Potato, Po-tah-to

Homegrown potatoes are one of those things that always taste better than what you can buy at the store.  I can't explain the reason behind this, I just know it to be true.  Homegrown potatoes are not only delicious, but they are also fun to plant and grow. 

I grew potatoes in our very first garden.  It was a spot at the community garden and they turned out pretty well for our first attempt at gardening.  I'm not sure why I didn't try it again until last year but I'm so glad that I did. 

I've learned that when properly taken care of, potatoes can last all winter.  Last season I ordered Superior potatoes to plant.  Superiors are oval in shape, smooth, with buff-colored skin and white flesh.  They are good for baking, mashing, and storing.  This year I will be trying Yukon Gold for the first time.  Yukon Gold is known for its thin skin and yellow tinted flesh.  It is also good for baking, mashing, and storing.     

Potatoes need to be rotated in your garden.  It is recommended that you don't replant in the same spot for at least 3 or 4 years.  Your soil should be light, loose, and well drained.  We till our gardens before planting and I'm planning to add some sand to our soil to make it easier for the tubers to grow.  Our gardens are all raised garden beds, so drainage is good. 

One to two weeks prior to planting, begin prepping your seed potatoes.  Lay them in an area that will give them sun exposure but maintains a temperature of 60 to 70 degrees.  One to two days prior to planting, cut your seed potatoes into two square inch sections.  Each section needs to have one or two buds on it and smaller potatoes should be planted whole.

Potatoes do best when planted in rows.  Before planting, dig trenches 6 to 8 inches deep and about 3 feet apart.  Place the potato sections cut side down, buds need to be on top.  Fill in about 4 inches of soil and slowly fill in more as they grow.  

Keep your potato plants well watered during the season, especially when flowering.  Cut back on watering when the plant begins to yellow.

I'll cover potato storage towards the end of summer or early fall.

Good luck!    

Yukon Gold

*Celebrity Interview Featuring Hannibal Lecter

I applied for the opportunity to interview Hannibal Lecter for this blog.  I was surprised and ecstatic when I received an approval letter from the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane for my requested interview.  Dr. Lecter must be rather bored to have accepted an interview with me but I don't care, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

On interview day, I arrive at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane in the early evening.  I am directed to Dr. Frederick Chilton's office where we exchange the usual pleasantries.  He questions my desire to interview Dr. Lecter and comments that Dr. Lecter must be desperate for female attention to have accepted my interview request.  As he walks me to the wing that Dr. Lecter lives in, he gives me the expected run through.

Dr. Chilton: Do not touch the glass, do not approach the glass.  You pass him nothing but soft paper.  No pencils or pens, no staples or paperclips in his paper.  Use the sliding food carrier, no exceptions.  If he attempts to pass you anything, do not accept it.

Barney greets me and lets me through the final door to the row of cells that house Dr. Lecter and others that are criminally insane.  I walk on the wall side of the walkway as to keep far away from the cells until I get to the last one.  The last one is the cell that Hannibal Lecter lives in.  His cell is brightly lit and he is dressed in a white tee shirt with crisp white pants.

HL:  Good evening Betty.

Me: Good evening to you Dr. Lecter.  Thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me.

HL:  You're welcome.  May I see your credentials, please?

Me:  Credentials?

HL:  Yes, please.

Me:  I write a blog, Sir, that requires no special credentials.

HL:  Any form of identification will do.

I dig around in my purse for my wallet.  I take out a recorder, a pencil, a pad of paper.  I find my wallet under all those things.  I Pull my driver's license out and hold it up.

HL:  Closer.

I step closer.

HL:  Closer.

I step even closer and press it to the glass.  Dr. Lecter steps close enough to read it.  He lets out a little laugh and has a smirk on his face.

HL:  Your stated weight is 135 pounds.

Me:  That's correct Dr. Lector.

HL:  Oh but that isn't correct now is it?  It seems your state-issued identification is riddled with inaccuracies now isn't it Betty?

Me:  Well I wouldn't say riddled per se.

