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Eating green Part II
Green Eating Part II
Last week's topic of the large amount of waste involved in quick service take out struck a chord; I heard from a lot of you! (For all the comments, click here, I have posted them at the bottom of the blog). Although the topic was about take out, the subject really applies to every type of food we buy, and of course, also everything else in life.
Having just been in Germany (if fact I am writing this at the Frankfurt airport, while waiting for our delayed flight), I paid a lot of attention to the way they do things in Europe. I hate to admit it, but they seem to live far "greener" lives than we do. It seems the packaging or plastic industry must have a pretty powerful lobby!
Things that I noticed, that we would no doubt be wise to adopt include:
Many people take "market baskets" to the market, and avoid having to use bags. If you do need a bag they charge for it, so there is added incentive to take your own. (And the market baskets are really great, I am bringing one home with me!)
The produce is not packaged, as it seems ours is more and more. Where I shop, strawberries, grapes, herbs, mushrooms, some tomatoes, etc. are all sold in plastic containers. At Trader Joe's , I store I love, almost every type of produce is in a plastic container or on a plastic tray that is wrapped in plastic wrap. Considering their organic focus, it seems a bit incongruous.
There was an obvious lack of styrofoam, in fact, I don't think I saw it in any shape or form in the last two weeks!
At quick service cafes, things aren't all wrapped and bagged automatically. If you are "eating in" your items are placed directly on a non-disposable plate, and drinks are in real glassware. Even if getting your items to go, they generally were not wrapped AND bagged. At one seafood place, the sauces were served in small cups made out of ice cream cone batter, rather than something disposable.
Bottles (such as Coke bottles) are sterilized and re-used, as they are in Mexico. (There is a telltale band around the bottles where they have rubbed against each other during the process). I have often wondered why we see the need to completely melt every glass item down after one use; it really seems outrageous when you think about it.
Many stores still have service counters so that there are no pre-packed meats, sausages (and there are a LOT of sausages in Germany!) or cheeses. You get exactly what you want, so only one wrap is necessary.
They use far more paper type products and far less plastic in all types of food service, I never saw a plastic clam type container. Even at the grocery store, most juices -- that would be sold in the US in heavy plastic bottles -- come in tetra-paks. Even items with the same brand names as here are packaged far more green for their European customers.
Their recycling program seems far ahead of ours. We saw recycling containers everywhere: stores, restaurants, on the street, even at the airport. And it seems that everyone participates.
One thing I loved was that many downtown areas have become "traffic free" zones. Cars can pull up to load or upload and then must move, making the streets for pedestrians, bikes, etc. The cafes and shops spill out into the street, creating a wonderful atmosphere and a great feeling of community.
I read that Germany now has one completely car-free town. Cars can be parked in one of two car lots at the edge of town (you must buy your parking space), outside of that there are no cars at all. 70% of the residents have decided to give them up all together. Of course, Europe is far ahead of us in other types of travel -- there are trains everywhere, so cars are less necessary for travel outside the community.
Smart cars are everywhere!
It is just that we are spoiled and demanding? Or are there politics behind some of these things as well? Email me and let me know your thoughts!
