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Vegan and Keto? Review of The Key Dough
Keto is referring to a diet that is low in carbohydrates but high in protein. While originating as a medical diet, its popularly is associated with weight loss.
The Key Dough was established at the end of 2019 in Toronto, Canada by Julie Sullivan. Vegan Very Much met the friendly and kind owner at the Cabbagetown Farmers Market in October 2020. During our nice chat with CEO Julie Sullivan, we introduced our work at Vegan Very Much, and our interest in reviewing vegan companies to our readers. As November was No-Buy Month, we were unable to purchase the tempting but healthy treats. Julie kindly offered that we choose a pack of Key Dough cookies (made from The Key Dough Mix) each, so that we can try and review them for our readers.
The opportunity to interview the founder of this fairly new establishment and share it with you is thrilling. Since we like food, we like to always explore this field. We hope you learn something new and purchase from The Key Dough. We can’t wait to hear about your first impressions.
First impressions of the Key Dough cookies!
Kerly tried them first with herbal tea in hand. Her first impressions are as follows:
It’s really good! Very rich…I love the texture. It is so….thick!”
She devoured it, albeit, mindfully savouring each rich, tasty bite. After eating the healthy cookie, she exclaimed: ”That one is all I needed!” This is a big compliment coming from this sweet tooth. She felt that it has scratched her itch for something dessert-like, although it was not very sweet. The added plant satisfied the brain!
Just a quick explanation of science, the brain has receptors that attract glucose. Without this glucose, the brain cannot functions. Carbohydrates we consume concert into brain-powering glucose. The Key Dough’s One Mix cookies contain complex carbohydrates and fat, which was responsible for our feeling of well-being and satisfaction after eating just one each at first try.
On the contrary, sugary cookies require you to keep eating to feel satisfied. To lead a healthy addiction-free life, as it relates to sugar, the Key Dough health cookies are a way to go! They are keto-friendly as the clever name suggests. The denseness due to the added plant fat is good for weight loss, as fat burns fat!
My first impressions are as follows:
”Oh wow, the texture is nice. I agree that it’s very rich. Is that coconut oil? Wow, it’s very dense/ heavy, so I can see why you’re satisfied after just one!”
Still, I thought I would eat the other one, because I couldn’t stop, but also had just one. I must point out that this is very rare in our vegan household!
Vegan Very Much interview with The Key Dough
Note: We e-mailed the following interview questions to Julie Sullivan at The Key Dough.
We didn’t alter any part of this interview except for grammar check. We added our own Vegan Very Much comments to create a conversational read, as interviews are. Julie’s answers are in italics.
We asked The Key Dough to ”please put an asterisk* beside your favourite questions.”
1. What would you say is the big ‘why’ for starting your business?
I’m a dreamer, I see possibilities. I thoroughly approach life with a detective’s sense and all the why’s. On a much smaller scale, when I started the Keto Diet and prepared sweets weren’t readily available – I had to make or bake them myself and I have always loved being creative in the kitchen. I was in a one-year business certificate at Ryerson, where I took my very first marketing class (at 29), still figuring out what to do with my life and having had the entrepreneurial dream many times before, I saw an opportunity that I was passionate about.
VVM: I can definitely relate to being a dreamer, which makes it impossible to settle for just any job when you know you’re capable of so much more. I also attended Ryerson, and at the time. My course mates would sneer at the business major because we saw ourselves are opposites, fast-forward, multiple Social Workers have left the field, including myself, to pursue entrepreneurship.
It is wonderful that Julie took the step to attend Ryerson School of Business, it is important to invest in yourself. Interestingly, at 29 years old, she was in her Saturn return. Have you heard of this? Saturn is a slow-moving planet that takes 28-29 years to return to where it was at your birth. At 28-29, Saturn confronts us to make moves that will better our lives; to grow up so to speak. Even without knowledge of this astrological phenomenon, many people we know have married, left their 9-5 jobs (including Kerly at 29 years old), had a baby, or even divorced.
** 2. What do you wish you knew before starting your business?
I wish I had a road map or guidebook specific to the GTA and the food industry and I intend to create something for entrepreneurs of the future.
VVM: This is a great idea! When we start a business, we look for examples of how to make it the best. It’s a great way to give back and answer the questions that were left unanswered for you.
**3. What tips would you give others wishing to start a business?
It’s a lot of work and I think it takes a certain kind of person, but if you’re willing to work hard and are that type of person (passionate, creative, a self-starter) – then go for it because, in the end, nothing else will suffice.
VVM: This is true! It’s much easier to go to work and get a paycheque even if you do the bare minimum. What is not easy is, investing our whole self into a business, working harder than you ever have, and not make any money initially… If you are currently getting a paycheque from your job, pay yourself first and save as much as you can to bring your well-researched business idea to life.
**4. What environmental choices did you consider as you started your business?
I decided to make our prepared cookies entirely plant-based because, before Keto, I was a pescetarian from my early twenties onward. I know how bad factory farming is for animals and the environment so I wanted our brand to be as considerate as I could make it.
It took longer and they cost more – but we searched long and hard, high and low to find our biodegradable packaging.
VVM: As environmental low-impact vegans, we are concerned with ingredients and packaging. We’re glad that The Key Dough took the environmental and animal impact of our food choices into consideration by making The Key Dough prepared cookies, vegan! We hope that the future sees all companies making all their products plant-based, therefore cruelty-free, without sacrificing taste.
**5. How does your brand help build community?
This is a good question. We feel like we’ve been welcomed into other communities more than creating our own thus far. Where I met you was at the Cabbagetown Farmers Market, a group of local independent food growers and producers. I use a shared-kitchen full of food startups.
I have found the keto community on Instagram to be hugely supportive. People love this diet – because it works. I feel way better on it. So it’s a genuine community of people living their lives passionately through food. The Keto community is the best. I have also had a ton of support from friends, family, and my co-workers (our earliest testers). Our retail partners are part of our community as well as our suppliers.
In the building I live in, my neighbours were my first employees and believers. They saw this thing blossom from the ground up and for that, I will be forever grateful. It’s the little guys in the beginning, who believe in you when you have nothing that is the true stars. They made all this possible. I should mention RISE Asset Development too. My first loan provider is funded by U of T’s Rotman School of Business and a CAMH partnership. There I met Steve – who was foundational in believing in me from the start, who helped me believe in myself and led me to Zain, my very first official mentor ever.
