Why Use Plant Based Plastics?

If you checked out our poll, you probably guessed that RSVP does not belong, and that is because it is not an alternative to plastic.

Peggy Denny, at the University of Guam, explains the difference between a few types of plant-based biodegradable materials.

"Corn-type plastics are made from processing harvested corn into starch, and this is then turned into sugar. The sugar is then converted into polylactic acid (PLA), which is then blended with different starches and shaped to create food containers and cups. Using PLA in corn-based plastics conserves energy by using about half the resources that are generally used to produce plastics. Items made of PLA can tolerate temperatures up to 120 degrees, generally cannot be microwaved, but are freezer safe. 
image from: http://www.greengood.com/

Similar to PLA, potato starch is a type of PSM or plant starch material. PSM is synthesized from a variety of starches and this process increases the heat-resistant properties of this product. PSM tolerates temperatures up to about 200 degrees, some types are microwavable, and it is freezer safe.

Bagasse products are made from salvaged sugarcane pulp, which is converted to a paper-like substance. Using this end product of sugarcane processing eliminates the burning of the stalks, which contributes to air pollution and greenhouse gases.
Bagasse disposables tolerate temperatures up to 200 degrees, can typically be microwaved, and are freezer safe. "

Read her full article here. Got questions about Biodegradable materials? We will try to find the answers.

(Don't ask me how I know this, but if you reuse these containers, don't pour hot soup into one, unless you want to watch it shrink like the wicked witch of the west.)

Green up your morning coffee...

Folks who went to the Canmore Folk Fest are talking about the pasta alternative to wood stir sticks.

I mentioned this to my friends at 3 Bananas and their first impression was that food should not be thrown away. This kind of surprised me, but having been raised by people who lived through the depression and then the war I certainly understood that reaction.

(I learned that this coffee house is already doing a bunch of stuff to reduce waste, Bravo!)

Of course, harvesting, transporting, and processing wood is incredibly energy intensive. The pasta option has big environmental and economic benefits, like local products and manufacturing, plus kitsch options like spelling out fashionable words, or bright orange and green Carrot shapes.

Despite the sign in this photo, I don't think the stirring would take long enough to cook the noodle, but hey, if it does, why not make them Biscotti Flavoured and reduce waste even more?!?

Volunteer Opportunity: Talk to your favourite barista about it, and then log your hours under the "Building Awareness..." activity on myVolunteerPage.com.

Have a great weekend, and don't forget your travel mug!

Compostable disposables issue broadens

I have been trying to get my tiny brain around the Biodegradible products and packaging issue for some time.

SunChips, of course, comes to mind as a recent addition to the discussion. For those of you not following this, the packaging has been discontinued in the US, and celebrated in Canada.

I have had little luck with bio-d material in my home compost bin, and it seems others are having similar issues, like the University of Vermont.

Here is a new twist - packaging that can be just washed away. Although after reading this I wonder why we don't simply make all packaging out of chocolate in the first place. Yum!

On top of all that, the August edition of BioCycle magazine contains a bunch more information on the topic.

Leaves my tiny brain hurtin' for the good old days of wicker baskets and milk bottles.