Terre Pruitt's Blog

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Posts Tagged ‘wasteful’

Flinging And Flanging

Posted by terrepruitt on March 8, 2017

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitI have been wondering for a long time why we need added plastic on our milk cartons.  I mean, what do the people who package our milk think we are?  Do they think we actually think that a milk carton is so “flingin’-flangin’ hard to open” that we can’t manage it?  We ARE NOT Kevin, the guy who couldn’t open a milk carton.  Ya know, the guy Joey played in the Amazing Discoveries commercial on Friends.  Why do we need additional plastic to access and pour our milk.  I know that none of us suffered from not being able to get the milk from a carton when I was young.  In fact, I would guess that no one had suffered from not being able to get the milk from a carton the entire time before they added that extra bit of plastic.  So I have been wondering about the reasoning ever since I have seen that extra amount of plastic on the carton.  Then you know what?  Last week I bought a carton of milk.  And as I was twisting off the cap made of plastic I noticed something . . . . it got bigger!  Now, not only is there an unnecessary cap made of plastic on my milk carton, there is a LARGER amount of unnecessary plastic making up the cap that is used to access my milk.

I don’t get it.  Do you?  Why do we need MORE plastic?  Milk cartons are not recyclable as it is and for years now they have had plastic added to them — because, I guess, you know . . . .Kevin?!?!? — and now there is even MORE plastic added to the milk carton.  What is up with that?  I don’t understand.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFitDance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit

Again, it is my opinion that this cap device on milk cartons is TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY unnecessary and a TOTAL and COMPLETE waste of plastic, so I am totally and completely at a loss as to why they are now BIGGER.

I am not saying that when I was young or in my lifetime when they had regular cartons, that I didn’t rip it wrong once-in-awhile.  But then, I just used the other side.  And I still got the milk out without extra plastic on the carton or the “Milk Master 2000.”

I do know that I love that commercial on Friends because I use it as a reference A LOT.  I say, “What are you like Joey, and you can’t open the milk?”  Or, “Geez, I feel like Joey, I can’t open the milk.”  Or, my favorite, “Now I can have milk every day.”  And, no, the comment doesn’t get used when having anything to do with milk.  It is just when I am being clumsy or having a moment.  Or – in regards to the last comment, when I have been clumsy but then finally accomplish the task.  Or when I see another product on TV that is pretty much not necessary.

What about you?  How do you feel about the milk carton cap?  Every thought about it? (And, of course comments about Friends are always welcome.)

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , | 9 Comments »

Things That Make Me Go “Hmmm, WHAT A WASTE!”

Posted by terrepruitt on January 26, 2012

Sometimes there are things I just don’t understand.  I find that when I ask I get answers.  So my questions today revolve around packaging and waste.  I am not meaning to pick on any on particular company but I am so confused as to why, in a world where we are trying to reduce waste and we have to pay for bags in which to put the stuff we just purchased, is it ok to package things like this.  To me both of these packages are a waste.

Dance Exercise, Zumba like, Nia class, Nia teacher, Nia cardio workoutI have a Nia student who always smells great and she told me the name of the perfume.  I asked her if she would mind if I bought some and she said, no.  It was before Christmas and I thought it would be a great gift idea for my husband to get for me.  I love it when people tell me what they want and I try to help him out that way too.  Since he was really busy AND there was other things that was on his mind he decided we could just order it online.  I was excited.  New perfume.  But when I opened the box the only thing I was thinking is, “You have got to be kidding me!!!!  Is it REALLY necessary to have ALL of this packaging for one bottle of perfume?”  As I said, since I am not trying to necessarily bad mouth the company, I tried to take a picture that didn’t directly show the name, but you can see there is a piece of folded cardboard that goes first around the bottle, then that goes in the box, then there is a sheath that goes around that.  Why?  Just the ONE box would do just fine, I don’t think there is really any reason for the inner piece of cardboard and the sheath.  To me the whole thing reeked of wastefulness.  I was actually somewhat disappointed in the company because of that.

dance exercise, Nia class, Nia student, Nia teacher, Nia San Jose, San Jose NiaThen I was at the grocery store and I was faced with this.  REALLY?!?!?!  First of all prepackaging fruits and veggies sticks me with more than I want and second it seems like a HUGE waste of material.  I could have easily used one bag to put my two zucchinis in, but no, I was forced to by five and they are packaged with a papery-plastic sheet, inside a plastic tray, wrapped with more plastic, and then labeled with even more papery-plastic.  WHAT IS THAT ABOUT?  How is that being responsible and cutting down on waste?  FOUR things, instead of one bag?  I just don’t get it.

I don’t understand when we are forced to be “green” in some areas, but in other areas waste like this is allowed to continue.  This type of stuff confuses me.  I am not sure the shiny material that the sheath was made out of can be recycled, but I put it in the recycling along with the rest of the wasteful packaging.

Whew.  Ok, thanks, I am done with my rant.  🙂  Do you ever come across packaging of a product that you feel is excessive?

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments »

Green = Less Wasteful

Posted by terrepruitt on April 17, 2010

I love that not wanting to be wasteful is called “green” now.  Yeah, I am finally not “cheap” or “frugal” (which isn’t bad but it sounds too much like frumpy).  I am finally doing something that is “in”.  I really have always tried to not be too wasteful.  I mean, I admit, I am sometimes wasteful, it is just the day and age we live in, but we can do little things to help.  It could be that I have this engrained in me because when I was young we had a drought which seemed to last forever and back then water was associated with electricity so we tried to conserve both.  Then there was the gas shortage when we could only get gas on the day that matched your license plate.  Remember that, if your license plate ended (or was it started?) with an even number then you could get gas on even numbered days, and it the number was odd, you could get gas on odd numbered days.

Well, I just habitual do things that some people think are cheap—but now its GREEN.  Sometimes these things stem from accidents.  Like dryer sheets.  Have you ever thought of re-using a dryer sheet?  If you use it for more than one load of clothes it probably won’t work well.  But have you noticed that after it has gone through the load it is kind of rough?  But not REALLY scratchy rough, but it might just be the perfect rough you need to scrub something?  This happened for me quite by accident.  I was in the garage and I need to wipe something up and I didn’t want to go in the house to get a paper towel so I thought about a dryer sheet.  I looked in the dryer and sure enough there was one, so I used it to “scrub” what needed scrubbing and it worked perfect.  Or sometimes I just want to wipe something while I am in the garage, and I am always lucky enough to find a dryer sheet in the dryer.

Now honestly I don’t save used dryer sheets for this purpose, but sometimes they are just lying around (or does that only happen in my house?  Seems like they stick to the towels and sheets and end up all over the house) and it comes in handy that there is one to use.  That just happened right now so that is why I am typing this post.

I am sure some will argue that NOT using dryer sheets at all would be more green.  I would say that I only use the dryer for my towels and sheets.  And if they are going to be used why not get TWO uses out of them.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the dryer sheet people have this on their website or some other helpful hint website has it on there, but I thought I would share it with you on MY blog.  For once I just sat down and started typing and didn’t look all over the internet to see if I was copying someone.  At this point, I don’t care.  I thought of this myself and I am sure someone else has but more than one people can have a thought and share it, right?

Do you use dryer sheets for anything else?

Posted in Helpful Hints | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »