Need-a-Bag Project Update 04.16.10 -- get your strawberries

Note: The Need-a-Bag? project was created to promote sustainable bagging at the Hwy 441 Alachua County Farmer's Market each Saturday morning. We supply reusable tote bags reclaimed from thrift stores and garage sales. The Need-a-Bag? project also utilizes old tank tops as tote bags by sewing up the bottoms (these are called t-totes). We invite you to read the other posts on the project by clicking the "Need-a-Bag? Project" label at the bottom of this post.

The photos for this post are actually from last week, but the strawberries are still around -- but not for much longer! It was very busy at the market and it was looking so green -- all the farmers had heaps and heaps of greens and reds and it was just lovely. Saw my friend Bren this morning, on a rare visit without her brood; she was getting chickens, just like me! Laughing Chicken Farm has been selling at the market for a few months, now, and I finally got up the courage to actually buy a whole chicken at their stall. Later, I told my mom-in-law that I bought a chicken at the farmers market and she looked momentarily aghast: "A live one?!" she asked. Nope, Laughing Chicken does all the processing, so you get a frozen whole chicken, or parts. I wanted a "Jumbo" chicken (which are the best value at $18) but all they had left were some mediums for $14 -- Bren was buying SEVEN of them; she has a stand-up freezer, though, lucky duck. We should have been running to get to the booth, though, because by the time we got to the chicken table there was already a sizable line. Then, because I was chatting with Bren, I forgot that I had to collar DG for the dinero to buy the darn thing because, as usual, I had neglected to bring sufficient funds to the market. But DG was running her own self ragged around the market so I couldn't find her; Bren very kindly fronted me for the chicken until I got the dough from my connection. Sorry, that sounded like a drug deal -- but the chickens are very tasty, as I understand!

Now for some other views from last week. Just FYI, we're using a new labeling technique that came to DG in a dream or while waiting for the bus or something; using rubber bands that she has collected from 10 years or so of buying farmers market produce. She has a lot of rubber bands! So, as shown in the photo, we poke a hole in the label, string a rubber band through it, and then tie it to one of the handles or some other tote bag appendage. They kind of fall off after a while, but they don't have to stay on for very long so it's all good (and way cheaper than safety pins).

And here is a photo of my feet sporting the new pair of "Men's Torino" Okabashi sandals that I got a couple of weeks ago (the lure of Okabashis has been documented in this post). Anyway, as you can see, they are big enough so I can wear warm, fuzzy socks on the few chilly mornings we have left of the spring.

One last thing -- Erika of the sweet-and-tasty-citrus-soon-to-be-pretty-caladiums gave the project a super-duper write-up in her weekly newsletter:

We're pretty fortunate to have two extremely kind individuals who week in and week out provide free tote bags on the market fence for customers to use when they have left their totes at home. DG and Michele created the need-a-bag? program two years ago in an effort to reduce the amount of plastic bags at the market. I don't know if they actually keep tally of the number of bags that they personally buy or sew each week for use at the market, but by my count it is A LOT (very official, huh?) An extension agent from Live Oak visited our market a year ago in an effort to give the Board tips on how to improve customer satisfaction and such. She visits markets on a regular basis, and said she had never seen a volunteer-based program in all of her visits throughout the southeast.

Michele and DG are to be commended for a job well done. The funny thing is, instead of being the ones who are honored, they give trophies to others instead! Check out my 'Jared' from last year's need-a-bag? awards party: Jealous much? You should be! But really, wouldn't it be nice to thank the brains behind the operation? Consider donating a tote bag to the program by dropping it off at my booth. Better yet, take a moment to visit Michele's blog, The Accidental Environmentalist, OR e-mail a little thank you addressed to DG and Michele to me that I can forward on to them. It isn't easy being green, and these ladies deserve a great big round of applause!

That is so totally awesome, Erika--thank you!

Yep, we tried to do tote tallies early on, but math is hard :( Plus, we have repeats and stuff that sneaks its way onto the fence by anonymous (probably Jean) angel hands, and then there's the stuff Jared finds in a corner of the shed when he does a clean-up. Very hard to keep track of those ephemeral tote bags.

Okabashi Sandals

Look! I just became a fan of Okabashi footwear, on Facebook! And I posted the comment you see to the left:

I love my Okabashi "Men's Torino" sandals that I just purchased, yesterday! They make me look like an old, fat guy from Miami! I can't wait to wow my students with my new look!

The comma splice was intentional (this time). With my usual spring attire for Gainesville (Bermuda shorts, athletic socks and baggy Dollar Store t-shirt) I really do look like an old, fat guy from Miami! I believe this has been my intention all along.

Back to Okabashi. My beloved faux-Birkenstock Pali sandals finally broke down after 4+ summers of constant service, and I fretted about the future of my feet for this upcoming summer. I considered getting a new pair of Palis from the Internet, but most Internet people want to charge 17-dollars for a pair of the ones I have now - SEVENTEEN DOLLARS! That's without shipping, and way too much for a cheap pair of plastic sandals. So, the other day I broke down and bought a pair of Okabashis at the neighborhood Walgreens for 10-dollars. The thing that sold me on them was not the fact that they are on Facebook and Twitter (although I find that fact immanently hilarious), but that they are:

• Made in the USA
• Have a 2-year guarantee
• Are recyclable

They're made in Georgia, of all places. I thought "Okabashi" meant they were some New Age Japanese construction, but this is not the case.