HL:  Tell me, Betty, when is the last time you weighed 135 pounds?

Me:  It hasn't been that long...

HL:  It's been a while.  Look at yourself, Betty.  Or should I call you by your real name?

Me:  Betty Stebber is just a pen name, Dr. Lecter.  You are welcome to call me by real name.

HL:  Your pen name is Betty Stebber?

Me:  That's right.  Can we do a few questions for the blog?

HL:  All good things come to those who wait.  I have a few questions of my own.

Me:  Is this your quid pro quo Dr. Lecter?

HL:  Why did you choose the pen name Betty Stebber?

Me:  Part is a variation of my own name and part is just for fun.

HL:  Why not Tawsha Hewett?

Me:  Tasha Hewitt?

HL:  No, Taw-sha Hew-ett.

I stare blankly at him for a moment.

HL:  Pass me something so I can write it.

Me: I'm not supposed to send you anything.

HL:  You're going to let Dr. Chilton make the rules?  Why don't you play by Betty's rules?  Pass me paper and something to write with through the food carrier.

I tear off a piece of paper from my pad and slide it and my pen to Dr. Lecter through the food carrier.  He writes the name on the paper and places it on the glass for me to read.

Me:  Tawsha Hewett?

HL:  What the Waste.

He smiles at his little joke.

Me:  I don't like anagrams as much as you do Dr. Lecter.

We are interrupted by a blaring sound.  It is deafening.  I cover my ears and look to Dr. Lecter.  He smiles and holds up a finger in the 'just a minute' sort of way.  The sound lasts about a minute and suddenly stops.

Me:  What was that?!!?

HL:  Dr. Chilton does enjoy his petty torments.  He blares sound through the speaker system from time to time.  Now please, tell me why you applied for an interview with me, Betty.

Me:  Because you're a brilliant doctor.  You have insight into so much, I thought you would have so much to offer.

HL:  Betty, Betty, Betty.  You were doing good.  You were honest that you can't maintain your weight, you admitted how you chose your silly pen name.  Then you blow it with false flattery.

Me:  You are brilliant.

HL:  I think we both know why you're here.

Me:  And why is that Doctor?

HL:  You think getting an interview with me will boost your blog traffic.  You think you can come here and toy with me for your own nefarious purposes?

Me:  No doctor!

HL:  Then why interview me for an environmental blog?!?!?

Me:  Because you never waste anything?

I give a weak smile hoping he will find humor in my effort at a joke.

Dr. Lecter laughs and laughs.  I watch him for several moments as he carries on.  I'm confused as to why he finds that as funny as he does.

HL:  Oh, Dear Betty, you do entertain me with your humorous acumen.  

Me:  I've been told that I'm a literal nerd, Dr. Lecter.

HL:  Most serial killers are more wasteful than I am, I suppose.  I eat my victims, therefore nothing goes to waste.  I like your style, Betty.

Me:  Thank you, Dr. Lecter.

HL:  So there is your post.  Hannibal Lecter wastes no flesh, and since they hardly let me have anything in my cell, I'm a forced minimalist.

Me:  Are you still a minimalist if it's forced?

HL:  Look into my cell.  What do you see?

I look into his cell.  He literally has nothing.  I smile at him.  He is the very definition of a minimalist, forced or not.

Me:  Way to rock the less waste lifestyle, Dr. Lecter.

HL:  I do what I can Betty, I do what I can.

I smile back at Dr. Lecter.

HL:  Now tell me, Betty, have the lambs stopped screaming?

Me:  The lambs?  I don't know about any lambs.

HL:  No lambs?

Me:  No lambs.

HL:  Not even one lamb?

Me:  No lamb.

HL:  Didn't you have any pets as a child lamb or other?

Me:  We had a beagle.

HL:  Tell me about this beagle.

Me:  We got a beagle when I was little, that's all.

HL:  No!  That's not all.  Now tell me about the beagle and don't lie, or I'll know.