VVM: There’s so much here to comment on. It is heartwarming that many people believed in The Key Dough from the start, from friends, family to coworkers and business networks and loan provider. The journey of establishing The Key Dough illustrates the fact that community is key in any endeavour- united we stand, divided we fall.
6. Which of your products would you recommend people start with?
I think The Key Dough Mix is the place to start. Since Covid, we have seen people bake and so we pivoted to an all-purpose sweet mix. You can use it for cookies, muffins, pancakes, or pie crust.
VVM: Being creative in the kitchen is a great stress reliever, we cannot wait to try these mixes. We’ve already requested it at our local Healthy Planet!
7. What would you like everyone to know about your business/products?
Sugar is a carb so if there’s one thing we recommend, it’s lowering your processed sugar intake. The stuff is junk. It makes you feel like crap. It provides no nutritional value and it’s addictive. We want to provide a low-sugar option without sacrificing taste. It’s a healthier cookie without sacrificing flavour.
VVM: We agree, sugar is more addictive than cocaine! As adults, we have to make choices that benefit not only ourselves but our dependents. The Key Dough’s cookies that we were reviewing were very tasty without being overly sweet. The fat content from seeds and coconut oil made them very satisfying- hence the reason why we had just one each with our herbal teas. Try it for yourself- you can be healthy and have tasty treats!
Comment from Julie:
Loved these questions, ladies. Really made me think and get clear on what we’re doing. I honestly teared up in the community part because we’ve had an unbelievable amount of support throughout this journey. I can’t wait to see the article – link me!
Have a great week,
Julie.
Conclusion
Our interview with Julie Sullivan, founder of The Key Dough was mind-opening. We learned a lot, and are happy to share it with you. You can take many gems from the answers that the company provided, whether you are currently keto or not. The Key Dough cookies are 100% plant-based and are a good addition to any vegan lifestyle. If you are vegetarian or pescatarian, you can enjoy the full range of products.
Currently, you get the chance to request The Key Dough products at your local health food stores!
Here is the link!
Biomethane and the environment- Why the car you drive matters
If you absolutely have to buy a new car, then please consider for the sake of our planet investing in a biomethane gas vehicle!
I have been recently very active in the food saving front. We are a small dedicated group of people who are always moving fast to save food. One member is an avid cyclist, but she is always looking to pick up food by car. I have helped her a few times. However, as a cyclist, I feel really bad after driving, as I spent fossil fuels to save food – a dead circle (as we say in Estonian). Most of the time, the car haul is enough for two people to haul with a bike.
There is another member in our group who owns a biomethane i.e. compressed natural gas vehicle. He said that this type of gas is renewable. I know that natural gas isn’t. I was a bit confused. Below you can read my little research on biomethane.
The most popular renewable energy sources are currently:
- Solar energy
- Wind energy
- Hydro energy
- Tidal energy
- Geothermal energy
- Biomass energy
His car uses biomass energy (compressed natural gas i.e. biomethane). And therefore indeed, is using renewable sources. The gas is made from the conversion of solid fuel. It means that plant materials become gas. Biomass fundamentally involves burning organic materials to produce electricity or gas. In this case, this does not include burning wood. And nowadays, this is a much cleaner, more energy-efficient process. It is possible to convert agricultural, industrial, and domestic waste into solid, liquid, and gas fuel. Biomass also generates power at a much lower economic and environmental cost.
What is biomethane or renewable natural gas?
Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) or Sustainable Natural Gas (SNG) or biomethane, is biogas that has been upgraded to a quality similar to fossil natural gas. It has a methane concentration of 90% or greater. Biogas is a gaseous form of methane obtained from biomass. By upgrading the quality to that of natural gas, it becomes possible to distribute the gas to customers via the existing gas grid within existing appliances.
Source: Wikipedia.org
The main problem why biomethane, i.e. compressed natural gas cannot be distributed faster is the cost and placement of fuel storage containers. This is the reason why the municipal government, public transportation vehicles were the most visible early adopters of it, as they can more quickly write off the money invested in the new (and usually cheaper) fuel gradually. In spite of these circumstances, the number of vehicles in the world using CNG has grown steadily (30 percent per year).
Biomethane is 100% environmentally friendly. It can replace natural gas wherever it is currently in use. This also includes compressed natural gas cars. The most exciting part is that the fossil fuels in the transportation section can be replaced with biomethane. Plus, the pricing is better as well!
Biomethane and emissions?
Compared to petrol and diesel, the whole emission of biomethane is smaller. The number of ash pieces and sulfur dioxide is barely visible.
The combustion of biomethane creates the following compared to petrol:
60% less SO2 (Sulfur dioxide), 50% less CO2 (Carbon dioxide), and 45% less NO2 (Nitrogen dioxide).
Aside from that, compressed natural gas is environmentally friendly. It’s also cheaper and takes you farther distances. Compare the distance and the cost with other common sources of fuel below.
Biomethane and Estonia
It would work best for smaller countries if their governments can develop the biomethane market. Let’s look at the case of Estonia, a small country on the coast of the Baltic Sea close to Finland. The current funding allows the country to build more than 20 biomethane stations and one production factory by the end of 2020. The state is subsidizing to promote the market in the transportation sector of every spent mWh (megawatt-hour).
In 2018, two production stations started in Estonia. The annual capacity of one plant is 6 million m3 of gas. Biomethane is maid mostly of wastewater sediment. The second plant can create up to 1,5 million m3 gas in a year. The matter of the production is manure and biomass.
During April, a month heavily affected by COVID-19, still, 6334 mWh of local biomethane was produced. 5224 mWh was made from wastewater sediment. 1110 mWh of animal manure, biomass, and leftovers of food manufacturers.
How to make biomethane?
The survey composed by the Development Foundation in 2014 in Estonia states that there are yearly resources to create up to 4,7 TWh biomethane. The raw material would be mostly biomass from the grasslands (83%) and the leftovers of the farming production (9,8%). But also biodegradable waste from the industry, landfill gases, and solid waste of the waste cleaners. Creating more options to make biomethane, creates a locally sourced supplier using local and raw materials.
Are there biomethane cars?
Several car manufacturers are offering biomethane suitable cars with CNG-motor. There are options for cars, service cars, buses, and trucks. Even in tiny Estonia, you can find different models. Wherever you are, I am sure the variety is much-much wider.