-Margie Follow on
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If I liked the restaurant food & service I would continue to patronize the business (especially if a locally owned restaurant or franchise chain location)- it looks like they put a lot of effort in your take out meal so that it would be in the best possible condition; they have a cost of doing business as well and stryofoam is a lot cheaper than a sturdy paper containers. Unfortunately restaurant takeout does provide a lot of left over clutter. Here are some steps I use to reduce takeout waste:
1) Refuse the packet of forks, knives, & napkins- I use my own silverware when eating takeout at home
2) Canvas Grocery Bags- I now have restaurants place my food in a cloth bag for take out
3) Utilize the styrofoam- I chop up the styrofoam into small pieces for use in gardening: add the larger pieces to soil in large planters to take up space & reduce waste, smaller pieces (crumbs) to soil for plants that require quick draining soil like cactus and other succulents, etc
4) Paper bags and napkins can be recycled with either newspaper or office paper
5) Since I eat at a lot of Asian restaurants, I take my own pair of collapsable chopsticks so I don't use the complimentary wooden sticks
Maybe it's the boyfriend you may need to change ;-)
Tom Furlong
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Love your blog – I’ve written one about recyclable packaging and cosmetics – what do you think? http://vinotherapyskincare. Would love your thoughts! Thanks. Sue Redenbaugh
President
WINE COUNTRY NATURALS a division of Medispa Resources Inc. _______________________________________________ Hello Margie, It was very interesting for me to read your last two newsletters. I am German and just moved to New Zealand about 6 months ago, and even here, in this little country, where tourists believe everything is perfect and ‘green’, it’s more like you describe it from the US than it is in Germany. They just start doing some waste sorting and I am shocked about all the plastic rubbish we have in New Zealand. Every bottle you buy is plastic and you cannot give it back for recycling. Even worse are the cans, millions get sold here a day, I would imagine, and they are so so bad for the environment. In Germany we have to pay for cans now, so that we get money back when we bring the can back to a shop (to stop people from throwing them out of car windows etc.). That almost got rid of all cans, which is a good thing. When I first came here I couldn’t believe, that you still get free plastic bags in supermarkets (some supermarkets changed this in the meanwhile!) and they just put 2 or 3 items in one bag and then use another one. That makes me angry, so I tell them to put as much in as possible, if I forgot my reusable bags. Very sad is, that America doesn’t want to sign the Kyoto protocol. As one of the biggest polluters… What can all the others do without the US, China and Russia? But that probably goes to far and we are not the deciders… There must be so many clever ideas out there, that could help to sustain the earth, but it all gets blocked off by some big industries and politicians, which is a real shame. It should be lots more affordable to do things for the environment, not more expansive. Those things should be sponsored and not the other way around. I believe there is a family here in NZ who tries to live without waste for one year. (Must be somewhere in google.) That’s really cool. Sorry for letting it all ‘out’ like that, but that’s what comes into my mind every time I read or hear about all the unnecessary waste in the world. Best regards, Kendra
The Cellar Door ___________________________________________________ I grew up with all those European values and recall paying a fee for the garbage bags we used AND they had to be the right recycling items in them or the Swiss garbage men wouldn’t pick it up and you were left to remove it from you life. We had 5 bins for recycling too! I know America has always been in the “new world” mode even after some 200 years. It’s sad that we are forced to follow Europe’s steps only after a crisis!!!
Laura Wegner - President, LILY CREATIVE GROUP
________________________________________________ I liked your article...How about doing one on Micro Distillers...and the new movement in the U.S. We are making everything from Vodka's to single malt Whiskies... to Grappa. I would loveto talk with you....By the Way you mentioned Trader Joe's... I make Trader Joe's Raspberry wine...Try it over Ice Cream or chocolate cake... I will send you a bottle....email your shipping address.
Thanks again
Jim Busuttil
Saint James Spirits ______________________________________________________
Welcome back! Pursuant to your Green 2, I take a large straw market bag with me when I go to either Planet O or Oxbow Produce & put my food in to it w/out any additional bags w/ the exception of items that are very delicate then use only on biodegradable plastic bag. When ready to check out I load everything on the counter & reload into my bag. I don’t buy much produce at T Joe’s due to packaging. I keep a bunch of egg cartons & other misc. packaging material in the back of my wagon. I cannot stand using plastic from Safeway or another store. I prefer buying meat from So Mkt & fish from Osprey in Napa. They pack items in paper w/ wax. Oxbow Mkt uses all recycled material but their stores are kind of expensive. For Steffan & I its fine…I’m not feeding an army or doing big cooking projects. Rochelle Zatkin Architectural Signs & Associates ___________________________________________________ Thanks for the article. It is an interesting topic and one that becomes more interesting when you travel outside the US and see what other countries are doing. I was visiting friends in Germany a few years ago and noticed that my friend was picking through the garbage and separating it. I asked her what and why she was doing this and she replied that the garbage has to be separated into different bins: glass, paper to recycle and non-recyclable paper, plastic. These bins are then dumped into large dumpsters of the same color/type of garbage. I think there were 3 or 4 bins in her apartment? She "trained" me on how to dispose of the garbage and said it has be separated otherwise she may get "controlled" or inspected and could be fined for improper control of her trash.
Regarding the grocery store, did you also notice that people also bag their own groceries? Do you think this will ever happen in the US? :-)
Trash and its disposal aside. You do see a lot of waste in the US and there is still so much room for improvement. The stores that you "expect" to be doing this are not yet there. When I go to whole foods, I still come home with a lot of plastic containers and bags from virtually every part of the store - produce, deli, salad bar, etc. I liked some of the creative solutions you mentioned, sauces in cone-batter are a great alternative. The non-traditional ways to serve food, on glass/ceramic when you eat in make it a much better experience but in the US it would require having to wash and replace - both additional expenses. I am still converting and trying to think green wherever possible and telling anyone who will listen.
