But, it’s not too late. We can still avoid the most extreme dangers of climate change. While individual action can go so far, and the power resides in governments, policies, and corporations, our decisions matter, too. We can make a difference with our choices, whether that’s choosing to carry a Cliffset or dining in instead of ordering takeout.
We’ve created a list of three ways to live more sustainably this April (and every day after)!
Ditch the single-use plastic and find reusable alternatives.
Exactly as it sounds, single-use plastics cannot be recycled. These goods are made predominantly from petrochemicals (fossil fuel-based chemicals) and accumulate in landfills and oceans for centuries. As a consequence of the throwaway culture, we’ve prioritized convenience over quality and have forgotten to consider the long-term impacts. Today, we’re producing about 400 million tons of plastic waste each year, which then finds itself in our oceans and hurts our aquatic ecosystems.
Most food packaging today is designed to be single-use and litter our waterways. Our ancestors consumed food from where it was found. No grocery shops or delivery services existed. Then, with the emergence of global trade came a surge in international shipping and the birth of the packaging sector. As countries became dependent on one another and as global demand grew, it became crucial to find packaging to extend shelf life. Then, consumer habits changed, too. Following World War II, we began to appreciate the convenience of fast-food chains, leading to an exponential growth of global plastics production.
Reducing our plastic use is key. Policymakers have imposed single-use plastic bans from NYC to England and India. Corporations are finding alternatives to swap out their single-use plastic straws and utensils. Startups, such as Ecoactive (the masterminds behind Mushroom Packaging) are investing in the development of alternative packaging materials. We can do our part, too! Pack your Cliffset for sustainable eating on the go, cook more often, and pack a reusable tote when shopping. For the hummus fanatics, check out this fast, affordable, and delicious way to make your own hummus!
Be mindful of what you consume…and what you waste.
To tackle the climate crisis, we also need a radical transformation of our land and food systems, which account for a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. Ultimately, the gasses produced from agricultural production to transport and packaging trap heat in the atmosphere, causing the Earth’s temperature to rise.
It’s time to take a look at what we eat.
Beef production, for example, produces an enormous amount of methane--a more powerful trapper of heat than carbon dioxide, overall contributing to rising temperatures. A plant-based diet, on the other hand, significantly reduces the offset of carbon emissions. This not only reduces the methane emissions into the atmosphere, but also uses less water, protecting our oceans and aquatic life.
Eating plant-based means simply incorporating more plant-derived food into your diets. That could look like avoiding meat and dairy once a week! Plus, there’s a ton of health benefits associated with a plant-rich diet.
Food waste is another problem--for both the environment and your wallet. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, over one-third of food produced in the U.S. is never eaten, and instead, rotting in landfills and producing methane. So, the next time you go grocery shopping, take a look at what’s in your fridge first!
Use your voice, and use your wallet to vote.
Speak up, let your representatives know, and vote for politicians who champion effective climate action! Buy from brands with an environmental focus, like Patagonia, or use OfferUp for second-hand goods.
Challenge yourself this April to develop more sustainable habits!
]]>To achieve these initiatives, IKEA has adopted circular loops that consist of: Reuse, Refurbish, Remanufacture, and Recycle. The hope is for the products to stay in use for as long as possible with recycling being the last resort.
In 2021, IKEA Retail Sweden opened its first test second-hand store at the Retuna Recycling Mall (the world’s first recycling mall). Recently, IKEA announced the pilot would be extended until August 2025 with sales more than doubling in FY22. Over 43,000 products were given a second life--either to new owners or remanufactured to create new products.
IKEA is also looking to turn towards using ONLY renewable and recycled materials from laminated veneer lumber to recycled polyester and mushroom packaging. Yes, that’s right folks--mushroom packaging to replace styrofoam. Polystyrene, the material that makes up styrofoam, takes hundreds and thousands of years to break down in landfills. Alternatively, plant-based packaging can decompose in a matter of weeks. Mushroom packaging, for example, takes just several days to grow in a controlled environment and requires significantly less energy compared to plastic production. And, for the curious, mushroom packaging DOES NOT look like mushrooms, unfortunately.
And, what about those legendary meatballs? In August 2020, IKEA released their plant-based meatball, the HUVUDROLL, and their vegan options have only grown since to include veggie dogs and gyozas. By 2025, IKEA pledges that 50% of the main meals offered will be plant-based.