Here is a list of possible models by manufacturers:
- Škoda Octavia Combi
- Opel Astra (hatchback and Sports Tourer)
- Volkswagen Golf, Golf Variant and Caddy
- SEAT Leon, Ibiza and Arona
- Fiat Doblo
On top of that, Mercedes-Benz, MAN, Iveco, Scania, and Volvo offer natural gas-fueled cars and buses.
Here is a list of European CNG cars HERE.
Biomethane production – practical circular economy
Producing biomethane from the waste of the agriculture industry is an excellent example of a practical circular economy. Biomethane can be produced from everything that ferments. It can be manure, silo, cut grass, the top of the vegetables, restaurant food leftovers, etc. Also the production excess of dairy, bread, and meat industries. Basically, everything of organic-biologic origin, except wood.
And if you find that this is all too much for you, then please try composting at home. Check out our tips here!
Sources:
Don’t Buy Peanut Butter In A Plastic Container. Ever.
We do not buy much plastic, as we know about its health hazards. But this new discovery about peanut butter in plastic containers blew our minds!
It is only suitable that we address this critical subject in honour of plastic-free July. More people have to hear about plastic and its many bad sides. We are so used to it, that we do not even notice how it silently creeps into different areas of our lives: food, hygiene products, chemicals, toys, etc. come in plastic packaging.
I came across this recommendation when I was looking to find out if this particular peanut butter was in a glass or plastic container. It was very hard to figure this out, as most of the time it was simply called a jar. That could be either glass or plastic, right? Anyway, I landed on an informative website (source is at the bottom of this article), where I discovered the following:
Don’t buy any kind of peanut butter in PLASTIC containers
That includes even the organic kind. It is a recommendation also for any kind of nut or seed butter. Basically, avoid any kind of plastic containers! This knowledge is originally from a book written by Lee Hitchcox, D.C.
He states following:
- Most of the peanut butter on the grocery store shelves (even in many “natural foods” stores) already contain pesticide and/or fungicide residues, tons of sugar and a host of other additives
- Peanut butter has to be heated to be able to flow through the machinery for it to be quickly, easily and consistently poured into jars (plastic jars are also often then heat-sealed. The sealing of the combination foil-type/plastic barrier that is usually found under the lid for food safety reasons.)
- The concern is that the now hot oils/fats in the peanut butter help the plasticizers (in the plastic jars and lids) leach into the food, and along with all the other chemical residue and additives, make for an incredibly toxic product.
- The plasticizers bond to the oil in the peanut butter as a result of the packaging process.
- The consumer is then eating plastic… which is why peanut butter in plastic is one of the most toxic foods you can purchase.*
*Direct information from the original source.
It sounds awful, doesn’t it?
Where is the peanut butter in glass jars?
We really didn’t buy much peanut butter in plastic containers. But from now on we will never do that again. We hope that one day we can also start buying, when our budget allows, the organic kind in glass jars.
If you are in North America, you should probably stop buying your nut butter from Trader’s Joe’s and Costco. Because their organic peanut butter comes only in plastic jars.
Tamara was so kind to share a list with links on her post about few safer choices of peanut butter:
- Santa Cruz Organic (in glass)
- Organic Maranatha (in glass)
- Organic Once Again (in glass)
- Fixx & Fogg (in a glass jar)
You may also keep an eye on Nuts to You butters, as they offer organic and conventional nut and seed butter since 1989. This is an original Canadian full-range nut butter manufacturer. The nuts and seeds in their butter are dry roasted or raw and do not contain added salt, sugar, or saturated oils. Nuts to You nut butter are kosher, Non-GMO and dairy, soy, wheat, and gluten-free.
But even from a regular convenience store, you can find all-natural, peanut butter such as this one.
Basically whatever you buy, try to keep in mind that the fewer ingredients they contain, the healthier the product, and if possible choose a glass container. Besides, 100% peanut butter tastes so much better anyway! But if you are more interested in what kind of results Tamara Rubin got from the testing of XRF technology, click here to see the results of this testing!
Thank you so much Tamara for opening our eyes! Our search for the plastic container free peanut butter goes on. Though recently we have started thinking of making it on our own!
Source: Tamararubin.com
Paper waste and recycling 411
“Prefer paper to other materials, as it can be recycled”. But how many of us really know about paper waste and its recycling?
Evelyn mentioned the other day that if she has to buy something made of paper, then she would like to buy the item made of recycled paper. She said that making paper is one of the main reasons that forests are taken down. Trees along with plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air and provide oxygen. So I decided to look into the recycling world of paper and paper waste.
A useful but wasteful product…
These days paper is an everyday natural material, we all use it and take it for granted. Moreover, we are using it more and more each day, creating lots of paper waste. Though it is a recyclable material, paper still makes up almost half of the waste in the U.S.
Kind people at theworldcounts.com have put together a very informative list of the facts on paper and paper waste:
- As we speak, more than 199 tons of paper has already been produced.
- 324 liters of water is used to make 1 kilogram of paper.
- 10 liters of water is needed to make one piece of A4 paper.
- 93% of paper comes from trees.
- 50% of the waste of businesses is composed of paper.
- To print a Sunday edition of the New York Times requires 75,000 trees!
- Recycling 1 ton of paper saves around 682.5 gallons of oil, 26,500 liters of water and 17 trees.
- Packaging makes up 1/3 or more of our trash.
- U.S offices use 12.1 trillion sheets of paper a year.
- Paper accounts for 25% of landfill waste and 33% of municipal waste.
- With all the paper we waste each year, we can build a 12-foot high wall of paper from New York to California!
- The lessening of paper usage was predicted due to the electronic revolution. It didn’t happen. Demand for paper is expected to double before 2030.
- Every tree produces enough oxygen for 3 people to breathe.
Negative impacts of paper production
A very important fact that we can’t overlook is the environmental impact of paper production. This is because of the many negative effects:
- 40% of the world’s commercially cut timber is used for the production of paper.
- Pulpwood plantations and mills endanger natural habitats.
- Over 30 million acres of forest are destroyed annually.
- The pulp and paper industry is a big contributor to the problem of deforestation and is partly to blame for the endangerment of some species that live in the forests.
- The life cycle of paper is damaging to the environment from beginning to end. It starts off with a tree being cut down and ends its life by being burned – emitting carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
- Paper production uses up lots of water. Remember, an A4 paper requires 10 liters of water per sheet!