Thanks again for the fun read!
Lulu Arroyo ___________________________________________________
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Hi Margie!
hope the rest of your trip was safe and enjoyable (after your flight delay...)
First to comment on your Germany notes. Think I mentioned that I lived there for just over 10 years (1978-1989) and was dragged kicking and screaming back the states. 
not only was i impressed by their recycling (even back then) but by their deep sense of respect for the environment in general. I loved that (back then - maybe not now) stores were closed on Sundays and families spent time together... long lunches followed by walks in the beautiful woods... I loved that if you went into a restaurant that was crowded, it was natural to share a table with people already seated... and then either the privacy was respected OR you made new friends. I loved that every little village had a festival (be that beer or wine) and the whole town turned out to sing and celebrate. (I became 'family member' of many towns... always knew where the next festival was.) So many down-to-earth ways of living... that I knew I would miss when I returned to the states.
Now I realize that those are indeed important standards to live by, but we can bring them with us wherever we go. And hopefully, by example, spread the word. Just as you are doing with your wonderful account of your trip. In an age where we are connected 24/7, finding the peace and solace of friendship, nature and the moment are the most beautiful gifts we can give ourselves and those we share our time with.
Thanks again for the tales of your trip. Look forward to hearing more.
Hello Margie. People forget that most plastic bags or Togo containers are made with Petroleum. We do not have Oil in Western Europe! So, our politicians did not do anything better than yours here. No choice but finding something they had/could use from their backyards. Soon the US will change; the price and demand of oil will change everything. Chef Patrick Farjas "Maitre Cuisinier De France" __________________________________________ Margie, Thanks for forwarding this information. Personally as someone who tries to do the right thing when it comes to eco/conservation I, too, am floored by the waste associated with take-out products. Add to that the distance traveled by most food/ingredients used in commercial/restaurant establishments, and the overall impact on the environment is incredible (and we’re not even looking at the benefits of organic gardening). For many reasons, I decided to take a marketing position with E-cloth, an eco-friendly cloth with dramatic benefits including reduction of paper waste and unnecessary tree harvesting and the virtual elimination of the need for cleaning solutions. Did you know that the average family of four in the US uses nearly 38 trees worth of paper products (napkins, paper towels, toilet paper and tissues, which are made from virgin wood not recycled paper) and that even many ‘green’ cleaning solutions contain chemicals that when combined with others that exist in water run off create dangerous concoctions? E-cloth uses only water and cleans like no other paper towel, rag or microfiber on the market. The company has an extensive list of products, including a Drinkware Drying and Polishing Towel. I am happy to send you a sample if you are interested in checking it out, may be sharing your thoughts with your network of friends/followers. If you are interested in running a give away, we will gladly donate a package. Please let me know and again, thank you for sharing your ezine info with us.
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Hi Margie,
Good to hear you liked my country. I lived in Frankfurt before I moved to the States and was quite excited to read your impressions. Your description of the recycling system was pretty accurate and I have to say it was very interesting to get an opinion from somebody outside Germany, many recycling issues we take for granted obviously are news here.
The orderly mentality of Germans helps with separating waste too........
Just as a remark: The recycling system was introduced by the government back in the nineties, as far as I remember, and financed by the trash penny which was added to the products cost by the industry. They did not like that at all, but after a while a gigantic recycling business evolved and that is where things are at the moment in good ole Germany.
Thanks for the piece on recycling again, there will be change if enough people promote it, and you are amongst them.
Stefan Uch
crackermancrackers.com
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Interesting that you brought this up. The restaurant that I help promote is currently evaluating their take-out containers. They're looking at using paper when possible for wrapping things, and recyclable plastic containers for things that don't wrap. It's a dilemma for the restaurant -- you want the food to get home with the customer such that it's still presented in the best possible way -- hot or cold as needed, not soggy, etc. And you don't want to add to the landfill.
If anyone has seen / heard of a good solution, please pass it along!
Lucy Frost
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Have you ever been to North Cyprus (not the Greek side, i mean the Turkish side) I would love to read your comments about North Cyprus.
Beyaz
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