IKEA is among the examples of companies shifting toward a circular economy, designing processes to expand product life, sourcing alternative, more climate-friendly materials, and even partnering with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (one of the leaders behind the circular economy) to further its transition from linear to circular.
At the end of the day, the power rests in the choices you make. Where you eat, what you wear, and which companies you support can altogether drive change and make a difference in the world we live in.
Here are some companies focused on championing the change to circular:
Once upon a time, there was a man who handcrafted shoes out of leather and wood. He sold them for a generous sack of shillings and the buyer would own that pair of shoes for the rest of their life. If anything happened to those shoes, the owner would take them to a cobbler to repair.
In the 1960's, plastic injection molding made it so that rubber soles and shoes could be made 100 times faster and 100 times cheaper. Mass manufacturing made it so that buying a new pair was cheaper than repairing. The cobbler goes out of business and the modern person can afford to buy 100 pairs of shoes in their lifetime, instead of clutching onto the 1 pair. UH OH! All of a sudden our oceans are full of floating nike symbols. What the heck happened?
Remember these?! Mass production of Model Ts in the 1910s
A once slow and circular economy where every shoe, bit of food, piece of packaging, etc, was highly valued, reused, and taken care of because they were expensive and laborious to make. With the introduction of factories and manufacturing, goods became inexpensive and easy to make at scale. Scarce and expensive things were all of a sudden plentiful, affordable, and ultimately disposable because they were cheaper than repair or reuse.
So at breakneck speeds, resources are now extracted from the earth, sent to factories, into stores, into houses, and then landfills and oceans. The greenhouse gas emissions and pollution associated with this pace of resource extraction, production, shipping, and even recycling, have become quite alarming and unsustainable for our planet to provide a nice little home for our species. Things are moving in one straight, fast line in the wrong direction. The Linear Economy.
In recent years, there has been a shift back towards a circular economy. Oxford dictionary defines the circular economy as "an economic system based on the reuse and regeneration of materials or products, especially as a means of continuing production in a sustainable or environmentally friendly way." Essentially, we're wanting to bend and stretch the line in the traditional linear economy to get the most use out of our resources and goods to reduce global warming and pollution. There are 3 principles of the circular economy that loosely resemble the age-old adage “reduce, reuse, and recycle.”
The first principle of the circular economy entails eliminating unnecessary waste in the first place i.e. “reduce.” Lush (where your sister gets her bath bombs), for example, has redesigned some of its product packaging to be "naked", meaning instead of selling products in their liquid forms (and thus in plastic bottles), they're sold as solid formations, free of wasteful packaging. Since 2005, Lush has sold nearly 50 million naked shampoo bars globally, eliminating over 150 million plastic shampoo bottles. Cliffset is portable cutlery with its own dishwasher, making it easier for people to reliably keep their reusables clean and on hand, reducing the need for single-use plastic food ware while on the go.
The second principle describes how we “reuse” already manufactured or harvested products, and how we eventually utilize the waste material at its end of life. In contrast to the linear economy style of 'fast fashion' where companies will design cheap articles of clothing that last only for a few wears before falling apart, Patagonia's Care & Repair program offers repair resources and services so customers can extend the life of their durable garments. Pulp Pantry heroically uses, or "upcycles," the otherwise wasted pulp from juice production to create delicious and nutritious chips.
The third principle of the circular economy focuses on switching natural resource extraction and depletion towards using regenerative energy and resources. One startup called Dandelion is providing heat and cooling through below house pipes that reach down and tap into the earth’s natural heat, eliminating the need to combust natural gas. This is a renewable energy source that doesn’t require adding additional carbon to our atmosphere.
The “recycle” bit of the adage can be looked through a lens of how we extract resources in a way that is slower than the earth's ability to regenerate them, so as to not deplete it permanently. For example, we should fish slower than the species rate of repopulating, to ensure they don’t go extinct. “Recycling” in the circular economy can mean planting different crops in new areas so as to not deplete the soil of nutrients for future potential to grow, for example.
But doesn’t “recycle” mean throwing your plastic water bottles in the blue bin so that it can get made into new bottles? Unfortunately, this model of consumption fits into the linear economy because only 5% of all plastics actually get recycled. We’re making more than we can renew so the rest is building up in landfills and waterways, causing an over-reliance on fossil fuels from which they are made and creating chemical and microplastic pollution in the ocean.
What does this mean for us?