About the recycling: Even with Gainesville's new recycling privileges (type 1-7), Okabashi will let you send your shoes back to Buford, Georgia for actual recycling into new footwear. You have to put them through the dishwasher first -- not having a dishwasher, I wonder if my washing machine would be enough? Yes, checking on the recycling page for Okabashis, apparently you can! If they pass muster, they grind up your old Okabashis and make them into new Okabashis. The circle of shoe life writ large, man! According to their website, Okabashis can contain up to 85% recycled materials and still be durable.

So far, so good with the Okabashis. I've been wearing them around the house this evening (I'm still recovering from a massive head cold so I've been out of commission most of the week) while I catch up on dishes/laundry. The real test will be when I wear them to campus on Monday and put them through the rigours of graduate teaching assistant life.

To recap: Okabashis are my new shoe of choice because they are made in the USA, so I support American industry and not sweathshops overseas, they are cheap yet they can contain recycled materials and be recycled themselves. Win!

Plantable Trisquits and Recycled Scrubbies

I guess this whole "green thing" is catching on, Nabisco and 3M have started coming out with more eco-conscious products. The first is this Trisquits box I came across, that had a sheet of cardboard that had basil seeds embedded in it. You plant the cardboard and grow your own basil, as part of the supposed "Home Farming Movement" Nabisco/Trisquit has started. They're like secret toy surprises for adults who like to eat Trisquits, I guess. The connected site has tips on how to get started growing your own food. I think it's interesting that they haven't also initiated the "Home Baking Movement" and show you how to make your own Trisquits. (honestly, making crackers is hard -- I tried to bake some once and it came out okay, if you like hard tack).

Today I was at the Publix purchasing ingredients for the world's MOST EXPENSIVE stain remover; about twice a year I manage to miss a crayon in the pockets of my son's jeans before they go into the wash. This first crayon mishap of the year yielded particularly heinous blue splotches on my husband's new work shirt and I figured, if nothing else, I would save this one article of clothing that was rather expensive. Looking at the internet I found a stain removal recipe that included Tide, Oxyclean, Shout, Borax, and vinegar. I don't know about most people, but I only had the vinegar, hence my trip to the store.

While there I saw that Scotch-Brite now has scrubbies made from 50% agave plant and 23% recycled paper. Agave fibers, huh? I often fear for plants and insects when humankind finds a new use for them on such a large scale. The sponge part (with the recycled paper) is supposed to be made from "100% natural fiber." So I emailed 3M:

Hi, I just purchased the Greener Clean Scrubbers at my local Publix and was wondering where the 77% other "natural fibers" (beyond the 23% recycled paper) comes from. Also, what is the other 50% of the scrubber material made from, beyond the agave fibers? Thank you!

We'll see what response I get. I'll also update when I've actually tried the new scrubbie.

When I was checking out, the bag man (he was retired, so I don't feel comfortable calling him a "bag boy") saw the scrubbies and said, "ah, these are probably made from recycled PVC." and I said, "wow, how did you know that?" and he replied, "Um, 30 years as a chemist." I hope he's working as a bag man at Publix because he wants to.


Update: Here is the response from 3M (that was quick):

Dear Michele,

We appreciate hearing from you.

The natural fiber Non-Scratch Scrub Sponge scrubber is made from 50% agave
plant and 50% polyester. The sponge is made from 23% recycled office paper
and 77% cellulose.

Best Regards,


Colleen
Home Care Division
1-800-846-8887
www.scotchbrite.com

Ecofreek

I don't usually like taking solicited requests for reviews of any kind, but I got an email from Nicole, at Ecofreek.com, who asked for a review. My only criteria for non-annoying eco-friendly websites is that they not have ads. Ecofreek had one ad, for Reverend Billy and the Church of Life After Shopping (I think it used to be Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping, but whatever) and that was it.

It's a search engine, so you can put in any search term (I used "co-op" because, praise be, the Citizen's Co-op has finally got a storefront [but more on that later]). Not much in Florida, except a free pigeon coop, but if you choose an anywhere search you get stuff being given away as well as links to forums where people are discussing "coops." I'll have to remember to use it the next time I'm doing research for a blog post!

Need-a-Bag Project Update 02.06.10 -- oh yeah, happy new year...

Here is a bag that lasted, like, 5 seconds on the fence because...it has Noah's Ark on it! How could you not want this bag?! This is actually from last year. Geez, where has the time gone?

The market was bustling today, lots of lettuce and onions and some carrots and not so many strawberries. DG managed to snag me a box of strawberries because we had gotten to the market late and I hung bags while she went in to shop (my fault, I've been dawdling like a fiend of late). My family gobbled them up after I got back -- seems the freezes have not been kind to strawberries, among other crops, this year.

And now, the news -- Celebration! We've finally nailed down a date and time for our Need-a-Bag? Project Second Anniversary Banquet. It will be at Civilization this year which, I found out, is a co-op owned venture. It makes me want to frequent them even more than I have, which is none. This will be a time to thank the people who have helped Need-a-Bag? continue through two years of service to the Hwy 441 Saturday farmers market.

I was hanging bags this morning and a gentleman walked up and said, "are these for frees?" Haha, no, they're for free! Cute.

DG and I talked the other day about doing something crazy like apply for a grant, and then we realized we'd have to do something crazy like become acknowledged as a non-profit or something. That's too hard! I thought we should become a non-profit and then get the project signed up for the Disney volunteer service=free ticket to the parks thing, but again -- TOO HARD! I don't think I've emphasized enough how truly lazy we are, and so doing something like being officially recognized as a 501 c.3 or whatever would be disastrous to our continued willingness to do this project.

I Won!!!!!11!

I am very, very sorry. I posted a contest a couple of days ago, asking people to name the "recycle triangle" for a t-shirt. Well, the name of the "recycle triangle" is "recycle triangle." My bad. I won!

Will come up with a better contest when I'm not such a dunderhead.