- Most of the materials in landfills are made of paper. When paper rots, it emits methane, a greenhouse gas. When it is burned or composted, carbon dioxide.
- Pulp and paper mills discharge water that’s riddled with solids, dissolved organic matter called lignin, alcohol, an inorganic material such as cholates, chlorine, and metal compounds. All of this contributes to soil and water pollution.
- The paper industry is the 5th largest consumer of energy in the world. It uses up 4% of the world’s energy. To produce 1 ton of virgin paper, it is estimated that 253 gallons of petrol is used.
How to minimize paper waste
Paper is recyclable but it seems that people do not put much effort into its recycling or perhaps we are not educated to do so. This is something we can change if we are consistent, we can make the situation better. When thinking of environmental issues and solving them, we can no longer think that it comes down to an individual (each individual can change their habits for the benefit of all). You can’t change the world alone, you need a group of people believing and making the change. It is time to remember to reduce, reuse and recycle, and encourage everyone you know to do it as well.
What Eve and I discussed is that it would be wise to buy items made of recycled paper (ie., toilet paper!). Next time you are looking to buy paper, ask for recycled paper, even if it costs more money, producing virgin paper that is often bleached costs the environment so much destruction. The same goes for notebooks or blocks, etc. The other thing that we can do is to encourage the paper industry to use environment-friendly ways of manufacturing paper. We seem to forget our important role as consumers. We can influence how industries produce the products that we buy. With each purchase, we vote for the kind of world we want to live in.
Positive sides of paper recycling
Paper recycling reduces the demand to cut down more trees thus increasing carbon dioxide lingering in the atmosphere. Though trees are renewable resources, it is still a frightening number that around 160,000km² of the forest is chopped down every year. Trees take rain, sun and time to grow, yet chopping them down in one fell swoop is a devastating and unnecessary end. Trees do much more for us and other living beings when we leave them be to clean the air we breathe.
The recycling of paper requires 40 percent less energy than making it from scratch. Modern paper mills normally generate their energy from burning waste wood whereas recycling plants often rely on electricity from fossil fuels. So that’s the case against. Recycling causes 35 percent less water pollution and 74 percent less air pollution than making new paper. Recycling a tonne of the newspaper paper also eliminates 3m³ of landfills.
But it is still wise not to buy newspapers and magazines, instead using them in the libraries.
How is paper recycled?
I have always wondered how the recycling process of paper looks like. Earth911.com has put together a list to explain it:
- After you put the paper in your recycling bin, it’s taken to a recycling center where contaminants such as plastic, glass or trash are removed.
- Next, the paper is sorted into different grades.
- Once the paper is sorted, it Is stored in bales until a mill needs it, and then it is transferred to the mill for processing.
- Once at the mill large machines (pulpers) shred the paper into small pieces. This mixture of paper, water, and chemicals are heated and the pieces of the paper break down into fibers.
- The mixture is pressed through a screen to remove adhesives and other remaining contaminants.
- Next, the paper is spun in a cone-shaped cylinder to clean it, and sometimes ink is also removed. At this point, the pulp is sent through a machine that sprays it onto a conveyor belt. Water drips through the belt’s screen and the paper fibers start bonding together.
- Heated metal rollers dry the paper, and the paper is placed onto large rolls, which can be made into new paper products.
Give your effort to recycle paper properly
It seems like the process of making recycled paper is not so easy at all. It takes lots of energy and work hours for many people managing heavy equipment. Also, it is very water-consuming. But it is still better than cutting down more trees and making just paper out of them.
We can play a big part in decreasing paper waste and help more paper to be recycled. It is very important to recycle properly. I guess sometimes we wonder while looking at different types of paper, how to recycle them.
Here are a few common items that cause confusion:
Shredded Paper: yes, it can be recycled. But just in case also check with your local recycling program for specific information.
Staples & Paper Clips: leave them on, as the equipment at paper mills that recycle recovered paper is designed to remove them. Though, you should remove paper clips as they can be reused.
Sticky Notes: yes and no. It depends if your local recycling program accepts mixed paper. Paper mills that process mixed paper are able to remove adhesives.
Conclusion
We all use paper and we all need it. You probably have noticed that the fullest bin of the three recycling bins is always the paper one. So keep that bin filled, so more paper can be made. Avoid wasting paper and reuse paper as much as possible, ie., the blank side for notes. BUT do not start using more plastic. Also, avoid printing documents unless you absolutely need to, such as opting for online statements. Skip single-use paper products whenever you can do lessen the demand for it. You can also upcycle paper by, for instance, wrapping presents and other items in the newspaper. Share the knowledge with your friends and help to make a change.
More interesting things to read about the subject:
How Can We Stop Deforestation?
If you are looking for green products and you would like to support ethical companies, check out FirmHugger and find a variety of green options.
References: Earth911.com
The whole truth about plastic numbers*
You have actually no idea of the secret life of plastic. It is wilder than most of us would ever think! The truth lies in the plastic numbers.
Perhaps there are some amongst you, like me not long ago, who will make a big revelation about plastic and it’s recycling. I was silly for a loooooong time to think that the three chasings arrows, which looks like the recycling sign, means that the product is recyclable. Whoops! No! Stop! Think again.
Anyway, coming back to these signs and the numbers inside of them aka plastic numbers. As they all have it inside, which is what tells you the whole truth about this particular item. You can find such triangles composed of three chasing arrows from 1 to 7. The purpose of the number is to identify the type of plastic used for the product, and unfortunately, not all plastics are recyclable or even reusable.
Plastic numbers i.e. codes
Code 1: PETE or PET: Polyethylene Terephthalate – soft drink bottles, mineral water, fruit juice, cooking oil, salad dressing containers, mouthwash bottles, and peanut butter containers.
Code 2: HDPE: High-Density Polyethylene – milk jugs, cleaning agents, laundry detergents, shampoo bottles, washing and shower soaps, cereal box liners, butter tubs.
Code 3: PVC: Polyvinyl Chloride – trays for sweets, fruits, bubble foil, food wrap, medical equipment.
Code 4: LDPE: Low-Density Polyethylene – shopping bags, highly resistant sacks, wrappings, frozen food, and bread bags.