Reduce how much you consume, avoiding plastic wrapped foods and indulgent clothes shopping because they’re the bulk of our consumption. Shop for unpacked produce and support a refill store near you. Attend a clothing swap or check your local thrift shop for a new look.
Reuse your things. Even if it was a cheap purchase, learn to value items in terms of the resources that go into making it and its end of life. Learn to care and repair your more durable items, and don’t throw away food.
Recycle the earth’s resources. In the circular economy, this actually means supporting business models that use regenerative energy, sustainability farm, and responsibly mine and harvest. Traditional recycling doesn’t work and was sort of a greenwashing campaign in the first place.
]]>Single-use plastic is an issue, which you might already know. Although, you might be surprised to learn that the iconic brown to-go box that you're handed for restaurant leftovers or shawarma takeout isn't just made of paper. It's actually lined with plastic.
Why? To keep moisture and grease from dissolving the paper and to keep your salad from spilling all over the street on your walk home. But because plastics have been piling up in our oceans, sustainably minded restaurants like Sweegreen and Chipotle, have been making an effort to find plastic free alternatives that will break down naturally if their packaging ends up in the environment.
Enter the fiber bowl. Made of compressed and molded fiber from recycled papers and other natural plant fibers, they should stay out of the ocean, decompose into dirt, and blossom back into a tree to house singing little birdies! Right? Sweetgreen and Chipotle were the obvious choice for crunchy granola people that give a damn about the planet. But, turns out it wasn't an easy fix without unintended consequences.
In 2019, fiber bowls were discovered to contain high amounts of PFAS, nicknamed "forever chemicals" because they're toxic to planetary and bodily ecosystems which can't quite break them down. A reasonable cost for avoiding soggy bowls? Healthline provides a great health and regulation overview on PFAS, but basically you don't have to freak out if there's a bit of exposure overtime. It's the high amounts that need to be avoided. We likely won't see much regulation on PFAS from the FDA, but it's truly up to the restaurants to be accountable to their communities.
And, they have! Sweetgreen partnered with Footprint to produce PFAS free bowls. Due to drama with terminated mergers and inaccess to capital, they had to close down production in a Factory in South Carolina. According to this Consumer Report, PPM's have decreased dramatically to those detected in the PFAS fiber bowl scandal.
We think it's always healthy to be concerned about disposables, health, and environment. This article does a good job of outlining safer, low-PFAS packaging to choose while out in the wild city. Think foil, PLA lined containers, and non-PVC or styrofoam containers.
At the end of the day, reusing is always best for planet and body. Don't microwave your plastic storage containers, but heat in glass and ceramic. Support businesses like Just Salad that offer returnable takeout bowls. Just take an extra 5 minutes and sit down at a restaurant! Nobody will judge you for sitting alone. Meal prep and chop produce at the beginning of the week to make salad assembly and cooking a breeze midweek. Bring your own reusable utensils either way and keep them clean and handy for whatever is next.
]]>We've mentioned it a few times, but haven't really gotten into specifics about WHAT to carry your portable cutlery in. As the holidays approach and you explore gift ideas, we wanted to share our favorite bag brands that have very intentional approaches to sustainability, functionality, and design.
Pakt makes incredible bags for travel and everyday carry.
The new Pakt Anywhere Collection is built to keep you organized and feeling at home on the road, in the air, and anywhere in between. Pakt creates premium travel accessories that are made to last a lifetime and built with the planet in mind. This line of travel bags is constructed from rPET, a material made from recycled single-use plastics, and shipped in 100% plastic-free packaging to do our part to keep plastic out of the ocean.
@paktbags Get some fantastic stocking stuffers this holiday season for all your friends or family that travel often. Pakt’s Holiday Sale is on now with 15% off all Travel Bags and 20% off when you buy any 2! No code needed, promotion automatically applied. #paktbags #minimaltravel #traveltiktok #onebagtravel #travelgadgets #travelaccessories #stockingstuffers #giftideas #TheQuickBooksJump ♬ Piece Of Your Heart (Cg Remix) - Official Sound Studio
Question: How many plastic utensils are thrown out each year in the US?
Is it....
A. 40 million
B. 400 million
C. 4 billion
or D. 40 billion.
Make your best guess and scroll down to reveal the answer.
No peeking...
The answer is D. 40 billion!
