Earth day is the perfect day to introduce you to a new product and some information about washing dishes! Because you know the Helpful Housewife loves anything that has to do with the kitchen and making life easier for us all, as well as making it environmentally friendly along the way.
As a general rule of thumb, I'm not a huge fan of paper plates and paper towels unless they are post consumer recycled content, they are compostable, or you are going to actually recycle them. Of course, in a pinch, they are a great invention! And there are some great companies out there, such as Seventh Generation, that make products that I do support and purchase because of their ethic and mission. As for washing your regular dishes, did you know that a dishwasher is actually BETTER for the environment than washing by hand? But only if it is an energy star rated appliance and you run it only when it's full? You actually use less water with the dishwasher! (And less work & time by you, too.) And if you use one of the green dishwasher detergents, you are making an even better choice for mother earth. But if you have an older dishwasher that isn't an energy star rated appliance, opt for the handwashing scenario. Just don't run the water constantly, and wash a sink full, not a dish here and there. Maximize to minimize.
The product I promised you the other day, and at the beginning of this post, is a brand new product called EarthShell Dinnerware, and right now it is on sale at Meijer stores 2/$4. If you must use disposable plates or bowls, try these! They are biodegradable, heavy duty, soakproof, grease resistant, cut resistant, and -- get this! -- microwave safe! They are actually made from vegetable starch and limestone. They even come in a biodegradable bag! After dinner you can take your kitchen scraps out to the compost bin in the bag or on the plates and just toss the whole kit and caboodle in the bin! No mess, no muss! How wonderful is that?
They list a website on their packaging for www.earthshell.com, but it isn't up and running yet. If you click here, you'll be taken to their current webpage that lists their information and additional links to more information on their products. You can even order in bulk if you really fall in love with their plates and bowls! And did you know that shopping online is actually good for the earth? When you buy in bulk and have it shipped like that, the packaging is actually reduced; the carbon emissions are definitely reduced because it's combined in the shipments of millions of other people who are placing orders all over the world from any number of companies and is simply in the transportation chain along with the other packages; and you are buying what you want, and not purchasing those impulse things at the checkout lane that just end up in the landfill!
Anyway, a big 2 thumbs up for EarthShell Dinnerware! And it's on sale right now at Meijer stores for Earth Day, through this Saturday...
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