Code 5: PP: Polypropylene – furniture, luggage, toys, the lining of cars, Alpro yogurt containers, mixing bowls, ketchup bottles, syrup bottles, and medicine bottles.
Code 6: PS: Polystyrene – toys, hard packing, fridge trays, cosmetic bags, costume jewelry, CD cases, vending cups.
Code 7: Others (including polycarbonate, bioplastic, and acrylic) – other plastics, acrylic, nylon, fiberglass, etc.
By understanding these simple classifications, we can best use plastics to our advantage. While minimizing the health and disposal issues that may otherwise arise. Below is some information about the seven classifications for plastics, and the recycling and reuse information for each type.
#1 – PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate)
PET is one of the most commonly used plastics in consumer products, and is found in most water and pop bottles, and some packaging. It is intended for single-use applications; repeated use increases the risk of leaching and bacterial growth. Polyethylene terephthalates may leach carcinogens.
PET plastic is recyclable and about 25% of PET bottles are recycled. The plastic is crushed and then shredded into small flakes. Which are then reprocessed to make new PET bottles, or spun into polyester fiber. This recycled fiber is used to make textiles such as fleece garments, carpets, stuffing for pillows and life jackets, and similar products.
NB! Products made of #1 (PET) plastic should be recycled but not reused.
#2 – HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene)
HDPE plastic is the stiff plastic used to make milk jugs, detergent and oil bottles, toys, and some plastic bags. You can tell a difference easily if compared to PET. Luckily this is the most commonly recycled plastic and is considered one of the safest forms of plastic. It is a relatively simple and cost-effective process to recycle HDPE plastic for secondary use.
HDPE plastic is very hard-wearing and does not break down under exposure to sunlight or extremes of heating or freezing. For this reason, HDPE is used to make picnic tables, waste bins, park benches, bed liners for trucks and other products which require durability and weather-resistance.
NB! Products made of HDPE are reusable and recyclable.
#3 – PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)
PVC is a soft, flexible plastic used to make clear plastic food wrapping, cooking oil bottles, teething rings, children’s and pets’ toys, and blister packaging for myriad consumer products. It is commonly used as the sheathing material for computer cables, plastic pipes and parts for plumbing. Because PVC is relatively impervious to sunlight and weather, it is used to make window frames, garden hoses, arbors, raised beds and trellises.
PVC is dubbed the “poison plastic” because it contains numerous toxins which it can leach throughout its entire life cycle.
Products made using PVC plastic are not recyclable.
#4 – LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene)
LDPE is often found in shrink wraps, dry cleaner garment bags, squeezable bottles, and the type of plastic bags used to package bread. The plastic grocery bags used in most stores today are made using LDPE plastic. Some clothing and furniture also use this type of plastic.
LDPE is considered less toxic than other plastics, and relatively safe for use. It is not commonly recycled. However, although this is changing in many communities today as more plastic recycling programs gear up to handle this material. When recycled, LDPE plastic is used for plastic lumber, landscaping boards, garbage can liners and floor tiles. Products made using recycled LDPE are not as hard or rigid as those made using recycled HDPE plastic.
Products made using LDPE plastic are reusable, but not always recyclable.
#5 – PP (Polypropylene)
Polypropylene plastic is tough and lightweight and has excellent heat-resistance qualities. It serves as a barrier against moisture, grease, and chemicals. When you try to open the thin plastic liner in a cereal box, it is polypropylene. This keeps your cereal dry and fresh. PP is also commonly used for disposable diapers, plastic bottle tops, margarine and yogurt containers, potato chip bags, straws, packing tape and rope.
Polypropylene is recyclable through some curbside recycling programs. But only about 3% of PP products are currently being recycled in the US, for example. Recycled PP is used to make landscaping border stripping, battery cases, brooms, bins, and trays. However, #5 plastic is today becoming more accepted by recyclers.
PP is considered safe for reuse, but not always recyclable.
#6 – PS (Polystyrene)
Polystyrene is an inexpensive, lightweight and easily-formed plastic with a wide variety of uses. It is most often used to make disposable styrofoam drinking cups, take-out “clamshell” food containers, egg cartons, plastic picnic cutlery, foam packaging and those ubiquitous “peanut” foam chips used to fill shipping boxes to protect the contents. Polystyrene is also widely used to make rigid foam insulation and underlay sheeting for laminate flooring used in home construction.
Because polystyrene is structurally weak and ultra-lightweight, it breaks up easily and is dispersed readily throughout the natural environment. Beaches all over the world have bits of polystyrene lapping at the shores, and an untold number of marine species have ingested this plastic with immeasurable consequences to their health.
Polystyrene may leach styrene, a possible human carcinogen, into food products (especially when heated in a microwave). Chemicals present in polystyrene have been linked with human health and reproductive system dysfunction.
Recycling is not widely available for polystyrene products. While the technology for recycling polystyrene is available, the market for recycling is small. Awareness among consumers has grown, however, and polystyrene is being reused more often.
NB!! Polystyrene should be avoided where possible.
#7 – Other (BPA, Polycarbonate, and LEXAN)
The #7 category was designed as a catch-all for polycarbonate (PC) and “other” plastics. So reuse and recycling protocols are not standardized within this category. Primary concern with #7 plastics, however, is the potential for chemical leaching into food or drink products packaged in polycarbonate containers made using BPA (Bisphenol A). BPA is a xenoestrogen, a known endocrine disruptor.
Number 7 plastics are used to make baby bottles, sippy cups, water cooler bottles, and car parts. BPA is found in polycarbonate plastic food containers often marked on the bottom with the letters “PC” by the recycling label #7. Some polycarbonate water bottles are marketed as ‘non-leaching’ for minimizing plastic taste or odor. However, there is still a possibility that trace amounts of BPA will migrate from these containers, particularly if used to heat liquids.
A new generation of compostable plastics, made from bio-based polymers like corn starch, is being developed to replace polycarbonates. These are also included in category #7, which can be confusing to the consumer. These compostable plastics have the initials “PLA” on the bottom near the recycling symbol. Some may also say “Compostable.”
NB! #7 plastics are not for reuse unless they have the PLA compostable coding. When possible it is best to avoid #7 plastics, especially for children’s food. Plastics with the recycling labels #1, #2 and #4 on the bottom are safer choices and do not contain BPA. PLA coded plastics should be thrown in the compost and not the recycle bin since PLA compostable plastics are not recyclable.