When you're thinking about gifts this holiday break when you're spending time with friends and family, make your gifts have a little purpose and education behind them! Plus, Cliffset is truly unique and interesting in that it's the nicest portable cutlery set on the market but the only one that sprays alcohol to make carrying your own an easy, convenient, and clean experience. Let's ditch single-use plastic but skip the crusty bamboo flatware phase and agree that bringing your own reusables can be very achievable and actually pleasant.
]]>@camcliffset Did you get it right? #trivia #reducereuserecycle #plasticfree ♬ original sound - Cam
Plus, it's a waste of money and a stinky mess to deal with at home!
Fresh food is healthier for you, requires less packaging, but is sometimes prone to going to waste. Here's our funnel of utilization to prevent your produce and baked goods from going into the bin.
1. Have a plan before you shop.
2. Cut and freeze food to prevent it from spoiling.
3. Sauté, toast, and blend. Enjoy!
]]>@camcliffset Replying to @potat0farmer0 prevent food waste! #foodwaste #environmentallyfriendly #food ♬ original sound - speed sounds to use💪💪
Food systems cause over 1/3 of all greenhouse gasses and food packaging makes up most of the oceans plastic.
But it's just one plastic fork you're avoiding, what difference does it make in the grand scheme of things? A bigger difference than you might imagine.
Not only does that action do good itself, your friends, family, and local businesses will take notice and will feel motivated to make small changes about what they buy, supply, and consume. Monkey see, monkey do.
Yes, corporations are to blame for larger pollution, but its they continue to justify it because we keep on buying what they're supplying. So keep it up with Meatless Monday, bringing your own reusables, and shopping locally... it's making a difference and building momentum.
]]>When we tried to cutting down on our single-use plastic consumption, we found ourselves trying all sorts of portable cutlery sets. After all, disposable utensils are not fun to eat with and cause pollution.
Several aspects of portable cutlery should be considered for what's best: shape, collapsibility, ergonomics, carrying case, and aesthetics. But the biggest aspect that determines the overall price, weight, ease of cleaning, and overall experience starts with the material.
Read More: Why You Should Carry Your Own Portable Cutlery
All reusable cutlery sets are better than disposables. But, do you choose bamboo, plastic, or metal? We're going to rank each travel utensil material for everyday carried cutlery sets.
Pros: Affordable, light.
Cons: Flimsy, awkward shapes, unnatural materials
For some reason, it's very hard to find portable plastic utensils that have an attractive design without compromising strength and functionality. There's nothing worse than flimsy knife and fork at lunchtime, so we might as well just reuse disposable utensils. If strength and sturdiness is added to the design, the overall ergonomics tend to suffer and take away from hand and mouth feel. In turn, we found most to be a bit dorky, visually speaking.
Pros: affordable, natural.
Cons: bad eating experience, difficult to clean and carry
If you're considering a bamboo utensil set, you have probably noticed their affordability, naturally grown material and aesthetic, and lightweight feel. Probably a good option if only used for the occasional camping trip.
Being a natural wood, the end of life cycle consideration is positive from an environmental standpoint. Although, if you're looking for something more consistent in everyday use, we've noticed they don't inspire the best eating and carrying experience.
Read More: How to Be More Sustainable When Going Back to Work
Reasons being: the fibrous, splintery texture while eating and difficulty to keep clean. The knife didn't do much in the way of cutting, the fork couldn't get much food, and the spoon's scoop capacity was weak. The fork prongs would trap food particles, grease, and dust in our bags.
If we did remember to clean them later that night, we rarely remembered to pack them the next day. The accompanied carrying cases vary but generally rattled and came loose in transit.
Pros: Easy to clean, functional, durable.
Cons: Heavier, expensive.
Unless you plan on hiking the Pacific Crest Trail where every ounce matters in your backpacking backpack, metal cutlery wins every-time. Not only do they feel better to eat with and they're much easier to keep clean while on the go. They're classy, durable, and naturally strong. We wanted to create a cutlery set that looks good, feels good, and actually stays clean in your backpack.
Read More: The Best and Most Sustainable Portable Cutlery
The biggest issue with portable cutlery was finding a place to clean them before packing, or forgetting to wash and repack for the next day's adventure. Cliffset comes with 18/8 stainless steel utensils and its own cleaning tool. It sprays alcohol and lemon oil so your knife, fork, and spoon stay clean and ready for whatever is ahead. All wrapped up in a durable, stylish, and quietly snug carrying case.
Every Cliffset is made of metal and for good reason. Not only do we care about the earth, but we like having an enjoyable eating experience. That's why we designed the best portable cutlery set on the market.
