Poopsicles

You know what I hate? When you're having a conversation with someone, and you're all hyped up because you just learned something mind-blowing that you can't wait to tell everyone about. And after you excitedly share the news, they respond with...

AKA: they already knew.

And then you feel like in idiot for being the last person in the world who apparently knows this not-so-secret information.

Well, my friends. I want to prevent this from happening to you. I want to share something with you I just found out about, but apparently isn't new information to everyone.

Are you ready for this?

There is traffic AND trash on Mount Everest.

WHAT!?

You might have heard about Mt. Everest. (Unless you're REALLY behind on the news.) At 29,029' or 29,035' (the jury's still out) above sea-level, it's the tallest mountain in the world.

Apparently, that makes it difficult to climb.

The first documented attempts to climb to the summit of Mt. Everest occurred in the 1920s. However, it was still a few more decades before anyone made it all the way to the top. 

Enter: Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norday, who successfully climbed to the summit in 1953. And hey! It only took them a few months.

To sum it up: It sounds like a bitch to climb.

You might think, what's the point in even trying?

But SHOCKER: people still do. It has become not just a past-time for serious climbers, but also a tourist attraction. Think the cost of Disney World multiplied by 12 (for a 7-day/8-night trip for two), minus 90 degrees, plus more deaths.

Whatever floats their boat, right?

That's what I thought, too...until recently. Apparently these mountain climbers/adventurers/tourists/insane people/etc. are becoming a huge problem.

If you've even driven on I-95 before, you know what traffic is. It's terrible. Also, La La Land lied to you. This doesn't happen when you're stuck in traffic:

According to BBC, people visiting Mt. Everest have reportedly stood in traffic for over two hours, waiting in queues to reach the top.

In case you missed it (as I did), this picture of mountain traffic made the rounds in 2012:

Can we just think about this for a second? These people were on the tallest mountain in the world. The average temperature is below 0 degrees Fahrenheit. And they were standing in traffic.

To give an idea of how much traffic has increased over the past two decades, the BBC article also provided the following chart from 2012:

Oh, also. Traffic makes climbing more dangerous because you're spending time in freezing temperatures, meanwhile your oxygen supply is rapidly depleting. No thanks.

It gets worse than just traffic.

People are leaving behind more trash than even Oscar the Grouch knows what to do with!

Luckily, there are now rules that state climbers must bring back their garbage with them, or else they have to pay a fine of $4,000. But unfortunately, there are more people than ever climbing the mountain and there is already several decades of trash left by previous travelers.

Since 1953, over 4,000 travelers have made it to the summit. It doesn't seem like a lot, but when you think about all the supplies they bring, it adds up.

Last year, a team from the Indian army climbed Mt. Everest to remove some of the trash. They expected to remove 8,000 pounds of waste. 

Not only is there a sh*t-ton of trash up there, there's literally a ton of sh*t up there.

It is reported potentially 26,500 lbs. of human waste is left behind EVERY YEAR. 

This is a problem that's obviously gross, but also a little bit of a health concern. It has the potential to make not only climbers ill, but also the local Sherpa guides, whose water supply has been getting polluted.

Aren't I painting a pretty picture for you?

Don't worry, though. It gets better.

Ha. You wish.

There are bodies on Mt. Everest. 

Approximately 240 climbers have died on the mountain, and most of the bodies are still there.

I promise I won't post any pictures of these poor souls who perished on this hellish death trap. But if morbid curiosity gets the better of you. Click here.  

I don't know about you, but I'm overwhelmed by all this new information. My head is seriously spinning. But, it's also 11:30 p.m., which probably isn't helping.

Before I head off to sleep and am greeted by sweet dreams involving frozen corpses and poopsicles, let's recap:

Positives of Climbing Mt. Everest

1. Pretty

Negatives of Climbing Mt. Everest

1. Traffic.

2. Trash

3. Poop

4. Bodies

I think we can all agree on the moral of the story: Don't climb Mt. Everest. Do what I do. Get into your pjs. Climb into bed. Open Google Maps. And go wild without the threat of death looming over your head.

50 Bags of Plastic

Time for some S&M.

Sandwich bags and math.

Ah, lunchtime. One of my favorite times of day. Closely followed by dinner. And then dessert.

Nothing makes me happier than opening my lunch bag, and digging into my neatly packaged plastic sandwich and snack bags.

But then I started thinking...about math.

Math doesn't make me happy. Math makes me sad...and a lot of the times confused.

Let's do some math together.

In my cupboard I have three types of Ziplock bags. (Technically they're not Ziplock. They're generic. Because if I'm going to destroy the environment, I don't want to spend an arm and a leg to do so.)

I have a box of:
-40 gallon bags
-50 quart bags
-50 sandwich bags

The one I use the most of is sandwich bags.

