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Plastiki - The Recycled Boat

Kirk Gillock
- 3727 posts
April 30, 2010 5:08 AM PDT

The Plastiki is a catamaran made of completely recycled items, including hulls that are made of 12,000 plastic bottles. Pretty cool! You can follow their voyage around the world on their site. Currently they're in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. http://www.theplastiki.com/ Best of luck to the entire crew!
MING .
- 1091 posts
April 30, 2010 5:44 AM PDT

Amazing thought. Good luck guys. :)
KitKat G
- 5035 posts
April 30, 2010 6:22 AM PDT

Sounds like an exciting journey. Good luck guys!!
Terri Hartley
- 5130 posts
April 30, 2010 1:52 PM PDT

Inspiration for the cause.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dAqbu3DH2w
Terri Hartley
- 5130 posts
April 30, 2010 2:02 PM PDT

To make things easier for some of you :) I thought I would post a direct link to the Take Action section on the Plastiki website where you can pledge to reduce 1, 2, or all three major types of plastic pollution in the oceans. http://myplastiki.com/takeaction.php Pledge and then share it on your FB to help get the word out. :) I luvs the oceanz. 8)
KitKat G
- 5035 posts
April 30, 2010 4:23 PM PDT

Oprah's video was shocking. I had no idea garbage was polluting our oceans. :(
Gina Fish
- Moderator
- 7059 posts
May 1, 2010 5:52 AM PDT

I love the ocean too, Good luck to the Plastiki with its cause!
Terri Hartley
- 5130 posts
May 1, 2010 1:10 PM PDT

I'm going to try really REALLY hard to not use plastic bags, but man... its harder than you think. I have the reusable bags for grocery shopping, several in fact, but do you think I remembered them when I left home to go to the store? No, of course not. Determined, I asked the cashier to please bag my few items in paper bags. He seemed not to understand the language I was speaking. :D So I repeated, and then he asked, "ALL of it?" I had less than ten items.

But that's not the hard part...the hard part is realizing how often I use plastic. Snacks in sandwich bags. SOOOO much plastic. I opened a new carton of soy milk and there is the little plastic safety ring on the inside. Opened a bag of beans to put on to cook, another plastic bag in the trash. I took my toilet paper down the hall to the bathroom and opened it to put the rolls in the holder, another plastic bag in the trash. When I buy produce...more plastic bags. Even the lunchmeat we've bought comes sealed in plastic and then sold in plastic containers! I'm not sure how to NOT use so much plastic when nearly everything we buy as consumers comes to us in plastic. Shampoo, dish soap, laundry detergent, hand soap, lotions, make-up, the cereal inside the boxes are in plastic bags.

Its staggering.

Ponderous rant over.
KitKat G
- 5035 posts
May 1, 2010 5:09 PM PDT

And don't forget to add in plastic garbage bags to put all that plastic stuff into. :) I'm obsessed with all the plastic we use too.
How do we stop this madness. ??? Has anyone invented a biodegradable "plastic"? It's 2010!!
Terri Hartley
- 5130 posts
May 1, 2010 5:38 PM PDT

KitKat said:
How do we stop this madness. ??? Has anyone invented a biodegradable "plastic"? It's 2010!!
Yes, they actually have, but they have not gotten great reviews from people who are accustomed to putting "wet" garbage in the bags, like used coffee grounds, etc. The dampness causes the bag to break down after a day or two. I take all that back... found this company and have some independent user testimony that they seem to be as strong as Hefty brand. :) don't know about the price, though. :( http://www.thegreengenius.com/ I remember when I was growing up, my mom always used the paper grocery bags as a kitchen trash can liner and we always had to be EXTRA careful taking it out because of the coffee grounds and stuff, but at least the paper was biodegradable.
KitKat G
- 5035 posts
May 3, 2010 3:31 PM PDT