]]>Have you ever thought about carrying your own utensils? If you’re a commuter or a generally on-the-go person that tends to eat away from home, having a nice portable cutlery set can improve the quality of your life while reducing the plastic waste impact on our environment. Here are three quick reasons to start bringing your own portable cutlery set.
Did you know that in the United States alone, 40 BILLION plastic utensils are thrown out each year? The main reason for this is that plastic utensils are not recyclable.
This means that they will end up in landfills, landscapes, waterways, and oceans. And eventually, they will break down into microplastics, finding their way into our food and our bodies, forevermore. If you tell me, “Well, what about compostable plastic? Problem solved!" I’d respond, “Sorry, but the problem is not solved.”
Even certified compostable bioplastics require industrial facilities to have them properly broken down. Most of the country can’t afford to build infrastructure and service a new waste stream.
Read More: 3 Tips for a Waste Free Lunch at the Office
Most of these 'compostable' utensils are behaving the same way as regular plastics when discarded into landfills and nature. Reusing continues to be the tried and tested method of reducing waste.
Right next to your refillable water bottle, bringing your own portable cutlery set is one of the easiest ways to avoid single-use plastic. If you’re understandably nervous about cleaning your utensils in a Chipotle restroom, our portable cutlery is the only one on the market that comes with its own dishwasher.
Now that we got the scary environmental facts out of the way, let’s talk about how to better enjoy your time eating. How many times have you gone out to grab a salad to have your fork bend and snap? This isn’t legally blonde, it's just annoying. Gone are the days of flimsy forks, bent spoons, and broken knives.
If you’re eating something a bit tougher that requires a significant cut, a dainty plastic knife is the last tool you’ll want in your arsenal. As a result, eating with stainless steel Cliffset utensils is like tearing through the Amazon with a strong, sturdy, sharp machete. Leave the flimsy stuff at home and take control of your meal like the hungry food explorer you are.
If you frequently find yourself buying food on the go, whether it’s a quick bite at a food truck or a prepared meal from the grocery store, the costs of take-out can quickly add up.
Over time, investing in your own reusable portable cutlery set will save you money. It makes on the go snacking easy and affordable. Carrying nice stainless steel utensils in a compact case is attune to having your kitchen drawer and dishwasher compactly stowed away in your day bag.
Read More: The Best and Most Sustainable Portable Cutlery
Not only will you be a little more excited to bring leftovers, you can also now grab fun yet affordable food items from the grocery store, prepare, and enjoy them anywhere without having to worry about dirty utensils. For some added fun, check out these light lunch or snack ideas that you could wrangle up depending on grocery store you stop into:
Read More: This Easy Homemade Hummus is Delicious, Affordable, and Plastic-Free
While we don't like to toot our own horn, Cliffset is the best portable cutlery set on the market. And if that isn't enough it also comes with its own dishwasher to ensure clean eating no matter where you are. We spent months perfecting on-the-go travel silverware so you can eat wherever, whenever, without the guilt of impacting the environment.
]]>Being more sustainable at work may seem like an intimidating habit to adopt, but carrying and cleaning reusables can actually be an easy, enjoyable experience. The key is carrying functionally designed reusable gear that is compact, portable, and easy to use and clean.
Having a proactive mindset is key to being greener at the office. Because recycling is proving to be an ineffective solution to mitigating packaging pollution, utilizing reusables while on the go feels better to use and feels great knowing you’re doing a good thing for the planet.
The basic staple reusable items that I consistently carry to be more sustainable when eating lunch at work are a travel cutlery set, reusable containers, and washable cloth napkins. These three items alone will make your lunch greener than ever. With that in mind, let’s take a more in depth look at how to best utilize them to have a waste free meals during the workweek.
1. Using Travel Cutlery Sets
2. Reusable Containers
3. Bring Your Own Napkin
Some estimates state that the amount of individual plastic utensils wasted every year is 40 billion in the United States alone. Even if you choose to recycle them when you are finished, the majority will end up in a landfill or worse, the ocean.
Using travel cutlery is a crucial step to eating in an environmentally friendly way. At the office, food trucks, or grabbing lunch with colleagues, it seems like there are plastic utensils everywhere you look. In comparison to flimsy and wasteful plastic utensils (not to mention that crusty bamboo fork in your backpack), metal cutlery sets just flat out feel better, cleaner, and easier to eat with. Ever tried cutting cheese with a plastic knife? No thanks. Be ready to just say know, confident you’ve got your cutlery set by your side.