Let's say I use at least one sandwich bag every day for lunch, five days a week.

That means I go through 20 sandwich bags in a month.

In one year, I use 240 sandwich bags.

That doesn't seem like TOO many. But it doesn't account for days I use sandwich bags for other things, like snacks, leftovers, etc.

I live in a four-story apartment. Now let's pretend these numbers are the same for everyone else that live on my floor. I believe that's 8 other apartments. And for the sake of my argument, there's one person living in each apartment. (Sorry, Brian. I still love you!)

Collectively we use 1,920 sandwich bags a year.

Oh, but wait. There are 3 other floors in my building.

That's 7,680 sandwich bags. In one year. Just ONE type of bag. In just ONE building. In ONE apartment complex. In ONE city. In ONE county. In ONE  state. In ONE country.

(Whoops. Wrong Anastasia...but a far superior one.)

That's insane.

Now can you see why I hate math?

The obvious solution is to just stop eating.

Lolz.

Don't worry. I found a better solution!

But first, time to stop with the 50 Shades pictures. I want to encourage readers to pack an eco-friendly lunch...not lose their lunch.

Okay, I lied, one more.

NOW I'm done.

Seriously. Onto reusable sandwich bags!

If you're crafty, they're easy enough to make. (Well, according to this DIY video)

Or if you're not crafty, like me, you can simply buy them.

I purchased mine from the following company:

https://www.amazon.com/Bumkins/b/ref=bl_dp_s_web_2586521011?ie=UTF8&node=2586521011&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=Bumkins

But you can also find "homemade" ones on Etsy.

The ones I ordered from Amazon came quickly, and I was super excited to start using them.

However, as I kind of suspected, they came packaged in a plastic bag. Sigh. I seriously can't win.

I guess that is one drawback of online shopping. But there sure are a lot of pros...

As you can see, I only picked out the most...um...mature...patterns.

And also, I like how they have a picture of a kid on them to remind you you're getting old, so you should probably start popping out babies, like, yesterday.

Okay, fine. These reusable sandwich bags are generally geared towards kids. But that doesn't mean adults can't use and enjoy them, too!

The size of these bags were really good. The sandwich bag is bigger than a plastic sandwich bag, which was nice. The snack size also held a good amount of chips, but not enough to make me feel like I'm not going to fit into my wedding dress in June.

Some of the Amazon reviews stated they didn't keep food fresh long-term, but I didn't have that problem. Sometimes I pack my lunch in the morning, sometimes I pack it in the evening. It all depends on my level of laziness.

The first morning I used them, I packed my lunch around 7 a.m. When I got to work I put it in the fridge and ate at 1 p.m.. I didn't have any problems with my food getting stale. My sandwich was fine and my chips were still crisp.

I prefer packing my lunch the night before because I enjoy sleeping in until the last possible second. When I did that, I didn't notice my sandwich or chips being any staler (is that a word?) than usual. Maybe the key is keeping in it the fridge until lunchtime...

I even put the snack bags to the ultimate test when I used one to store cinnamon twists from Taco Bell for a few hours. They retained their crunch, which made me happy. I'm pretty easy to please.

I wanted to see how waterproof they were, just in case I one day put something in that could leak or held some moisture. So, I decided to conduct a little experiment. (Okay, as I'm writing this, I for the life of me can't remember what I was thinking when I conducted this experiment but whatever. Just go with it.) Anywho, I filled the bag with water and, surprisingly, none of the water leaked through the fabric. But as you can see below, when turned on its side, water did leak out of the zipper. I guess what I'm saying is you can probably put something like fruit in it, but you shouldn't use it as an alternative to a water bottle.

They were also really easy to clean. I just used a sponge and rinsed it inside and out. You can also put them in a washing machine if you want to clean them thoroughly.

**After I started writing this post, I did run into one issue. I'm already down 1 of my 4 reusable bags. While it was drying in the dish rack at work, the kitchen was cleaned. Unfortunately, my Minnie Mouse bag is now MIA. I am little disappointed, because it was $8, which isn't exactly cheap. Hopefully it'll turn up, but I'm not holding my breath.

Do these bags completely eliminate my need for plastic sandwich bags? No. But it's a good start. And you have to start somewhere.

You're welcome.

The Lord of the (Plastic) Rings

The Lord of the (Plastic) Rings: The Hazards of the Ring...s

We've all seen those pictures or videos of animals with six-pack rings stuck around their necks or various body parts. We know they are bad and cause problems. That's nothing new. And I don't know about you, but whenever I see an animal in pain caused by humans...I feel a little bit like this:

And then I feel:

You get the idea.

Even though this is old news, these rings are still an issue.

It's okay, though! You've probably heard you can cut the rings to prevent animals from getting stuck.

I also JUST learned these rings have a secret message written on them that only appears when you stick them in a fire.