Me:  My family got a beagle puppy when I was in elementary school.  We got to put names into a hat to pick its name.  My brother and I both put the name Harold into the hat and that was the winning name.  But the next day my mother changed the puppy's name to Scottie because she was a sore loser, I suppose.  

HL:  And?

Me:  We only had the dog a couple of years,

HL:  Why?  What happened to Scottie the beagle?

Me:  That dog didn't like me and it bit me all the time.  Never a terrible bite but he broke skin most of the time.  He liked my brother better and I hated when he would play with the dog.  I could hear the dog barking and having fun.  When Scottie bit my brother, my parents finally had him put to sleep.

HL:  So what you're saying, my dear Betty, is that the beagle that bit your brother has stopped barking?

Me:  Yes.

HL:  The beagle stopped barking?

Dr. Lecter is smiling at me and I roll my eyes.

Me:  Yes, the beagle stopped barking.

Dr. Lecter laughs and laughs.  Apparently, he can be funny too. 

HL:  Oh I do hope you come back to see me again Betty, I'd sure love to have you for dinner next time.

Dr. Lecter has indicated that my time is up and I quickly pack up my things.  I walk briskly to my car and begin the long drive home.  I'm more than halfway home when I realize that he has my pen.  I forgot to get it back when I passed it to him through the food carrier.  Sh!t!  That's my favorite pen.  I think about turning around but it's too far and it's late.  I can get a new one.  It's probably fine.  What could he possibly do with a pen anyway?  

Dr. Hannibal Lecter:

 minimalist and waster of nothing

Dear Betty: Reader Question 3/29/2019 Milk Microplastic

Dear Betty,

You talk about microplastics being in salt and in bottled water.  Are plastic particles in milk that we get from the store?

Thanks,

Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

Thank you for your question and thanks for reading!  Good question.  I tried really hard to find studies regarding microplastic particles in cow's milk but came up empty-handed.  There are a few things to consider but I think it's probably safe to assume that there is some amount of plastic particles in the milk you buy at the store.  I have two reasons why.

Reason number one:  Microplastics are in everything.  Plastic particles have been found in table salt, honey, beer, tap water, bottled water, sugar, shellfish, fish, even the air.  Plastic particles have also been found in human feces, plastic bio-accumulates in our systems and therefore, plastic has been present in human urine, human blood, and human breast milk.

Reason number two:  Bio-accumulation results in contaminated milk.  If you recall from Cannibalistic Cows Demand an Appetizer of Plastic, some cows are fed plastic.  Sometimes the ingestion of plastic is somewhat unintentional.  Depending on what is legal in a particular area, feed suppliers are allowed to have a certain amount of plastic contained in their product, to which the farmer may not be aware of. Sometimes it is intentional ingestion at the hand of the farmer.  Cows can be fed plastic pellets to act as a crude fiber substitute.  Much of the plastic would be passed through the cow but not all of it.  Some will break down and be stored in the animal's tissues and can be passed through the milk.

I like my milk the way I like my bottled water...chewy.

Want to read more about plastic in cow feed?  Click here.

A happy cow being offered nutritious feed with plenty of plastic. 

Do you have a question, comment, or suggestion?

I'd love to hear from you!

Email me at Mrs.Stebber@gmail.com or comment on the blog

Laundry Detergent for Seven Generations

I have been a dedicated Tide user since, well, as long as I can remember.  I recently decided to give Seventh Generation detergent a chance because I like that Seventh Generation is a pretty responsible company.  

My family has sensitive skin so I opted for the free and clear detergent.  Free and clear contains no dyes, optical brighteners, or fragrances.  All of Seventh Generation's detergent is 97 percent USDA certified biobased and their products are never tested on animals.  I feel the detergent works very well and I will continue to buy it.  

I do think Seventh Generation could improve on their product containers and packaging.  I buy it in the 150-ounce container to help reduce the amount of recycling.  They use a lot of plastic and it would be a big step to move away from that.  Perhaps that is something they will consider in the future.  I like the product and would recommend it.