Thartley, so why isn't this guy who invented a biodegradable plastic bag the most popular guy in the world? I'd think he'd be on every talk show there is, around the world. Humanity is really messed up. :(
Terri Hartley
- 5130 posts
May 4, 2010 5:15 AM PDT

KitKat said:
Thartley, so why isn't this guy who invented a biodegradable plastic bag the most popular guy in the world?
I don't know, but I am going to try out a couple different products. When you really take stock of the types of plastic waste we create everyday, it will boggle your mind. I took a pledge to reduce/eliminate the use of plastic water bottles, plastic bags, and styrene foam. My Mother's Day gift is going to be (even if I buy it myself) a Klean Kanteen water bottle. I've been drinking lots more water since my doc told me I was "drier than a popcorn fart in the desert", so I will be making a difference not using the bottles of water that are provided at work. Plastic bags...oy vey! As mentioned earlier, this is a doozy. I use them at the store (EVERY store), sandwich bags, ziplocs for leftovers, thin little ones for produce shopping, and I reuse the plastic grocery bags for picking up my dog's "business" at least twice per day. But I'm reverting back to making sure I've got my reusable bags in my car all the time, and if I don't, I request paper bags. I'm using wax paper and aluminum foil in place of sandwich bags and ziplocs, and I will give paper lunch sacks a shot at being my shipooper. I'll have to work that one out. Now, the styrene is another beast. I thought it would be the easiest since I assumed it was just styrofoam, and I never use it to my knowledge unless I order something or buy a product that is packaged with it inside. But styrene is ALSO the stuff that most yogurt containers (think yoplait, dannon, breyers, etc) are made of! Puddings and jellos! OMG, I dont see how its possible for people to eliminate this one. How do you get yogurt without it? If you go to a cafe, how do you get your drink if all they have is styrofoam? can you bring your own cup? Anyway, its these three items that the folks on The Plastiki would like to bring consumer awareness to...or just awareness in general. It is a GREAT cause to get behind, so give a shot, every once in a while. I'll post any product reviews for alternatives in this thread if its okay with the Powers That Be. :)
Gina Fish
- Moderator
- 7059 posts
May 4, 2010 10:18 AM PDT

Make your own yogurt! Use crockware to store it. Make your own jello, buy some little glass refrigerator dishes with lids to portion control. Look back to the 50s refrigerators to see the pre-plastic world.

And yes! Carry your own coffee cup> :) You can always stop by the restroom to wash and dry it before you leave. ;D

Go Terri! Quit the Plastic!!
Terri Hartley
- 5130 posts
May 5, 2010 1:35 AM PDT

ROFL! I actually did call my mom and asked her, "Hey mom, remember WAY back in the day, when you were in school? How in the heck did you take your lunch to school without sandwich bags?" She said they used wax paper, even for chips. They'd make a pouch and sort of twist-tie the ends like a piece of candy would be wrapped. Sandwiches would be wrapped in wax paper, too.

Wax paper is biodegradable.

And I myself remember leftovers going into the fridge in lidded corningware dishes. Before we had a microwave, we'd just take the dish from the fridge and put it right in the oven to warm up what we wanted. I can go back to that. The rice syrup I use comes in glass jars, so when it runs out, I can also use the jars. I'd love to get rid of the plastic I am using now and replace it with glass options that are also stove/oven safe.

Goodwill, Garage Sales, and Flea Markets, here I come! :D
KitKat G
- 5035 posts
May 5, 2010 4:06 AM PDT

I remember using wax paper sandwich bags years ago when I packed my kid's lunches. I've been checking at the grocery stores and can't find them anywhere. ??? They were perfect! Once the ziplock bags came out, they probably went out of business. I'll keep looking, I haven't given up yet. Also, paper cups and sturdy paper plates are getting harder to find too.
Terri Hartley
- 5130 posts
May 5, 2010 4:29 AM PDT

KitKat said:
I remember using wax paper sandwich bags years ago when I packed my kid's lunches.
Like these?
Kirk Gillock
- 3727 posts
May 5, 2010 4:41 AM PDT

That's bringing back a lot of memories and making me crave a PB&J sandwich. ;D

But I think it was just a roll of wax paper, like foil wrap. Not pre-cut bags.

