Category Archives: Shop Local

3 Things About the Straw Ban

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By now you are probably aware of the push for a straw ban. Groups such as The Last Plastic Straw and StrawFree are among many organizations and activists working to enact national or international straw bans. The initiatives have had mixed reactions, with cities such as Seattle and New York immediately looking into (and in Seattle’s case, passing) bans while others resist the change and proposed measures. Some states, including Michigan, have gone so far as enacting preemptive laws to make it difficult for individual cities or counties to pass their own bans. For many proponents of the bans, this is understandably concerning, however, it is important to examine a couple angles of the straw ban. So, instead of listing more facts about the environmental impact of straws —which are numerous and now easily researchable — I’m going to cut to the chase with three important things to think about.

 

  1. Straw bans could have unintentional consequences

It’s pretty agreed upon by environmentalists and scientists that limiting plastic waste is essential for the health of wildlife and the planet. Alongside things like plastic bags and single use utensils, plastic straws seem like a no-brainer; they are used regularly and easily replaceable by more sustainable options such as metal, paper, and silicone. However, as with most things, it’s not as black and white as straws=bad. One of the biggest arguments against straw bans is coming from the disability community. Though there are a range of sustainable alternatives that work for able-bodied individuals, for those with disabilities, plastic and bendable straws are often essential. At the moment, there are no sustainable substitutes that are both as durable and malleable as plastic straws and many disabilities rights activists are worries that straw bans, while well-intentioned, will unintentionally and severely disadvantage a large subset of people.

 

  1. Straws can’t be the only solution

As the hot-button issue of 2018, straw bans are receiving tons of attention and everyone from cities to Starbucks are promising rapid action. While immediate action is great and limiting straws certainly targets a large source of plastic waste, there is worry that straw bans can give a false sense of accomplishment. Many experts and activists are worried that once a ban is achieved people will move on rather than forward, making a modest impact on only one section of the much larger issue of plastic waste.

 

  1. Straws are a good starting point

Despite the last two points sounding a bit doom and gloom for straw bans, don’t get discouraged! Whether through outright bans or more individual efforts of counties, cities, consumers, and corporations, limiting plastic straws is a good step for the environment. As these issues come up in your area, it’s important to look at them as a nuanced but also a chance for collaborative change and forward momentum in the fight to save the environment.

 

For more information on straw bans, check out any of the organizations, national or local, working to limit plastic waste and think about skipping the straw next time you’re out.

Myths About the Paper vs. Plastic Question

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You’re at the grocery store and you get asked, “paper or plastic?” Most people have a standby option they believe is better, whether that’s thinking paper is more recyclable or plastic can be reused for garbage bags. But, is one actually better than the other? To settle this debate, I debunked two myths about the plastic vs. paper debate to help you decide, once and for all, which way to go.

 

MYTH: Paper is better than plastic

Over time, paper bags have garnered the reputation of being the better alternative when asked the perennial question “paper or plastic?” However, the reality is that paper bags really aren’t much better. While paper bags are easier to recycle and have about 50% more capacity than a plastic bag, the energy it takes to make a paper bag is more than the energy required for plastic bag. Just making the paper alone consumes huge amounts of energy (including fossil fuel based energy) before it even gets to the stage of becoming an actual bag, outweighing some of the benefits of recycling.

 

MYTH: Plastic bags aren’t recyclable

Luckily this myth is false! There is nothing in plastic bags that prevents them from being recycled. However, before you get too excited, recycling plastic bags is an arduous process that requires re-melting and re-casting the bags. This process uses less energy than making new bags, but the quality of the plastic is “downcycled,” meaning the plastic is not as viable and is therefore rarely made into new bags. Just because the bags do not turn into new bags does not make them entirely useless, as they can be turned into raw materials for other plastic-based products, but recycling plastic bags is not a perfect fix.

 

Ultimately, experts almost unanimously agree that reusable canvas bags are the way to go over plastic or paper! Beyond the obvious that they can be used again and again, reusable bags are stronger, sturdier, and carry more than paper or plastic, meaning less trips to get all the groceries in from the car. Reusable bags are not the solution to all plastic waste, but using them can be a small step in reducing the nearly 380 billion plastic bags we use every year in this country.

