Restaurants Throw Away More Than They Have To.

Depending on where you live, you likely have to sort your trash.  You separate it into what is recyclable, what is compostable, and what is trash.  You might live in an area where there are more ways things are separated, for example, my dad separates his plastic waste from his paper waste.  We do this to reuse what we can, and limit what ends up in a landfill.

Anyone who has ever been in a restaurant can imagine that a restaurant would garner a lot of waste.  Anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant knows that they do.  I have worked in a few restaurants, some privately owned, and some franchises part of huge national chains, and have always wondered why they are exempt from sorting their trash.
One giant chain I worked for was so bad at sorting trash, that the only thing they recycled were the beer bottles, and that was only because they got their deposit back for returning them.  Cans and bottles went straight into the garbage.  Same with every morcel of food left on plates, which could be composted.  Food waste decays in landfills, and creates methane, a potent greenhouse gas in the process.

I think one of the problems for restaurants, is that they tend to be very busy places.  Servers are clearing the plates, and during a dinner or lunch rush, to sort trash might seem time consuming.  I don't think it's a good enough reason.
Why should you and I be expected to sort our trash, when these giant restaurants are creating so much more waste, and sorting nothing?

Sham POO!

Over the past ten years, I have tried countless brands of shampoo.  I used to be happy with a bunch of different brands, until I did some research and learned about some nasty chemicals found in the vast majority of products on the shelves.

1. Sodium Laureth Sulphate-  You've likely heard of it by now.  It is used as a foaming agent, so is found in many face washes, soaps, shampoos, dish detergents, bubble bath, etc.  It may be contaminated with ingredients that are known/ possible human carcinogens, harm the nervous system, interfere with human development, and on top of all that, if the SLS hasn't been 'vaccuum stripped' to remove a certain chemical, it doesn't break down in the environment for a long time.  It is also a known irritant of the skin and eyes.

2. Sulphates- You've definitely heard of this one. It's used as a preservative in cosmetics,  and is the most widely used of all preservatives.  Sulphates interfere with hormone function, and have been detected in breast cancer tissues, associating them with cancer.   Studies also show that it can react with UVB, causing increased skin aging and DNA damage (so much for that anti-aging cream!).  Sulphates are also commonly used as an ingredient in fragrances, but you'll never know, because fragrances do not have to list their ingredients as they are 'trade secrets'.

3. Fragrance- fragrances are considered 'trade secrets', and so manufacturers aren't required to list the ingredients.  Fragrances are cocktails of chemicals, containing as much as 3000 ingredients.  Even products that are labeled 'fragrance-free' may still have fragrance, with a masking agent that tricks your brain into not detecting the scent.  Phthalates, used as an ingredient to make scent linger, has been linked to early puberty in girls, reduced sperm count in men, reproductive defects in the male fetus, obesity and insulin resistance.   It may also cause liver and kidney damage in children if ingested for extended periods.  Oh, and it is toxic to wildlife and the environment.

The list goes on, I'm afraid.  If you want to know more, please read  'Dirty Dozen' cosmetic chemicals to avoid, an article by the David Suzuki Foundation.

So let's be frank.  If you have ever tried a shampoo without SLS (the foaming agent), you may have been surprised by the results.  I have tried brand after brand of alternative shampoos and conditioners.  I find my hair (which is past shoulder length) gets really tangled.  It's also (currently,where I live) hard to find an alternative brand.  If you go into the grocery store, you may not have a SLS or sulphate free option.  +The Great Canadian Superstore has a good selection, and so does +Food Stuffs, a local natural and organic food store.

If you are looking for a product without certain ingredients, my advice to you would be to trust only the ingredients label.  Words like "natural",  "organic", "eco-friendly", "safe", are all terms used by marketers to sell a product.  Look on the ingredients label, yes it takes a minute, and a good bit of practice to get used to all the words you are looking for, but it's the only way to know what is in a product.

Source: The David Suzuki Foundation

On the fence

Like many people, I am concerned about what I eat and put on my body.  I remember my mother telling me as a child; "If you can't eat it, don't put it on your body!".  I think she had caught me trying to colour myself with pen or marker, but what she said has always stayed with me.  As a teenager, I was very interested in creating home made products like moisturizers, face masks, etc, in avoidance of the chemicals found in many well known and trusted store bought brands.  

If you aren't aware of the harmful chemicals found in personal products (shampoo, deodorant, face/body wash, perfume, toothpaste, makeup. etc.), then check out www.ewg.org/skindeep which is a NFP launched in 2004.  It has safety profiles for cosmetics and personal care products, and aims to shed light on what the government, manufacturers and companies don't want you to know.

More recently, I have started to eat organic fruits and vegetables through a CSA share, and am eating very little meat.  I love meat, but since I started living on my own, I haven't been buying very often.  I also watched a documentary on the treatment of livestock and the slaughter process, and that really put me off meat (but I'm not completely sure if it's permanent :S).

This blog is about my journey, because right now I am on the fence.  I'm not completely immersed in organic living, but I am on the cusp.  I am eating somewhat like a vegetarian (and sometimes vegan), but I'm not sure which way I'll go yet.