Weekly Weigh In 3/27/2019

It's the last weigh-in of the month and we have one bag of garbage going out to the curb.  That brings the total for the month of March to two bags.  That brings our running total for the year to 6.25 bags.

How did you weigh in this week?

WTF Wednesday: You are Easily Offended Because You are Weak

I watch everything on Netflix.  I recently enjoyed watching F Is For Family and discovered the comedian Bill Burr.  When I hit a point where I didn't know what to watch next, I decided to check out some Bill Burr stand up.  He has a few stand up specials on Netflix and they are humorous in a very non-apologetic sort of way.  I admire his ability to say what's on his mind and not give a sh!t if it bothers you.  He said something that got me thinking in my usual deep ruminating sort of way.  I don't recall his exact words but he was talking about how we live in a hypersensitive time and everything you say has the potential to offend someone.  He said something along the lines of "if what I'm saying offends you, it's because you are weak."

A light bulb went off in my brain and I've spent an abundance of time milling this very idea over, and over, and over.  I've decided that he is right.  Here's why.

We live in a time that demands acceptance yet simultaneously crucifies anyone who dares to express their opinion or thoughts on just about any topic.  It has to be a hard time to be a comedian!  If you say the slightest thing that can be taken offense to, you are dragged through the mud and your career is probably over.  If you made a joke twenty years ago that wasn't taboo at the time but has become taboo, you are screwed if it surfaces.  If you were in a high school play and appeared in blackface during a time when that was acceptable, you are really f*cked when people dig that out.  If you made a homophobic joke or dropped the N-word in any way and that comes back to bite you, you might as well stick a fork in yourself because you are done.

Let me be clear, it's not okay to drop the N-word, make fun of races, make fun of trans people, or gay people in a hateful way.  When you are a closed minded bigot, you don't get to spew your hate all over the place.  

What I'm getting at is there are so many things that go into the mix, it isn't just a black and white issue.  Times change and things that were once okay may no longer be the accepted norm.  People are also allowed to have opinions that you may not like or agree with.  

I was talking to a person close to me who is bisexual about another person who is close to me that is rather homophobic.  The bisexual person made a wise and interesting statement.  The bisexual person said, "that person is allowed to be homophobic,  as long as they aren't mean about it."  What a mature point of view.  You don't have to embrace or accept anything you don't want to, you are allowed to have your own thoughts and opinions, so long as you don't treat anyone with anything less than respect.  

I believe that life is better when you can laugh at yourself and others.  I am a very open-minded person.  I believe that you should be able to love and marry the person that is right for you.  I support whatever your gender identity is or whatever your sexual orientation is.   I believe that all people are equal regardless of race, orientation, religion (or lack thereof), identity, or status.  I also believe that life is just a little bit more enjoyable when we can all take a step back and laugh at ourselves.  I poke fun of everything I can in life, including myself.  Laughter is the best medicine and what better material than us, human beings, doing what we do. 

Getting back to Bill Burr, when every little thing offends or upsets you, you are weak.  When you are confident in yourself and your own beliefs, you rarely get offended.  It's when you are weak that you can't accept that others have a different perception of things.  Strong people accept differences and opinions.  Strong people can laugh at something and know that it isn't meant to be offensive.  Strong people remember that today's standards shouldn't apply to phrases or actions from many years ago.  Strong minded people don't have the need for everyone to accept them or like them.  I am who I am and I don't give a sh!t if you like it or not.

Are you weak or are you strong?

Funny bald man, Bill Burr

Slow Clap Presents: Nurdle Spill Disasters

Real Story.  Real Stupid.

A nurdle is a pre-production plastic resin pellet about the size of a lentil.  Everything that is plastic got its start as a nurdle.  These tiny plastic pellets are shipped around the world and will eventually become a product that you get from the store.  Everything from toys, to bags, to literally anything that is plastic is formed from nurdles.  Recycled plastic is ground up into nurdles before being shipped and later mixed with new virgin plastic nurdles then melted and formed again into a new product. 