So, having a reusable cutlery set is a crucial step to eating at work. Most will forgo that trip to the office or Chipotle restroom to rinse-off their utensils and throw them dirty into their bag. That’s why we included a designed portable dishwasher included in every Cliffset.
Utilizing reusable containers may seem like an obvious choice if you’re bringing food from home, however, they can be of use in several occasions. If you’re like many Americans, you find yourself at a hot food bar during the lunch rush. And instead of using a plastic clamshell or plastic-lined cardboard box, bringing your own container from home is the better choice.
There’s nothing better than bringing your own leftovers, but also having a compact on hand to pack up restaurant leftovers is a pro move. It’s fine if you don’t have time to cook at home everyday, but making sure that you have a reusable container will always save at least one piece of trash from ending up in the landfill or environment.
In addition to a food container, using a reusable water bottle is a crucial piece of equipment for any sustainably-focused eater. Having a few pieces of reusable, portable food wares will help save an incredible amount of unnecessary trash from ending up in a landfill. Ask your barista if they’ll fill your reusable mug, some are still requiring disposable cups because of COVID. Sometimes life gets busy, so non-lined, paper or fiber packaging is the next best thing when ordering take out.
Be sure to identify restaurants that use such packaging while also communicating that you’ve brought your own and would prefer to skip the disposable plastics. But remember: using or bringing your reusable containers is the best solution to pollution and usually makes for a better eating experience at the end of the day.
Bringing your own napkin makes for a more sustainable and pleasant experience when eating away from home. Skip the paper napkin dispenser. The production of one ton of paper towels requires 17 trees to be cut down and uses 20,000 gallons of water.
Utilizing reusable cloths is a great alternative. That’s why we designed colorful and compact cotton cloths. Every Cliffset cloth pack comes with 9 washable, reusable cloths that are made of 100% cotton. This means that you can throw them in your backpack, and then right in the laundry. They’re perfectly portable: small enough to get a couple uses without overloading your laundry.
If you're not concerned with aesthetics, don’t buy reusable napkins, or just want to start with for cleaning rags, cut up some old t-shirts as a way to skip the paper.
Put a sticky note on your front door that says “DON’T FORGET YOUR REUSABLES” until you get in the habit of grabbing them before your commute. Whether you use a portable cutlery set, food and drink container, a washable napkin, or any other piece of green equipment, being more sustainable and carrying is a habit worth adopting. It will improve the quality of your life while conserving the earths resources and environments.
If you already have portable reusables that you love to consistently use, no need to buy new ones. Though, habits stem from enjoyable experiences so don't try to convince yourself you love that using crusty bamboo fork, leaky tupperware, or those gross and cumbersome rags. Find reusables that you love so that you'll reuse them over and over again for a long time!
Our aim is inspire easy, clean, and pleasant eating experience while avoiding pollutive disposables. The path to a living a zero-waste lifestyle is never perfect, especially during the work week. But taking active steps to do your best is crucial to saving money, time, and the environment.
]]>@cliffset Check out my favorite everyday reusables. #sustainableliving #reuse #plasticfree #everydaycarry #foodie #picnic @Stojo ♬ original sound - cliffset
It takes around 5 minutes to make and costs less than half the price of a store bought tub. Not to mention, it just flat out tastes better when made fresh.
In a food processor, add:
-1 can of garbanzo beans
-About 3 table spoons of aquafava (the liquid from the can)
-Around 2 table spoons of olive oil
-2 garlic cloves
-Salt to taste
-Spice (cumin, pepper, or chili flakes)
-Half a lemon's worth of juice
-Extra credit: add a scoop of tahini.
Puree until smooth and top with a splash of olive oil paprika. Put it in a container, take it everywhere you go, put it on everything, or just eat it with a spoon!
]]>@cliffset Affordable, fresh, easy #plasticfree #howto #eatfreshrefresh #fyp #healthy #sustainable ♬ Getting Better - Danilo Stankovic
There's a myriad of reusable products on the market. Which ones are the best to adopt on your road to sustainable living?
We get a lot of troll-ish comments on our instagram ads along the lines of "just wrap your kitchen fork in a cloth napkin and wash it at home" as though they just exposed One weird trick that portable cutlery businesses don't want you to know.
