You CAN recycle that water filter!!

How many folks out there have a Brita water pitcher and throw your filters away when it's time to replace them? (A scarier question however is, how many of us keep using the filters in our pitchers long after they expire?? )


Well, I'll fess up that up until a week or so ago, I didn't really think about what to do with these filters... I mean, I've been a Brita pitcher user for at least 8 years or so, ( or however long they've been out) and not once have I lamented over not knowing what to do with the used filters. I guess I figured, one every 3 months, how big a deal is it really?


Until now, of course. Now that I am accountable to the world (or at least 4 of you!) via this blog, I find that I am acutely aware of many things that previously slipped under my radar.


So this past week when I changed my filter, I put the old one aside, remembering that I'd read something somewhere about how to recycle these.... hmmm, where did I see that article? Oh yes, in my favorite magazine, body+soul! I was psyched to find, on page 24 of the July/August issue that you can recycle these filters, "along with any other hard-to-recycle #5 plastics, through Preserve's Gimme 5 program."


Preserve is the company that takes Stonyfield Farm yogurt cups and uses the recycled plastic to make toothbrushes, razors, tablewear, etc.... Check them out at http://preserveproducts.com/ At their site you can find if theWhole Foods near you is a Gimme5 location , or how you can mail your #5 plastics directly to Preserve.

I encourage you to visit their site, as it is also full of information about their process and products, and how they assess their "greenness" through a third party Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). An LCA measures all aspects of a product's sourcing, manufacturing, packaging, usage and disposal process, giving a true measure of the REAL impact of a product on the environment and resources. Daniel Goleman talks about this in his book "Ecological Intelligence"... a great read for those really interested in understanding the impacts of their choices... and the power of their pocketbook.


Ok, now that I've sent you all over the internet for more information I will leave you to consider this: What is one thing that you've been thinking about doing greener... but you just haven't done it yet?

It could be as simple as buying a truly green product to support an authentically sustainable company, or as in depth as working to convince YOUR company to become aware of its carbon footprint.

What would it take for you to move in that direction... starting today? What shift do you need to push you past the point of complacency into action? Can you imagine how empowering it would be to take that action and know that you have acted in accordance with your vision for a better world?

Go ahead, give it a try... and let me know about it.

When does green really mean GREEN?

"It's a simple and delicious way to prepare salmon" my friend Samara said. "All you need is a grill pan, olive oil, salt and pepper, and it comes out perfectly every time."

When I looked at her quizzically she said "You do have a grill pan, don't you?"

"You mean a broiler pan?"

I could tell my Barefoot Contessa loving friend was only partly surprised by my culinary naivete. But that's what friends are for, right? To love you for all that you are, and aren't. So Sam lovingly explained the ins and outs of grill pans...including the necessity of the stove top to oven variety and the non-stick surface. I cringed at the thought of buying a Teflon pan given all of its health hazards... but she said her sister had bought a cast iron one and it did not do as good a job. The non-stick surface, she said, was key.

I had to give this some some serious thought...this was the perfect addition to my Friday night dinner party, but I needed to explore more online.

Fast forward to yesterday midday... I needed to get out and buy some salmon and my grill pan, but time was running out before my friends were due to arrive, and I had not done any research on line.... so I ran (drove, actually) to Bed, Bath and Beyond to see what I might find.

There, in its own little section labeled "Green Gourmet" by Cuisinart, were half a dozen pieces of cookware touting 100% recycled packaging, and "eco-friendly" marketing jargon. Immediately, the doubt entered: Have I discovered the option of my dreams? Or just a cheap (well not so cheap) marketing ploy.

Let me just pause in my story here to say that I am IN the advertising and marketing business. For the past 16 years I have helped companies reach consumers looking for green/natural/organic products. Although for the most part my clients are the ones with the authentically green products, I am well aware of those who are not. "Greenwashing", the subtle and effective ways companies tout qualities (no matter how insignificant) to gain green consumers' trust, has become the rage. So immediately my "green-dar" started beeping and I wished I had done my homework before walking into the store.

• PTFE and PFOA Free Nonstick Cooking surface (Sounds good, eh? But is this the stuff that makes Teflon hazardous?)
  
• Ceramic based Petroleum-Free Nonstick Conserves Oil Consumption (OK, this one makes me laugh... conserves what kind of oil consumption? Petroleum or cooking oil? Was this lack of clarity purposeful? Some one in their marketing department needs to fix this bullet point)
  
• Scratch-Resistant Nonstick surface won't peel (OK, well at least I do know that I don't want pieces of any surface in my food, so this sounds good)
  
• And then, the absolutely meaningless jargon that always hits the target: "Eco-Friendly" Ceramica non-stick interior.
  
• And the kicker: Packaging made from 100% recycled materials.

OK, so I had to make a choice (I think I covered my choice making challenges in my prior post!), and I was running out of time. Thoughts: Am I being bamboozled and falling for meaningless claims? Am I supporting the greenwashing trend by buying based on their bullet points? Will this pan be as good as a Teflon one, and will my salmon come out like Sam said it would? And, since I really don't cook that often, does it really matter?

After deliberating for far too long, I made the purchase (with out the 20% off coupon that went out with the recycling earlier that morning) and headed over to Whole Foods to buy the ingredients for my dinner. I was thrilled that they had Fresh (not previously frozen), Wild (not farm raised) Salmon, and that it was on sale!

Dinner, along with the rest of our evening was a huge success; including enjoyment of the fire pit once it stopped raining. I did, however, pay dearly this morning for my overindulgence in mixing beer, gin and tonics and Frangelico, but used my recovery time today to research what I now think was a good "green" purchase.

Oh, and on the subject of Wild vs Farm raised fish, some words of wisdom:

It's probably NOT the best idea on a first date to ask the waiter if the grilled salmon dish the guy has just ordered, and that you are now considering, is farm raised or wild. That is if you want to see him again ... :)