Kermit the Frog sure had it right when he sang, "It's not that easy bein' green." Recent happenings in the world of environmentally friendly packaging and dish detergents have crystallized some basic ideas regarding what it can sometimes mean to 'go green.'
Frito Lay announced this month that it hears its customers over the noise of its Sun Chips bags and is discontinuing using the bioplastic containers for five out of six flavors of the popular pseudo-chip. Since the new packaging was introduced about a year and a half ago, consumers have complained about the noisy bags to the reported tune of an 11 percent drop in sales in the last year - that's some unhappiness!
I purchased Sun Chips many times this summer and the noise from handling the bag was most definitely noticeable, but not enough to make me join a Facebook page titled "Sorry But I Can't Hear You Over This Sun Chip Bag" which has, as of this writing, 48,894 followers! Late night snacking at my home, however, was not a private matter anymore when someone in my family opened the bag for a handful of chips, it was the snack heard 'round the house. I also remember repeatedly making a comment about how noisy the bag was each time I moved it to get something from the pantry. Again, it did not deter me from buying the chips, but I guess if the conversation moves from the snack's taste to its loud packaging - the negative squeezes out any positive. And in this case, chip snackers made their opinions known loud and clear.
Frito Lay's initial advertising showed time lapsed photography of the bag breaking down in a compost pile over 14 weeks - it was a great visual. The bioplastic bag was created from plants with a different molecular structure thus giving it a high grade for quick decomposition and making the material more rigid and, well, crackling loud. There is a funny, short video on You Tube by two women called "The MIdlife Gals." One of them is just about to share the exact location of the Fountain of Youth as the other opens a Sun Chip bag. The humorous bit makes the point (though I am trying to read the woman's lips for those darn directions to the famed fountain!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bexmOgqBuGU
USA Today writer Bruce Horovitz reports that environmentally friendly packaging is something consumers say they want, but they also want items to be "convenient, predictable and consumer-friendly." The article continues, "Everybody seems to be on the bandwagon for environmentally friendly packaging," says JoAnn Hines, a packaging consultant who refers to herself as the Packaging Diva. "But the problem is that bags like this come out without researching all the consequences. Consumers can be of two minds, too," she adds. "While most mothers say they want "greener packaging," Hines says, mothers also are the biggest purchasers of single-serve chip bags." It appears Frito Lay is continuing with its efforts to find the just the right material to use as the "green" container for Sun Chips. The fact that they have not given up gives environmentalists and caring consumers relief. http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2010-10-05-sunchips05_ST_N.htm
While our ears have been given a temporary reprieve, our eyes are seeing something that has been dubbed for years as unattractive in the world of dishwasher detergents - spots on drinking glasses. Dishwashing detergent manufacturers often market their products as the answer to removing spots from glasses. Consumers have been taught to view the spots as "unsightly" equating it with "unclean." The spots are not a sign of dirt but rather an indication of hard water which has a high percentage of dissolved minerals.
In July, a ban went into effect in Pennsylvania and fifteen other states legislating the dramatic reduction of the amount of phosphates used in dishwasher detergent to just a trace. (Phosphate amounts in laundry detergents and hand soaps have already been reduced.) Phosphates that wind up in our water supply allow for an increased growth of algae which crowds out other plants and fish, dramatically reducing the amount of oxygen in the body of water. Many cleaning product companies, such as Shaklee, have been phosphate-free for years. The nationwide reformulation of the detergents has taken some of us by surprise as dishes and glasses may not be sparkling as they are removed from the dishwasher leaving some consumers to incorrectly think their dishwashers are on the fritz. In some ways, we are being re-trained about what does clean really look like? Does something being foamy and bubbly make it a better cleaning agent? Do spots on our glasses matter? It really depends on what our expectations are and if they are open to change.
Philadelphia Inquirer consumer reporter Jeff Gelles notes in his article "Cleaner Rivers=dirtier dishes? Maybe Not" that Consumer Reports magazine gave 'very good' ratings to the top six low phosphate dishwasher detergents. While none received an 'excellent' rating, the products cleaned dishes and glasses effectively. The specific products are listed in the article. Of course there is always baking soda, bleach and other basic cleaning items to do the job - again, it all depends on our expectations.
Another positive side effect from the low phosphate cleaning products are some reports of reduced emergency room visits for burns and skin irritation. Housekeeping employees in two New York hospitals received better training and have been using 'green' cleaning products since 2004 with dramatic results in better personal safety. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/science/earth/19clean.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=phosphates&st=cse
I must admit I have not noticed any difference in the way my dishes look after they are cleaned in the dishwasher, partly because I hate unloading that appliance so much that I rush to finish the thankless task. But when I am not grumbling about something so inane, I am pleased to know the energy efficiency of the dishwasher is now enhanced by the low phosphate detergent. Spotless glasses? I'll have to check but if it requires a wipe or two to get them clear again, who cares? Phosphates be gone!Just as Kermit came to terms with his greenness, corporations and we, the consumers, are also making steps to embrace ours even if the ride is loud and spotty.
When green is all there is to be,
it could make you wonder why, but why wonder, why wonder?
I am green, and it'll do fine
It's beautiful, and I think it's what I want to be
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