Today, more manufacturers are responding to consumer requests for less packaging, making it easier on both people and the planet.
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hether shopping online or in a local store, more eco-friendly options are available and they’re worth seeking out. In grocery stores, look for cellophane packaging made from corn, wheat or potatoes that replaces traditional plastic packaging used for candy, spices, nuts, produce and bath products. Cellulose, made from sustainably harvested wood pulp, one of nature’s most abundant materials, makes for a sturdy bio- and marine-degradable bag that is suitable for home composting. Resistant to oil, fat and grease, it is also microwavable and oven-safe at low temperatures. Fenugreen uses antibacterial, antifungal spices infused into a tea that is soaked into clean, biodegradable FreshPaper. It works in conjunction with store packaging or storage containers to keep bread, fruit, vegetables and cheese fresh. Kavita Shukla, founder and CEO, says, “Each paper lasts about a month. A distinct, maple-like scent says the paper is actively working to keep food fresh two to four times longer than usual, preventing food waste due to spoilage.”
Quinn Snacks’ revolutionary Pure Pop Bag of microwave popcorn contains no genetically modified corn, synthetic chemicals or plastic coatings, so unlike other brands, its packaging is compostable and biodegradable. Consumers add the included salt and spices after the popping, allowing the addition of natural ingredients while maintaining the integrity of the food’s natural oil and flavor. Food carry-out used to mean polystyrene (Styrofoam) containers, but now consumers have the safer option of pulp products that break down completely in backyard compost heaps or through commercial recycling. The pulp comes from North American-sourced hardwoods, which reduces its travel footprint and supports environmentally aware suppliers. Mycelium, another Styrofoam substitute, uses mushroom roots as glue to hold together other sustainable, compostable agriculture byproducts like corn stalks. The result creates shipping materials that cradle wine bottles, computers and other fragile items to prevent breakage.
by Sheila Julson arthXFilm has launched Strike Out Straws, in which individuals and businesses can pledge to stop using single-use plastic straws. People can take the pledge online at Tinyurl.com/ StrikeOutStrawsPledge. EarthXFilm has also partnered with vendors to provide discounts on reusable or biodegradable paper straw alternatives to plastic straws. Single-use plastic straws are consistently among the Ocean Conservancy’s top 10 items of beach litter. According to the Plastic Pollution Coalition, an organization working to eliminate plastic pollution and its adverse impact on the environment and wildlife, more than 300 million pounds of plastic are produced each year, and an estimated 5 trillion non-biodegradable plastic particles are already bobbing throughout the oceans. It is estimated that 1 million sea birds, 100,000 mammals and countless fish are killed every year due to ingesting plastic or getting entangled in plastic pollution. Australian scientists Denise Hardesty and Chris Wilcox estimate, using trash collected on U.S. coastlines during cleanups over five years, that there are nearly 7.5 million plastic straws lying around America’s shorelines” They further estimated that 437 million to 8.3 billion plastic straws litter the entire world’s coastlines. EarthXFilm’s Strike Out Straws goal is to eliminate 1 million straws by April 2019. Dallas area restaurants and hotels that have taken the Strike Out Straws pledge include Al Biernat’s Oak Lawn and North locations, Alinea Restaurant, Cindi’s New York Deli & Restaurant, Houlihan’s, The Keg Steakhouse + Bar, Embassy Suites by Hilton Denton Convention Center and Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek. People can further create awareness by simply requesting, “No straw, please,” at bars and restaurants.
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November 2018
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