I’m often accused of being peppy, positive and even worst, optimistic. And, I wouldn’t have it any other way. But today, I’m sorry to say, I fell into a place of deep sadness. I literally screamed something like, “Are we crazy?! Are we desperately trying to kill all species, including our own?” All that after opening my box of eco cleaning products. Who would have thought that a delivery that should have been met with a saving-the-planet-one-squirt-of-dish-soap at a time squeal of enthusiasm would be met with utter dismay.
Living a busy life in New York City often leads to last minute, almost-out-of-toilet-paper like crises. When all else fails (and since I’m not willing to sacrifice my don’t-destroy-mother-nature standards for an impulse buy) I shop online for such essentials. I couldn’t have been happier last night when I logged on to soap.com to buy my favorite Seventh Generation toilet paper, Ecos laundry detergent and Ecover dish soap.
However, when the boxes greeted me at home this evening, I was immediately suspicious. I could barely wrap my arms around one of them, and by the time I wrestled it up the stairs and tore it open, all I found was a package of Seventh Generation recycled paper towels surrounded by twice its volume of inflatable plastic protectant. Now what, I must ask, is going to bludgeon my paper towels to oblivion that so much plastic protectant is needed? But what really hit my heart was a note on the edge of the blow up packaging that told me to visit a website, fillair.com, for information on how to recycle. Curious and die hard in my quest to recycle, I did. I was welcomed with this:
To recycle Fill-Air®, Fill-Air® RF and Rapid Fill® material, please do the following:
Deflate (by poking a hole in the bag) and flatten the bags.
Fold the flattened material and place it inside an appropriate sized envelope or small carton.
Affix the appropriate postage to the shipping envelope or carton.
Address the envelope or carton to:
Ameri-Pak, In
Sealed Air Recycle Center 477 South Woods Dr. Fountain Inn, South Carolina 29644 Tel: +1-800-982-6197
Upon receipt of the material, it will be ground up and re-pelletized, so it can be used to make a variety of products from trash bags to automotive parts, which can also be recycled.
I’m truly happy this company has put recycling on its radar. Yet, I’m still befuddled as to why a company serious about recycling wouldn’t make it just a little bit easier. No one I know would seriously deflate the packaging, buy a large envelope, pay the postage and ship some plastic bags off to a company in Fountain Inn, South Carolina.
Instead, dear soap.com, biodegradable peanuts abound. Old packaging material from vendors can be reused once again. And easiest of all, you can simply use less packaging. I didn’t order packaging, so I’d like to return it. Landfill- and hassle- free.
(Photos, compliments of SeaOtter22 (top and bottom) and Journ (center).
These days, I have new joy. Let’s call it the Art of Eye Candy. Here’s how it goes: I walk into a clothing shop like a kid in a candy story and flee the scene an hour later still gleeful and, here’s the kicker, shopping bag free. If you had asked me 150-days ago, given the right shop, like the slow fashion boutique, Kaight, or like my new love, Treasure & Bond (pictured above and below), I would have guiltily murmured, “Impossible!”
Now don’t get me wrong—I LOVE the rush of finding the perfect pair of upcycled, recycled, someday biodegradable booties or the organic jeans in just the right wash of indigo, and that will never change. But, I also have to say that since I’ve been on a 150-day no shopping spree, I’m gaining healthy perspective and creativity that comes from browsing my closet each morning like a department store and walking into a shop and seeing it like a fine art gallery. The way the light bounces off the shiny metal cuff; the stitch of the alpaca knit hat; the razor straight inseam of the high-waisted pants. These are what I see now. I’ve always felt that true quality fashion is art—masterpieces woven from a designer’s life story that I proudly hang in my closet and wear like totem poles standing for something monumental. Now, I also just breathe it in for the simple love of the art, the craft and its beauty.
Thanks to Treasure & Bond for its refreshing inspiration. Owned by Nordstrom, where this Organic Girly spent her teenage years dressing customers head-to-toe, all of this shop’s profits go to local New York City children’s charities in exchange for the market research insights they are gaining through their new Soho store. Imagine that—a retail store that says “Thank you” first! Stop by and take a look. While not solely dedicated to the sustainable realm, their selection and simple design and displays are captivating—nothing short of eye candy.
(Photos compliments of Organic Girly.)