Nurdle spills are common and are wreaking havoc on our marine life and water systems.  Environmentalists say that nurdle spills are worse than oil spills because nurdles are almost impossible to clean up and will last forever.

Fish and other wildlife mistake nurdles for food and unknowingly ingest them.  Nurdles are harmful when consumed for a few reasons.  First, the plastic nurdle acts like a sponge in the water and absorbs chemicals and pollutants in the water.  When eaten, the toxins are absorbed by the animal.  Second, when many nurdles are consumed and make it to the digestive tract, it can cause a gastric perforation.  Gastric perforation is when the stomach, large bowel, or small intestine rupture, leading to a painful death.  Third, the nurdles can accumulate in the stomach and cause the animal to slowly die of starvation.  Since the nurdles will last forever, after the fish, bird, or other wildlife has eaten it and died, it will still be there to be eaten by someone else.

Hong Kong, 2012.  Six containers are knocked off of a ship during a typhoon.  It is the worst typhoon in over a decade.  The containers were carrying 150 tons of plastic nurdles.  Nurdles begin washing ashore on Lamma Island and Lantau Island.  Volunteers begin clean up efforts with 1000 volunteers going to Lamma Island and 200 volunteers going to Lantau Island.  Nearly half of the 150 tons are recovered.

San Francisco, 2012.  Multiple spills require cleanup in the San Francisco Bay.

South Africa, 2017.  One container falls off of a ship in the port of Durban.  A massive clean up effort is launched but only 23 percent of the billions of nurdles are cleaned up.

       

Pennsylvania, 2018.  A semi-truck crash results in a large spill.  Nurdles are released into Pocono Creek and the waterways of Lehigh Valley.

My two cents:  People need to be informed about this issue.  We need to use less plastic.  I don't think that this is acceptable collateral damage.  We need more regulations around the shipping of nurdles like there is with oil.

Rating:  I give Nurdle Spill Disasters four out of five possible slow claps.  This is going to continue until we greatly reduce the amount of plastic that we use.  Stop buying plastic and manufacturers will be forced to change how they make their products.  It's simple supply and demand.  We perpetuate this problem by buying what's cheap.  Plastic may not cost a lot monetarily, but the environmental cost is only beginning to be realized. 

Nurdles in the sand.  Lovely.

The Chip Clip

If you open up your kitchen drawers, how many plastic chip clips do you think you will find?  You probably have some small ones, big ones, some with magnets, some have a company name, there may be a couple novelty ones mixed in there.  

Regular readers can guess where this is going.  I have a better idea for the chip clip.  I'm not willing to give up chips, so that's not it.  What if I told you that you can have a chip clip that is cheaper, or free and that it would never break?  I say free because you probably already have some in your home.  

Binder clips are a better alternative to the plastic chip clip.  It is never going to break and it will last forever.  Use the chip clips that you have but replace them with a binder clip when the plastic ones break.  You're welcome.

Binder Clip. YES!

Nope.

Nope.

Nope.

Nope.

Awww.  It's a dog! Nope.

I love pizza!  Wait.  Nope.

Squash Surprise

When I think of squash, I think of orange mush that my mother tried to make at Thanksgiving that was loaded with butter and brown sugar.  It was a source of dread between my brother and me, or at least that's how I remember it.  I have to give the woman credit for trying, but she gave squash a bad name.

I still shudder when I think of squash today but I've learned that squash is a diverse and delectable vegetable.

Here's the 411 on squash as I know it:

Delicata:  A friend of mine told me it tastes like french fries.  I didn't believe her but it actually does in a healthy sort of way.  Delicata is sweet and delicious.  I cut it lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and then chop it into half an inch or thinner sections.  I put it in a container and add a little olive oil, black pepper, and a sprinkle of salt.  I shake it up to get everything coated and then I bake it on 400 degrees for about 25 or so minutes.  Delicious.  Seeds can be hard to find so make sure you look around.

Pumpkins:  I used a hybrid jack-o-lantern last year and it did quite well despite being a less than desirable year weather wise.  We just use them for carving so it's all the same to me if it's a Franken-pumpkin.