Do so with other plastic items that have found their way to your home.
Are your eyes open now?
Okay this is something, isn’t it? Why nobody told us this truth about plastic numbers earlier, right? And all these plastic names are really complicated. I found it easier to remember the number and whether they can be recycled and are they safe to reuse.
After obtaining this information I went to our kitchen and I looked through the few plastic items we had looking for plastic numbers. I found two plastic bowls, which we got for free from somebody. For some reason, I have always disliked them. So, they are good to go now and find another use as a flowerbed or collecting green waste. The other few containers we had were all number 5 PP i.e. Polypropylene.
Let’s wrap the plastic up: which recycling numbers to avoid and which are “safest”
You probably agree after reading this post that it’s really best to avoid using all plastics if you’re able. But at the very least:
- Avoid recycling symbols 3, 6, and 7. While Number 1 is considered safe, it is also best to avoid this plastic.
- Look for symbols 2, 4, and 5, as these plastics are considered to be safest. These are the plastics to look for in terms of human and animal consumption.
Recommendations to keep in mind while buying plastic:
- Look for the numbers of safer plastic: 2, 4, 5 and 1. Avoid codes 3, 6, 7.
- Code 1 plastics are the easiest and most common plastics to recycle) and Code 7 – the most difficult to recycle.
- Avoid heating any grade plastic, not even in the microwave.
- PET is widely used for plastic bottles for water and carbonated soft drinks. These bottles are meant for single use only and then recycled.
- Avoid using disposable food containers e.g cups and plates. They are made up of Polystyrene or Styrofoam. When heated they may emit styrene to your food and drinks, which can damage your nervous system and is carcinogenic.
- Look for plastics labeled “BPA- free”.
- Opt for substitutes of plastics e.g glassware, jute or paper bags, metal containers.
- Always recycle or throw away containers once they start to crack or break.
- Don’t use the containers which are used to deliver food or carry food after a single-use.
Unfortunately, plastics will be used. But you can certainly limit your use of the product. Hopefully, this post shed some light on this crazy material, which seems to surround us everywhere.
Most of the information in this article is coming from a true eye-opener article by Earth Easy.
If you are not familiar with the term curbside recycling, please CLICK HERE to find out more.
*Pictured are different plastic containers we found in our household after we were informed about the real truth about plastic numbers. All these were harmful to health. So we discarded them. There is a number of similar trays we use to arrange things in the drawers and keep different containers tidy. Find a way to use the plastic you already have and avoid buying more.
Eating local food doesn’t matter – what you eat does!
If you want to be more environmentally friendly, then you should eat local food. We all know that, right? But how wrong we have been believing that!
I love the many ways of awakening. I read and learn and think that now I know something. Then some new information comes along and it opens my eyes. Again. Wider. I am so excited about the recent discovery of food. Sharing is caring, so let us tell you the latest news about local food.
Local food is good! Or is it?
I guess by now there is not a single person, who doesn’t know that eating local food is better for the environment. After all, we are more aware of what is happening in the world. Especially what is the situation in nature. The very precious thing we keep destroying because of our needs, wants, and habits. We all need to eat, we all want to enjoy the good food, right? Not thinking much of from where the food is traveling to our plates or how it is made.
Somebody once told that eating local food is better for the environment. We all have been believing it, preaching it and sharing our valuable knowledge. Guess what, we have all been wrong. New data is out and it is eye-opening:
Why we have been thinking that local food is better for the planet? Because when food is produced elsewhere and transported to where we are, it has been creating those nasty emissions. Logically thinking, the furthest the food is traveling from, the more destroying it is for our climate. Yes, transport does lead to emissions, but it is insignificant compared to the amounts that food production does. For most food products, transport accounts for less than 10%, and it’s much smaller for the largest GHG emitters.
It is important to state that not just transport, but all processes in the supply chain after the food left the farm – processing, transport, retail, and packaging – mostly account for a small share of emissions. (Look at the graph below)
Blame the food production instead
But many people may not be aware that food production is actually very exhausting for the planet. As a matter of fact, one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) are created because of it. This is a frightening number, which definitely shines new light for our knowledge of planet conservation so far.
Different foods need different stages to be produced. Which means that each stage has its own emissions originate. Different stages are:
- Land use
- Farm
- Animal feed
- Processing
- Transport
- Retail
- Packaging
Depending on a food product the above-mentioned stages are bigger or smaller on creating GHG emissions.
The following graph shows you the data from the largest meta-analysis of global food systems to date, published in Science by Joseph Poore and Thomas Nemecek (2018). In this study, the authors looked at data across more than 38,000 commercial farms in 119 countries.
What you are looking at is the total of GHG emissions per kilogram of food products. CO2 is the most important GHG, but not the only one. Food production in agriculture is a large source of greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide. Think of cows eating constantly, their burps and also the constant pooing.
Transport does matter – when foods travel by air
How often you think of how far the food traveled to the store? I have been thinking of that when looking at goji berries or seeing those beautiful Instagram avocado photos. I tend not to consume food, which has traveled for long, if except cocoa powder. This is the main ingredient for our staple food – dark chocolate. If you looked at the graph above, then, unfortunately, we have contributed a lot to the GHG because of our eating habits.
Before reading the article, which inspired me to write this post, I also thought that a lot of food is transported by air. Luckily only very little food is air-freighted. It accounts for only 0.16% of food traveled in miles. This is great, but unfortunately, those few products which still need to be air-freighted, create high emissions.
To limit your carbon footprint, it should be advised to avoid the small share of foods that are air-freighted. It is very difficult to know, which have taken a plane to wherever you’re living. Especially if the labels are not giving enough information.
The key element to know is those foods tend to be highly perishable. This means they need to be eaten soon after they’ve been harvested. Transporting them by boat would take too long. That is why the perishables are most of the time air-freighted. For example asparagus, green beans and berries are common air-freighted goods.
Next time when buying foods, which seem had arrived from far-away. Look for a country of origin and then think of the freshness of the product. These help you to figure out a bit where the food is coming from.
Save the planet, become vegan!
Yes, we are back at it again – it is better for the planet to be vegan. Animal-based foods tend to have a higher footprint than plant-based. Quit that lamb and cheese-eating. Both emit more than 20 kg CO2-equivalents per kilogram. Poultry and pork have lower footprints but are still higher than most plant-based foods, at 6 and 7 kg CO2-equivalents, respectively.