That is so ok! We celebrate that you don't want to buy additional products especially if what you already own is serving you. Resist the shiny Hydro Flask if your old peanut butter jar suffices as an everyday water bottle. Seriously.
But back to utensils. Back when I decided to start carrying my own, my bamboo fork would splinter and collect old bits of food. I tried foldy camping sporks and kitchen utensils, but they got greasy and would clang against my other belongings in my bag. I stopped taking trips to the Chipotle public restroom to rinse my utensils as it wasn't the best experience. Sometimes I'd remember to unpack and wash that night. But would I remember to repack it the next day? Not always. I'm human.
I can confirm because I'd often find myself without reusables when I needed them. People who study habits will confirm that unpleasant acts don't inspire repetition.
Are we disrupting soap and water? No. But sometimes life is busy so while on your next road trip, keep your Cliffset clean in your glovebox so it's ready for your next pitstop. Lunch at your desk and dinner with friends at Chipotle that evening? Have at it.
Check out this video we made reviewing our favorite portable, reusable gear. Unfortunately for me, no brands are paying me to make this video. I just genuinely like their products.
]]>@cliffset Check out my favorite everyday reusables. #sustainableliving #reuse #plasticfree #everydaycarry #foodie #picnic @Stojo ♬ original sound - cliffset
That said, I challenged myself to get a fresh lunch that is plastic-free and only $5.
@cliffset Five. Five dollar. Five dollar baaaaagel. #elfitup #food #plastic #plasticfree #sustainablefashion #sustainable #fresh ♬ Lost - Album Version - Frank Ocean
The thing is, fresh ingredients are usually plastic-free and most sustainable. Better for you and better for the earth. Most grocery stores have a bakery inside as well as a produce section. So, today I decided to walk a couple blocks to my store and got a fresh bagel served in a brown paper bag which was $1.29. The person behind the counter had to print out a plastic barcode sticker, unfortunately. Avocado prices are ridiculous but so am I, so I found a sticker-less one for $2.99. Then, I grabbed a roma tomato which weighed out to $0.58. The salt and pepper packets are free but was skeptical about whether or not they're lined with plastic. I've found that most sachets, such as tea bag wrappers, are.
At the park, I used my personal, portable Cliffset cutlery to cut the ingredients and assemble a pretty tasty everything bagel with avocado and tomato. I used the alcohol-based spray and cloth to clean my utensils so they're ready for tomorrow. Bringing your own utensils has been a lifesaver and has definitely felt better than using disposables.
The avocado scraps and non-lined paper go in the compost (if your city has compost or you have a yard to do it yourself, please do). I consolidated the sticker and salt packets and threw those into landfill. Though, just a gram of landfill waste is definitely better than nearly half of a pound of non-recyclable plastic waste.
The total cost was just $4.86 which is a screaming deal for San Francisco. Best of all, I had a nice break from the office to enjoy some outdoor time.
]]>Here are 3 ideas for on-the-go lunch ideas that won’t break the bank and won’t trash our waterways.
@cliffset Five. Five dollar. Five dollar baaaaagel. #elfitup #food #plastic #plasticfree #sustainablefashion #sustainable #fresh ♬ Lost - Album Version - Frank Ocean
This one seems obvious but it is definitely worth noting. Prep a quick sandwich, salad, or leftover soup.
Pros: affordable, ideal for strict dieters, can be zero waste when equipped with reusable gear like bento box, soup container, and reusable sandwich wraps.
Cons: May require an enlightened level of grown-up forethought and planning. Like any habit, this one may need some getting used to. Extend your pre-leaving-home mental checklist to include some food, water, and reusable gear.
Life gets busy, so the next few ideas will equip you to thrive while hunting for food out in the wild... no lunchbox necessary.
Support local businesses and give your self a break from meal prep.
Safe bets are pizza and burritos. When they stop coming in cardboard boxes and foil we can throw our hands up in defeat, but until then… they are a smart and delicious move.
For other foods, feel free to ask what kind of packaging they use (aluminum and non-lined paper are best, ‘compostable plastics’ are problematic) and make your preferences heard.
Restaurants need to start listening to packaging preferences with the same importance as dietary needs. Dairy upsets my stomach, plastic packaging upsets my soul. If either goes unconsidered, that’s going to impact how often you return which is bad for business.
As with any takeout situation, you’ve got to be verbal and vigilant to stop an unsolicited tidal wave of utensils, condiment packets, sauce cups, etc. If you haven’t tried asking this before, give it a go! Most cashiers are excited to hear it and totally appreciate the earth friendly request:
“What kind of packaging do you use?”