Ronde de Nice:  We call this "round zucchini."  I think it's actually a French summer pumpkin but whatever.  These need to be picked when they are small or they can be bitter tasting and will have super thick gross skin.  If you pick them while you can easily grip it with your hand, it will be a nice treat for sauteing on a night when you grill something.  My kids used to like it better than regular zucchini but I've let it get too big and now they have squash PTSD and don't want it.  

Spaghetti Squash:  I just started growing these about two years ago.  Spaghetti squash can be eaten by itself as a side vegetable in a meal or it can be used for.....wait for it....spaghetti noodles.  Obviously not as good as real noodles, in my opinion, but if you can't have gluten or follow Weight Watchers or itrack bites, it can be a huge points saver.

Zucchini:  This is another one that you have to pick early.  Pick them when they are about the size you see them at the store, there's a reason for that size.  If they get too big they seem to lose a lot of their nice flavor.  If you are going to shred them up and make zucchini bread, the size is moot.  We usually let one or two grow to capacity at the end of each season.  We've had some real "Mongo" zucchinis as we call them.

Growing squash is usually pretty easy.  Your only issues are going to be blossom rot or a systematic attack from squash vine borers.  Blossom rot is when the flower on the end of a new fruit that rots and the fruit turns to mush.  In my experience, this is because we are watering too much.  We cut back on the water and it always gets better.  The squash vine borer is a heinous monster, as the name suggests.  Adult borers lay eggs at the base of the plant, the eggs hatch, and the larva bore their way into the stem.  Once they are inside the plant, they continue to bore and it kills the plant.  You can avoid this by waiting until mid-July to plant your squash, you can wrap the base of your plant with foil (this prevents them from being able to bore into the stem,) or you can just plant your plants and try to cut off areas where you know there is a borer.  I usually do the later and it works pretty well.  You know there is a squash vine borer in there when a leaf wilts or turns yellow.  If you cut it open, you will usually find your borer.  I like to cut them in half just to make an example to all the other squash vine borers.  It hasn't worked out so far for me.  

Frank (not his real name) with a Mongo zucchini, 2016

*Mama Betty's Dog Licker 2000

Do you have a licky dog?  A dog that engages in incessant licking for no reason at all?  A dog that licks to soothe itself due to deep-rooted psychological trauma?  Mama Betty has a new product just for you!  With Mama Betty's Dog Licker 2000 you can put that toned tongue to good use.  

Here's how it works.  The flavor ball sits inside of the flavor ball cradle.  The cradle is attached to a power cable that leads to a generator.  The generator is connected to your home's electrical system and powers your home.  

The secret is in the flavor ball.  Each flavor ball flavor has been carefully created and has an authentic taste that every dog loves.  Our scientists have worked hard to recreate flavors that no dog can resist.  We offer a wide variety of flavors to keep your licky dog interested in licking the flavor ball instead of himself.  Flavors currently available include peanut butter, mystery meat, rotting carcass, stale old piece of a chip that was stuck under the stove, stinky carpet stain, oh crap the goldfish is dead, dried worms, putrified mouse, bloated squirrel, last weeks garbage, I think that used to be a chipmunk, and timeless classics, genitals, and anus.

As your dog licks the delicious flavor ball, the generator harnesses that awesome, lick power.  Every 2000 licks are enough to power an average-sized home for a family of 5 for up to 24 hours.  

Mama Betty's Dog Licker 2000 is good for your licky dog.  When dogs lick themselves too much they get raw skin that can be painful and can lead to infection.  With your dog focused on the flavor ball, skin issues are no more! 

The Dog Licker 2000 works best for psychologically scarred animals.  Mama Betty recommends this product for all dogs but it is best suited for rescue dogs, mill dogs, abandoned dogs, dogs that have recently lost a companion, and any dog that was formerly owned by Michael Vick.

Mama Betty's Dog Licker 2000 is good for your dog, good for you, and good for the environment.  Save 10 percent if your dog is a mill rescue.  Get yours today!