Here's something interesting you can do to help the oil spill in the Gulf. Donate your pets hair!

http://inhabitat.com/2010/05/04/donate-your-dog-and-cat-hair-to-clean-up-the-oil-spill/

Plastiki recommended it. ;D
KitKat G
- 5035 posts
May 5, 2010 4:35 PM PDT

Now that's what I'm talking about!!! Great work Inhabitat is doing. :D

Thartley, yes, those are the bags I used. :D
Looks like restaurant supply stores may carry them @ 15.99 for 1,000. The grocery stores are missing out on a great product. :D
Leon Rheeders
- 74 posts
May 5, 2010 7:09 PM PDT

You can find similar paper bags( grease proof) at a bakery supplier.The supermarkets in South Africa use them for dougnuts ,meat pies etc. at their instore bakeries.
Terri Hartley
- 5130 posts
May 8, 2010 7:52 AM PDT

I've been doing excellent at remembering to use my reusable shopping bags and forgoing the produce bags when I select fruits and veggies, not using ziplocs or other plastic bags for taking my lunch. But the kitchen trash and dog doodie bags are another thing. I'm looking for alternatives today and will let you know what I find and how they seem to hold up.

I just cant see myself picking up a fresh pile of poo in a paper sack, so I'm looking for a plastic alternative that is affordable. ;D
KitKat G
- 5035 posts
May 8, 2010 7:07 PM PDT

I've been working harder at using wax paper instead of ziplock bags for packing my lunch. Also, I found some plastic, reusable, covers for bowls/containers. They look like shower caps and come in various sizes. I wash them and use them over and over. This eliminates the need to use plastic wrap and foil.
Sorry Thartley, I don't have a solution for picking up your doggie poo. :(
Gina Fish
- Moderator
- 7059 posts
May 9, 2010 3:52 AM PDT

cool! speaking of produce, are you putting your produce into the cloth bags and letting the check out workers sort it and weigh it, or using the plastic bags so prevalent in the produce section?
Terri Hartley
- 5130 posts
May 9, 2010 4:08 AM PDT

Ginafish said:
cool! speaking of produce, are you putting your produce into the cloth bags and letting the check out workers sort it and weigh it, or using the plastic bags so prevalent in the produce section?
They go naked into my cloth bag and let it go through the rest of the purchase process. I do, however, try to keep it off the conveyer belt. That thing seems like a breeding ground for germs and junk after people put their bloody leaky chicken packages on it. blech! But no, I am not using those little produce bags, either.
Terri Hartley
- 5130 posts
May 14, 2010 3:54 AM PDT

I found a pretty great product I was not expecting. A biodegradable papermate ink pen. Its made almost entirely of a plant-based sugar material, but feels like a high quality grip pen, and it writes smoother than I would have expected. A rep came to our office and dropped off a sample pen and I was able to snag it. :) Here's a link to the papermate site if y'all want to check it out. http://www.papermate.com/Pages/products/biodegradable-pens.aspx The more I read on the debates stemming from the recent oil spill in the Gulf, the more aware I am of how much people believe that driving our cars around is the way we use the most of our oil, but petroleum consumption is soooo much more than that. Its in production of everything, materials we use, farming, etc... I'm sure they use it to produce these biodegradable pens, too. Energy. But I really really hate plastic. haha! So I am trying to take full advantage of the "Reduce" aspect of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle as I can.
KitKat G
- 5035 posts
May 14, 2010 4:47 AM PDT

Thanks Thartley for the link. :) By clicking on their link, I discovered they make other biodegradable products too. :)

T., I thought about you the last time I bought my produce at the grocery store. I didn't put my produce separate plastic bags. Baby steps, baby steps. :)