“No bag or utensils, please.”
“Any sauce or dressing can be added directly to the food! No side cups or packets, please.”
“Can you please avoid plastic while building my order?”
Keep a watchful eye for your order as its actually being built...the last 2,000 orders had utensils thrown in, so don’t expect muscle memory to lapse just for you.
Companies like Dispatch Goods provide reusable, returnable takeout containers for select San Francisco Bay Area restaurants.
Fresh Bagel: $1.00
Avocado $1.99
Tomato $.50
Salt and pepper $.02
This delicious meal requires morning meal prep and costs less than $5 at the grocery store. If you bring your own utensils, the only waste will be a backyard compostable peel, stem, and paper bag.
Pro tip: In every kitchen drawer in America there's an unused chili flake packet from last year’s pizza. Put it in your backpack to complement your next DIY next avocado toast.
That's it! Now get out there you hungry, beautiful clean freaks! We’d love to hear about your ideas and experiences in reducing packaging waste, so comment below.
]]>During a college lecture on built infrastructure, I heard a brief mention of the legendary Milkman who'd deliver milk to households, recollect empty bottles, refill and return them! Garbage patches and straw-impaled turtles are floating around in our oceans, and we're just going to skim over this shimmering memory of trash-less America? No way. I took it upon myself to figure out when and why we stopped reusing and started accumulating piles of plastic trash.
So what happened? Basically, as people started traveling more, so did food. Come the 1960’s, shoppers and food companies valued convenience and mobility. Here’s the quick and dirty on what happened:
Well, shoot! We're doomed, right? Not necessarily. If you haven’t noticed, our values are changing.
Reality check for my fellow millennials: most people in the 1960's were actually not tree-hugging hippies. Most people didn't even anticipate an issue with plastic. Plastic food packaging is a relatively new thing and we’re quickly realizing it was a mistake. Out of all the plastic ever made, half of it was just in the last 15 years. However, environmental awareness has only recently become mainstream... which is an exciting first step! Much like my adolescent love of Emo music, America is realizing this could be a regrettable phase that we need to grow out of.
Grandpappy loved low prices, convenience, and feeling the wind in his hair while chomping down on a big mac in his convertible. Those things are great and all but we’ve developed a bit of an awareness on the issue at hand. Rather than paralyzing you with “X number of football stadiums worth of plastic enter our ocean every Y seconds,” ocean acidification, microplastics stats etc., let’s focus on the recent positive momentum:
Before I set you loose on your zero-waste journey, hear some words of caution.
New reusable gear should be durable, reused, reused, rewashed, reused, again and again in order to become the more sustainable option. Sometimes it’s hard to resist buying every shiny new thing to hit the market, but all the more satisfying when your bamboo cutlery finally fails on you. See if there’s a secondhand option as well.
Be weary of bioplastics. Your ‘certified compostable’ spoon needs to successfully make it to an industrial composting facility for it to be broken down using heat treatment. It will behave a lot like regular plastic when it ends up in the landfill or ocean. A full switch to compostable bioplastics puts too much pressure on public infrastructure (if this doesn’t sound familiar, go reread the part that says ‘recycling couldn’t keep up’).
Once it’s again deemed safe, ask for bulk bins at your grocery store and encourage your friends to give it a try! Politely ask your favorite delivery spot for metal and paper containers if they can’t refill. Skip disposable utensils - business switching to upon-request cutlery will cut costs too. When you can't refill and reuse, vote with your dollars by choosing natural, highly-recyclable materials like aluminum. Advocate for plastic bans and improved waste management.
Assuming public discourse, preferences, and policy do not change, mismanaged plastic waste generation is expected to double by 2060. Let’s not accept single-use plastics as the norm because they’re relatively new and totally problematic. In the same way it did 60 years ago, holistic change can happen but first requires a cultural shift.
Sources and additional reading:
https://oceanconservancy.org/trash-free-seas/plastics-in-the-ocean/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2018/05/plastics-facts-infographics-ocean-pollution/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canning
https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/national-overview-facts-and-figures-materialshttps://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/Blue-Bottle-Coffee-pledges-to-go-zero-waste-by-14891634.php
https://time.com/3879873/throwaway-liv-/
https://time.com/4477959/a-brief-history-of-the-modern-backpack/
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