The largest GHG emissions, for most foods, resulting from land use and the farm stage. The latter is responsible for applying fertilizers, organic and synthetic, and also enteric fermentation (the production of methane in the stomachs of cattle). If to combine these two, then land use and farm-stage emissions account for more than 80% of the footprint for most foods.
So what can you do to be more aware of your eating habits and food choices? As what you eat has a significant impact on our carbon “footprint”. If you want to reduce it, avoid air-freighted foods where you can. But more than this, you should focus on what you eat, rather than eating local. Eating no animal products while switching to plant-based alternatives will reduce your footprint by much more.
I survived! I wrote this article during the last hour of my 20 hours fast after almost two weeks. Wow! Thank you for making it to the end. Hug yourself and be smart while consuming food. Think about fasting, as well, as this will make you appreciate your food even more!
The high impact of full-time work
In 1926, Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford made a groundbreaking change: 40-hour weeks with five working days became a must. Full-time work was born.
Full-time work is classified as 35-40 hours in the West. Having this kind of work commitment especially outside of the home means that you trade a lot of your waking hours for money. But if we are completely honest with ourselves, full-time jobs take away from the hours you spend out of work.
Ways that full-time work trickles into your life
Your commute to and from work adds additional time, preparing your work clothes adds more time. The unpaid work you take home adds more and more time, and finally, all the mental, emotional and spiritual strain robs you of your peace and time.
We rarely just go home and switch off the work problems mode- we take our day with us home whether it’s good or bad. Imagine that you got promoted or had an amazing presentation or secured a client at work, chances are you think of these successes as a reason to celebrate after work! In the same vein, if you have a bad day at work, you may also want to indulge after work, unless you’re a master of compartmentalizing your life and accompanying emotions.
Working during most of the week also means you have less time to live your life purposely. You may be living on auto-pilot and going through the specified motions required to survive each day. Here are some ways that working 5 or more days at a 9-5 has a high impact on you and the environment.
Food choices
Before work, you may buy a packaged breakfast such as granola, yogurt, and fruit or a tofu sandwich and a coffee (your own travel mug would be the best choice but you probably forget it).
At work, you may order in lunch or go out and grab take away in plastic and packaging. Styrofoam, for instance, does not ever disappear unless burned, which causes fumes that are unhealthy for all.
You may order in more often because you don’t want to spend the time you have before bed cooking (even if you like to cook), which means you’re using more packaging. More packaging equals more pollution in the oceans and more trash in the landfills.
Transportation
The distance you travel to work and the area you live determines how you will travel to work. While many in Europe are able to bike to work in cities like Copenhagen which is the bike capital of Europe and Berlin where we’re currently based which is ironically the vegan capital of Europe. However, when it comes to green transportation, those who live more than 30 minutes from work often drive in heavily toxic traffic or use public transportation. Driving over an hour a day increases gas emissions, which has a high impact on the environment.
Children and transportation
Having children is by far the highest impact choice we can have on the plane, but still, we are all here and are grateful.
As a driver, your time spent in car increases as you shuffle kiddos back and forth from school and hobbies, not to mention the resources needed to raise a new human.
Mind you, working full-time then coming home to work further is exhausting and takes away from raising the innocent children you brought into your life.
Those who ride their bikes with children are truly magical and they really help the environment; along with cloth diapers, wooden toys etc. But personally, aside from the latter fun stuff, I know that I would not be able to ride with a child in tow, because I’m comfortable on a bike as it is, especially for long periods of time with the pressure of being a valid source of transportation needed to get us from point A to B.
Note: I live an hour away from work and there are not appropriate bike lanes for those kilometres, even if I was able to cycle for 2 hours in traffic.
Time spent transporting at least twice a day to and from work means that you have less time to make conscious choices about the impact of your daily activities on the earth. But we can’t underestimate the rippling effects of a happy employee – someone who makes a positive difference through their work. On the other hand, having less time and energy to devote to looking at your life for what it is and changing what you don’t like means you continue doing the same thing that is bringing the same results of headaches and a lack of flow. This may lead to illness which uses up even more resources.
YOU are part of the environment
Are you happy with your job? If you are, then congratulations. You are living by example. If not, then you are the only person who can do something about it. Seek counsel from your boss and if nothing changes– move out of the environment because you are not a tree. You can move when something doesn’t work!
Your mood, your health or lack of affects the greater whole. Your choices to consume and create waste affects the world. The environment at work affects you. Are you contributing to a healthy environment or adding to an unhealthy one?
Every month is Veganuary
Now when the most important month for the environment and animals is over, continuous attention to Veganuary is much needed.
I had no idea for the longest time what Veganuary was. I had never participated in it in and so never recommended it. Now that I have been vegan for more than three years, I am more awake. I know that there is a need to spread the word. Not only in January.
What is Veganuary?
Veganuary is a UK non-profit organization founded in 2014. It seeks to bring awareness to a vegan lifestyle free of animal products every January. In a way, you can call it the vegan awareness month. The participants of this groundbreaking event have more than doubled every year since its start 6 years ago. Luckily, the idea of being a plant-based consumer for a whole month is getting more and more popular:
- The 2017 campaign had 50,000 participants signed up as of January 4.
- In 2018 170,000 people signed up, a 183% increase over 2017 numbers.
- The 2019 event signups were reported to be as many as 14,000 per day for a total of 250,000 signups from 193 countries.
- By January 5th, 2020 a record 350,000 people had registered to take part in Veganuary.
These numbers speak loud and clear that things are changing. And for the better. Hopefully. But it is quite disappointing that all the attention is for just one month. Why not every month? It is
Think of Veganuary every month
The extra awareness for veganism for the first month of the year is highly needed, but why not take an extra step and think of Veganuary every month. There are many positive effects of going vegan for more than one month, as it can promote better health for you and those around you, contribute to a better environmental state, and make the lives of animals better.
Being vegan is proven to promote good health and increase vitality, which makes you feel good. But perhaps more important to many of us is the well-being of dear ones around us. We can have our family and friends longer with us. Eating meat is not suitable for any of us, it is harmful to our health. Did you know that the length of our and all herbivores’ intestines is 27 times longer than the body? This is because breaking down cellulose in plant foods is a GINORMOUS job that requires ”untold billions of bacteria which do the breaking down for the herbivore.” Carnivores like lions, unlike rabbits and humans, have sharp teeth to shred meant and short powerful intestines to digest the flesh quickly. Imagine the meat you eat taking so long to travel through your long intestines? The bacteria aren’t meant to digest that! And it is not only meat that causes many health problems. It is also dairy.
