BOOK REVIEWS
materials that can be safely reused over and over again. She stresses the importance of supporting companies that use recycled content in their products, and the health and environmental benefits from buy - ing food grown and raised locally at farmers’ markets that are also sold with minimal to no packaging. To eliminate packaging and save mon- ey, bring your own glass jars and buy from bulk bins in stores. MOMs organic markets in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties (Mary - land) have a large bulk food section complete with scales to weigh and label your containers before filling them. The book explores many consumer choices. “It takes eight gallons of water to make one paper plate. Choosing to use real plates and real flatware” and discouraging the sale and use of problematic alternatives could significantly reduce the unnecessary consumption of many re - sources. Toothbrushes are another example. “Every plastic toothbrush ever created still exists.” She recommends a bamboo toothbrush made by Brush. In the spirit of conservation, she encourages us to “hold on to your toothbrushes! They work great for small cleaning jobs.” Additional resources include TerraCycle’s efforts to eliminate the idea of waste globally, by trying to keep trash out of landfills and in - cinerators through collaboration and innovation — from recycling to reuse and whose mission is to eliminate the Idea of Waste® (www.ter - racycle.com; www.terracycle.com/en-US/about-terracycle / Designed - forReuse; www.zerowastehome.com ; and https://zerowastehome. com/tips). Kellogg’s list of substances to avoid includes parabens, which are “known endocrine disruptors” used as preservatives; artificial color - ing, which “is made from coal tar and will be on the ingredient label as FD&C, D&C, or Red 6”; formaldehyde, also known as formalin , a pre- servative that “keeps makeup and beauty products fresh over time— the downside is that it’s known to cause cancer”; toluene, a petro - chemical used as paint thinner that “interferes with hormones and the immune system”; and synthetic fragrances often listed as “parfum” or “fragrance,” which is “code for an amalgam of different chemicals that are considered trade secrets—so you really don’t know what’s in the mix you’re spraying on yourself.” Alyce Ortuzar is a freelance medical and social science researcher, writ - er, and editor living in Montgomery County, Maryland. She runs the Well Mind Association of Greater Washington, a holistic medicine information clearinghouse that focuses on environmental and nutritional influences on our mental and physical well-being. For five years, she edited the U.S. Sur - geon General’s smoking and health reports. She can be reached at (301) 774- 6617 and by email at alyceortuzar@gmail.com.
101 Ways To Go Zero Waste
By Kathryn Kellogg 2019; The Countryman Press: New York 242pp; PB; $17.95; ISBN 978-1-68268-331-6
Have you ever thought about your trash? Do you think about what you throw away? How often do you toss out packaging materials? How much do you recycle, reuse, and repurpose your purchases? Is your pantry filled with single-use food items? Do you wonder where the trash and recycling go after they leave your curbside bins? ~ Excerpted from 101 Ways To Go Zero Waste Author Kathryn Kellogg has written an excellent guide that explains what it means to be a “conscious consumer” and how to generate as lit- tle waste as possible. Overconsumption and a throwaway culture have led to a global waste crisis. “Although even complex trash is technical- ly recyclable, most materials are not profitable to recycle and others are not safe.” As a result, “waste piles up in landfills and pollutes our planet, while virgin materials continue to be irresponsibly extracted from the earth to create new products. An unfortunate example is the non reusable, single-serving plastic bottle of water. Consumers in the United States “buy fifty billion plastic bottles of water annually.” Plastics are toxic petroleum products that “can leach toxins into your food.” The small plastic bottles of water alone “account for 17 million barrels of oil annually” — enough to power a million cars for one year. “It takes three liters of water” to make one of those plastic bottles, in addition to the water contained in the bottle. Tap water is more regulated than bottled water is in the United States, and “forty percent of all bottled water is actually taken from the tap.” One of Kellogg’s many solutions is to “ditch the disposable water bottle habit and invest in a sturdy, reusable, stainless steel water bot- tle.” Those bottles have “a 100 percent recycling rate” and can be re - purposed into more stainless steel products, with no loss in quality. It is a challenge to market and quantify reducing and reusing items. Re - cycling seems easier “because it is so actionable and tangible.” Yet the more we reduce our consumption by repurposing and reusing what we have, the less we will need to recycle. Viewed as a last resort after re- ducing and reusing items, recycling can provide an important pathway toward a circular economy. Examples of explanations and distinctions this book provides in- clude why brown paper is recyclable and compostable, but “butcher paper or freezer paper is coated with plastic and is neither recyclable nor compostable.” A later discussion lists everyday items we should avoid such as plastics, because they contain endocrine disruptors. Also on that list are “furniture with flame retardants, Teflon pots, and dental floss coated with PFCs (perfluorochemicals). Most floss is plas - tic,” Kellogg cautions, and PFCs “have been linked to thyroid disease, dementia, cancer, fertility issues, and birth defects.” One safe alterna- tive is “silk floss from Dental Lace,” which is compostable and “comes in a refillable glass jar with a metal lid.” Her Ultimate Guide to Recycling included in this book notes that with an overall recovery rate of 9 percent, plastics offer few opportu - nities for recycling. “That is why it’s best to reduce our dependence on plastics and opt for reusable items” made from natural, nontoxic
Konstanza Morning Star Certified Medium & Shaman Author of Medium: A Step-by-Step Guide to Communicating with the Spirit World
Evidential Mediumship Readings Mediumship Workshops, Circles, Teleclasses Soul Retrieval, Shamanic Healing, Spirit Release Available via phone, Zoom, Skype, Face-to-Face
www.mediumshamandc.com 240-543-9414
68—PATHWAYS—Summer 22
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