 

For more information on the “plastic versus paper” debate, check out:

"Paper of Plastic? A Look at the Facts, Myths and Numbers of Shopping Bags" by Collin Dunn, Huffington Post, July 16, 2008

 

Ditching the Softener

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For most people, soft laundry is a must; I mean who really wants crunchy, static-y clothes? Plus, if you’re like me, that warm, fresh laundry smell is heaven. That is, until you learn that fabric softeners and dryer sheets can have tons of toxic chemicals including ethanol and chloroform. Because fabric softeners work by coating fabrics in a thin layer of chemicals, those chemicals then rest on your clothes and are vented out with dryer exhaust which isn’t good for you or the environment. While some people have little adverse reaction to the chemicals in fabric softeners, many of the chemicals are classified as carcinogens and allergens, and that isn’t including the massive amount of fragrance used in softeners which are enough of an allergy trigger on their own.

 

Luckily avoiding fabric softeners and their possible issues is pretty easy. For many people, just skipping the softener altogether is fine with the added benefit of less waste and less money spent on boxes of dryer sheets. However, if you don’t like the idea of risking crunchy or static-y clothes, there are plenty of alternatives such as:

 

  • Using felt wool balls in the dryer: they’re reusable and easy to make or cheap to buy!
  • Adding baking soda or white vinegar to your wash: they act as natural softeners and won’t leave your clothes smelling like vinegar
  • Finding natural ingredient or reusable dryer sheets
  • Drying your clothes on the low heat setting: it might take longer but it definitely works

 

If you’re still worried about losing out on the scents of fresh laundry, try a few drops of your favorite essential oil on the wool dryer balls. Most people who ditch the softener never look back and even find their clothes are softer than before. With such painless alternatives, consider doing yourself, your wallet, and the environment a favor and ditching the fabric softener.

 

For more information on fabric softener toxins and alternatives, check out:

 

"Don't Get Slimed: Skip the Fabric Softener" by Rebecca Sutton, Enviroblog

 

"Fabric Softener Alternatives and Other Safe Approaches to Laundry" by Robin Konie, Thank Your Body

 

Mallory McClure

Mallory is a part-time writer and Kalamazoo College graduate native to the Pacific Northwest. When not writing blogs and small business articles, she enjoys spending time with her pets, reading Victorian literature, and supporting the Seattle Sounders.

Small Businesses Supercharging Southwest Michigan

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Big businesses dominate the news cycle: Amazon’s buyout of Whole Foods, Apple without Steve Jobs, the perils and pluses of Facebook Live. Because of this, it’s sometimes too easy to forget about the small businesses; yet, they might be more influential than we give them credit for. A recent infographic in 269 Magazine shows that 99.6% of businesses in the state of Michigan are small businesses, and 49.8% of the Michigan workforce is employed by those businesses. I don’t know about you, but I was shocked at how high that number is, almost half of Michigan is tied to small businesses

With those kind of numbers, the amount of money flowing locally must be impressive too. In fact, according to local giant Quicken Loans, for every $100 spent at a small business, $70 stay within the local economy as opposed to $43 with non-local businesses. It’s pretty hard to beat a 70% retention rate, especially when you think about the human component of your local economy. That $70 is going into things like paying friends and family who work locally, maintaining the stores on main street that are unique to your town, and the local artists and artisans who sell to those stores. Plus, it’s been shown that multiple small business bring more local jobs with them than one large chain store. So those businesses are helping build robust local economies and a diverse range of jobs.

Really what this all comes down to is, shopping local is great! You can confidently support the people and town you love when you know that you’re part of what is keeping southwest Michigan so interesting. And for our part, we’re proud to be one of the small businesses employing half of the Calhoun county and Michigan workforce.

If you want to learn more about small businesses in Southwest Michigan check out:

"Small Business in Southwest Michigan" 269 Magazine, Issue 9: May/June 2017

“Small Business Saturday & How it Impacts your Local Economy” Zing by Quicken Loans, 23 November 2016

Mallory McClure

Mallory is a part-time writer and Kalamazoo College graduate native to the Pacific Northwest. When not writing blogs and small business articles, she enjoys spending time with her pets, reading Victorian literature, and supporting the Seattle Sounders.