Look at the simple graph below from the documentary. The two little dots on the left are data sections for the other two leading causes of deaths. The first is violence, wars, etc. and the middle describes accidental deaths. You can barely see those, because chronic disease kills annually 30 000 000 people in total, leaving them far behind.
Dairy
When drinking milk and using dairy products, we consume bodily liquids of a cow, who is lactating to feed its baby. Unfortunately, after her calf is born, they will lose their mother and their rightful nutrition, which goes to humans. The female cow becomes just a milking machine, not for her calves, but for humans. The male calves will be killed and sold as veal, as they are no use for the dairy industry. Female calves are raised for the same reason as their mothers – to produce milk for humans. Contrary to popular propaganda, drinking milk does no good for the body. Dairy companies had bought the scientist for the longest time, to fool us all to believe that milk gives you good bones and lots of protein. It doesn’t really work like that. As those nations that consume the most cow’s milk and other dairy products have the highest rates of osteoporosis and hip fracture.
Environment
Raising animals, producing products out of them, etc. is very exhausting for our planet. Cow cattle need lots of space, lots of water and lots of feed. And even more water is needed when the flesh of animals is processed for human taste buds. Oftentimes, the country where the cattle are raised does not have enough feed. So then it has to be transported from another country. More forests are cut down to grow more food for animals. It is all adding to the high greenhouse gas emissions.
We have a water crisis. Though it may seem that we have lots of oceans and water should not be a problem, but only a little part of the water is good for human consumption. Animal agriculture is destroying this water and also the oceans– home of sea life.
There are dead zones in the oceans. This is due to the massive amounts of nitrogen put into the oceans and coral reefs dying for the same reason. Animal agriculture is the main reason for global warming as well. One of three fish caught from the ocean is fed to the animal raised in agriculture. Hence overfishing is causing problems for us. As it really puts our future at stake as well.
Animals
Animals are living in cramped conditions. They can’t enjoy their lives to the fullest: run around, gaze and grow up with their loving parent. Males in animal agriculture, are killed including calves and chicks. Females are raised in bad conditions – to be slaves for human needs.
No death is humane. There is no happy meat or happy eggs. Free-range eggs are just a myth, to make us feel better. Not a single egg manufacturer can provide the needed space for hen’s normal well-being. This is not financially possible for them.
We abuse animals in so many fields. Not only for food but for pleasure too (zoo, circus, entertainment) as well. Not to forget fashion – for our shoes, bags, belts, and jackets, animals ‘have’ to die. But animals are individuals – they have feelings, needs and they also know what pain is.
If you are a pet owner, consider the fact that you are not eating your pets. So why should you eat other animals then altogether?
So….every month is Veganuary, right?
It is very difficult not to think of every month as a Veganuary after watching “Let us be Heroes – The True Cost of our Food Choices (2018)“. Though, as a vegan I have seen a fair amount of such documentaries, they still have an immense effect on me because the message is always so simple, but yet so powerful:
go vegan
for your health,
the planet,
the animals!
These are enough reasons to put the needs of your tastebuds aside and start making changes in your life, which would not harm animals or our home – planet Earth as we all need to manage and dwell happily here. Yet, animal agriculture, in other words, the majority’s eating and lifestyle habits, are straining the world and, we are at the edge of a catastrophe. It is here actually, no matter if you feel it in your corner of the world or not.
Take steps and stop eating animal products, as that way you also contribute to a better today and better future. Spread the word and make a change!
Why love your soap bar?
Should you grab that soap bar? Yes, definitely, if you want to save money and eliminate plastic in your bathroom! Don’t worry about the germs!
Trying to use less plastic may be quite an adventure in the beginning. Especially when you haven’t done any research and just come up with your own stuff, as in our case. Soap is probably the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of a bathroom. Also perhaps the first thing to cross your mind, when you enter your completely empty washroom. Soap bar can become really handy first not just washing your hands, but also to do some quick laundry if needed.
Skip the plastic package
Bar soaps, used to be on sale without packaging, then came paper and then plastic. Now we are going hopefully, back the same way: we should skip the plastic and then look soaps in a cardboard box. Or even better without any packaging.
Soaps without packaging are common in health or really rustic hardware stores, which have a section for all kinds of cleaning products. Those products are not only environmentally friendlier, but they are always very cost-effective. Bar soap lasts for a long time. Way longer than its partner in a liquid form in a plastic container.
We used our first bar soap daily for washing our hands, up in six months. Do the math, with one soap you a family of two can use it for a whole year!
The downside of bar soap or is there one really?
The one thing about soap, what people have said is not so fun, is that it tends to dry the hands. I have to disagree, as I do not get dry hands at home. I get dry hands when I am traveling and washing hands at the airports. The soaps used there are liquid and come in dispensers with a pump. Even the foamy ones are really drying.
When I started using bar soap, I was really worried about the fact, that I will get dry hands. But I worried without a reason. Just to be sure and to take care of our guests, we have a little jar of coconut oil in our bathroom. We are using this for our hands and body after taking a shower. I am sure we will talk more about coconut oil in the future, but I just want to write it down now, that coconut oil is not suggested to use on your face. As it has a more delicate and different pore system, which doesn’t respond so well to very oily coconut oil.
While showering, we use, yes, you guessed it right, luxury body soap, a birthday gift that came in as a set of three in a cardboard box wrapped separately in a thin handicraft paper. Just a little remark, keep your soap on a higher shelf near the shower or on the other side of the bathtub. The more water it gets, the faster the soap will disappear and the softer it will turn. Have a good soap holder to avoid problems. Or even better, make your own.
Are bar soaps dirty?
There is a false understanding circulating around that bar soaps are dirty, as they are publicly used as door handles, counters, taps, but studies that prove that it’s the other way around. The bar soap gets some bacteria from each user, then it gets washed off by a next user, as well, drying the soap seems to eliminate the bacteria. What is known is that soap doesn’t store bacteria after each use by different people.
Soap bars are perfectly safe, better for the environment and easy on your wallet, just go ahead and soap away! Even in public spaces.