stories:
The Ten
Environmentally Friendly Picnic Supplies
Enjoy the outdoors without trashing it
By Roxanne Webber
1. Cactus Tumblers. These are made by the Green Glass Company from the bottoms of reclaimed Sol beer bottles and are perfect for iced tea or a casual glass of wine in the park.
2. Recycled Tote Bags. A roomy tote doubles as a grocery bag. If you don’t already have one, check out these stylish options made from repurposed sails or rice and feed bags.
3. Palm Leaf Plates. These lightweight bowls and plates made from adaka palm tree leaves are biodegradable. They’re good for hot and cold foods, and, if you wash and dry them carefully, they can be reused a few times.
4. Preserve Tableware Pack. For a reusable but lightweight option, Preserve’s products are made from 100 percent recycled plastic and can be run through the dishwasher. This tableware pack includes small and large plates, forks, knives, and spoons and comes in your choice of pear green, lilac purple, or berry red.
5. Recycled Plastic Outdoor Rug. Why use an old blanket when you can picnic on this? It’s woven from threads made of old soda bottles and bubble wrap. Plus, because it’s plastic, you’ll stay dry even if you’re eating on damp ground.
6. SpudWare Utensil Set. A compostable alternative to plastic cutlery, these disposable knives, spoons, and forks are made from potato starch.
7. Recycled, Unbleached Paper Napkins. Reusable cloth napkins are best, but if you need to go disposable then opt for these from Seventh Generation.
8. Bamboo Bar Board. Slice crusty bread or cheese on this small cutting board, made from organically grown bamboo and water-based, formaldehyde-free glue.
9. Compostable Pint Cups. Just because they’re compostable doesn’t mean you get to toss them in the bushes when you’re done; like other bioplastics, these will decompose best in commercial composting facilities.
10. Organic Cotton Tablecloth. Fiberactive Organics handcrafts tablecloths in North Carolina using low-impact dyes and certified organic cotton.
CHOW’s The Ten column appears every Tuesday.
Roxanne Webber is an associate editor at CHOW.
This is wonderful. Now if only restaurants, supermarkets, et al would start using some of these products and dispense with eco-unfriendly plastic and styrofoam.
you could go one step further and use edible plates:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/...
All that equipment and no baskets? Something sturdy to carry everything in might be the most important thing of all! May I suggest one of these fantastic baskets: http://www.3luxe.com/category/Outdoor...
Seriously, though - this list is great - and a Mother's Day picnic is an excellent idea! I just hope the weather is nice enough in Chicago for me to pull it off.
Interesting list. I suppose there are times when we really need to use disposable plates and flatware. But let's try to avoid it.
Did you know there are picnic baskets that come with nice matching lightweight reusable plates, flatware, cups, cloth napkins? When you are done eating, you pack it back up, bring home, and wash all the items to use again.
If anyone is looking for a cute, durable, modern picnic basket I came across the carrybag by Reliable when I was shopping at Sur la Table (linked below). The nylon bags are collapsible, which is great for city dwellers like me that don't have a wealth of space. I love the baroque-style brown/ivory bag, but they're available in several patterns and colors.
Happy picnicking!
http://www.surlatable.com/product/hou...
Advice about disposable plates and paper products from www.simplesteps.org:
If you must use disposable dishes, skip the plastic in favor of post-consumer recycled paper or dishes made from bagasse, sugarcane waste. Agricultural waste has never been sweeter than when it's been transformed into tableware! There are also disposable dishes available made from corn starch and potatoes. While all of these biobased plastics are made from renewable sources, they won't biodegrade anytime soon in your local landfill, they're only 100% biodegradable when they're properly disposed of in a commercial composting facility.
Select paper napkins with high post-consumer recycled content. If every household in the United States replaced just one package of virgin fiber napkins with 100% recycled ones, we'd save one million trees. Look for paper products that are labeled totally chlorine-free (TCF) or processed chlorine-free (PCF). The chlorine used in the bleaching process is highly toxic and contributes to air and water pollution.
Here's the link to the full story:
http://www.simplesteps.org/index.php?...
Whoa, $32.50 for 4 broken beer bottles?!?!
I was really impressed to discover Spudware being used in the food kiosks of Virginia's parks and aquarium last year. I like it--it has some heft.
On napkins: You can buy a couple of yards of unbleached muslin for cheap (or even organic cotton, for a little more), and use pinking shears to cut into a huge set of napkins for picnic or home use. Easy to care for with Oxyclean, lemon juice, and endlessly reusable. even if you have to buy the pinking shears, you can whip up a set of about 20, no-sew, forever-napkins for WELL under $20.
Awful, awful list.
Bring things you can reuse and already own. And besides, there's something very chic about using real cutlery, china, and glasses on a picnic.