Coming soon, for cats: The Pussy Licker 2000!

Michael Vick is a proud owner of Mama Betty's Dog Licker 2000.

Dear Betty: Reader Request 4/5/2019 Chewing Gum

Dear Betty,

Can you please write an article about chewing gum?  I don't think it's good for the environment since it's banned in Singapore.  Love your blog!

Thanks,

Emma

Dear Emma,

Thank you for your request and thank you for reading the blog, I'm glad you are enjoying it. 

Betty

I don't like gum.  It hurts my jaw and I think it loses its flavor too fast.  I've never been much of a gum chewer and I've never understood how some people can chew it for hours. 

I thought that gum could be composted until I received this request.  I've been having my kids put their gum in the compost bin.  That's going to be freaking gross to deal with in the spring! [Insert the sound of a heavy sigh.] 

So can chewing gum be composted?  Yes-ish and mostly no.  Most chewing gum is made from a synthetic polymer, or plastic, known as polyisobutylene.  Synthetic polymers never breakdown or degrade, since, well, it's plastic after all!  If you were able to find a chewing gum that is made from chicle, a natural rubbery latex, that comes from sapodilla trees, you could compost that, in theory.  I say "in theory" because it is still rubber and it would take forever and a day to biodegrade. 

Polyisobutylene is also used as an engine lubricant and adhesive.  It is the sticky substance that covered birds after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. 

Chewing gum can be recycled.  Some areas have gum collection bins and TerraCycle offers containers just for this purpose.  Gum can be recycled into everything from rubber containers, drainage and construction materials, to children's toys. 

Chewing gum is the second most littered item after cigarette butts.  It is estimated that 80 to 90 percent of gum is not disposed of properly which leads to pollution and harm to animals and marine life.  In a single year, people chew enough gum to create 250,000 tons of waste. 

For many of these reasons, chewing gum was officially banned in Singapore in 1992.  In 2004 amendments went into effect that allowed people to chew gum if they had a prescription from their medical doctor or dentist.

Rev7 is a chewing gum made from a variation of polymers with additives that help it degrade in water or over several months time in dry areas.  It has been banned in the U.S. since 2012 due to licensing issues.  I'm not sure that chewing this gum is any better for you and I think the packaging sucks as much as any other gum.

There you have it, Emma.  Not only is chewing gum (and the packaging) bad for the environment, it doesn't seem to be good for you either.

Do you have a question, comment, or suggestion?

I'd love to hear from you!

Email me at Mrs.Stebber@gmail.com or comment on the blog

Wrigley's gives lasting enjoyment and benefit, 1928.

 

Quench Your Thirst with Refreshing Bottled Plastic

When I'm parched, I like to reach for a nice cold bottle of water with plenty of plastic particles.  I don't mean a few pieces of microplastic either.  I like it thick enough to chew, like really pulpy orange juice.  If it doesn't tear up my throat on the way down, it's just not enough.

Many people have a misconception that bottled water is better for them than tap water.  It isn't.  For starters, most bottled water is tap water, and you can read more about that in my humorous post about bottled water.  Bottled water actually has, roughly, twice as much microplastic in it than regular tap water.

A recent study found that more than 90 percent of bottled water contains plastic particles or microplastic.  This is consistent with previous studies.  This has caused the World Health Organization to announce a review of bottled water.

This most recent study tested 259 bottles of water from 19 different places, in 9 different countries.  Popular brands were selected for testing and 11 different brands were chosen.  Brands tested were Aqua, Aquafina, Bisleri, Dasani, Epura, Evian, Gerolsteiner, Minalba, Nestle Pure Life, San Pellegrino, and Wahaha.

Of the 259 bottles tested, only 17 had zero plastic particles.  The average amount of plastic found in each liter tested was 325 particles.  Nestle's Pure Life had the most with one liter containing 10,000 plastic particles.  The most common plastic found was polypropylene which is used for plastic caps.

Want to read more about plastic particles in your bottled water?  Click here.

Delicious, chewy Nestle Pure Life Water.