Oh, wait. Now I'm plagiarizing. 

What I meant to say was, ever since 1989 these rings have been 100% photodegradable. This means, over time (3-4 months) they will break down when exposed to sunlight.

According to The Ring Leader Recycling Program, these pesky little rings don't cause too much of a hazard. But nevertheless, their program helps educate groups and businesses on how to recycle them.

Hooray for saving the environment!

2-minute intermission. (I really should've saved this for my blog about plastic bottles, but it just fits so well with my LOTR theme).

BREAKING NEWS: Just because you either 1). Cut them into tiny pieces or 2). They naturally break down into little pieces doesn't mean they don't pose a potential risk to wildlife.

Yes, they won't get stuck around an animal's body. But, they can still eat these tiny, little, bite-size pieces which can cause eternal damage. 

**Disclaimer** I'm not a scientist. I only sort of studied environmental science in college. This is not meant to be taken as expert advice.  I'm simply talking myself through environmental issues I want to learn more about. If you are having an emergency you should hang up and dial 9-1-1.

Moving along.

Good news for sea life, though. The Saltwater Brewery located in Florida created edible rings!

No, not that kind of ring.

This kind of ring!

(I, personally, would prefer the candy. But I'm not a fish, and therefore have no opinion.)

Watch the video to learn more about these biodegradable, compostable, and edible rings.

Pretty cool, huh?

I thought so, too. And then I stumbled upon the following article:

http://www.plasticsnews.com/article/20160602/BLOG01/160609914/edible-six-pack-rings-not-so-fast

To sum it up: just because something is labeled as edible doesn't mean you should eat it. These biodegradable, compostable, edible rings might not be an end-all solution. They still could post risks to sea life and humans who consume said sea life.

But once again, I don't know because I'M NOT A SCIENTIST!

Is your head spinning, yet?

Because mine is.

But there is a glimmer of hope! Remember earlier I mentioned a free recycling program designed specifically for these little buggers? You might not need to be part of that program to recycle your stupid old rings. These plastic rings can actually be recycled at home...or at a nearby recycling center! According to Earth 9-1-1's website, "The rings are made of plastic #4 (LDPE) and can be recycled in programs that accept low-density polyethylene resin." 

How do you know if you can recycle plastic #4 at home?

I'm glad you asked. This information should be available to you on the World Wide Web.

Look what I found regarding recycling in my county:  http://www.pwcgov.org/government/dept/publicworks/trash/pages/recycling-in-prince-william-county.aspx

This has a list of everything I can and cannot recycle, as well as other helpful links.

When I first planned to write this post, I was basically going to say something like, "Oh no! These six-pack rings are bad! Don't use them. Moving on to more important things..."

I had NO idea I would spend four hours rambling on and on about these stupid rings. Now I know how Peter Jackson must've felt.

To sum up today's lesson.

1). I have no idea what I'm actually talking about.
2). These rings are bad.
3). But they might not be too bad.
4). Someone created a better alternative.
5.) The alternative rings might be bad.
6). You might be able to recycle these rings!

Hmmmm...I think I raised more questions than I answered.

In my (unprofessional) opinion, the only feasible alternative to recycling these rings is not buying them.

Whoops, wrong movie.

Bamboo toothbrushes? Huh?

Am I the only one who finds brushing your teeth to be a chore? It doesn't take long. Requires little effort. And yet, I almost have to force myself to do it.

But hey! Twenty-seven years old and no cavities! (Knock on wood)

While the action of brushing your teeth kind of sucks, I do love buying a new toothbrush/toothpaste. What color should I get? Pink? Blue? The possibilities are endless! And hey, if I don't like it, I can always buy a new one soon. No big deal.

...Apparently, it is a big deal.

What happens to toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes when you're done with them is something I've never thought of. Ever. Well, until a friend posted the following article and video on Facebook:

http://www.sarahwilson.com/2016/09/8-bits-of-plastic-you-can-quit-right-now/

OMG. Mind. Blown.

It was really these statistics that made me sit back and say, "Whoa." I gotta do something.

What I found most amazing, though, was some of these solutions aren't that difficult. I don't think I'll ever be the kind of person who can fit all of her trash into one mason jar over the course of a year. But I'm willing to try. Follow me on my journey that began with a step, quickly followed by tumbling down the SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT rabbit-hole.

Step 1: Bamboo toothbrushes. Apparently this is a thing. And apparently it's good for the environment...and bonus: inexpensive.

Not knowing where to begin, I turned to the #1 trusted source for all your researching needs: Google.

Google: Eco-friendly toothbrushes.

Results: Bamboo.

Okay, that narrows it down.

Google: BEST bamboo toothbrushes.

http://urbanvegan.net/bamboo-toothbrush/

Score.

Five minutes later, my first set of Mother's Vault bamboo brushes were ordered ($11.99 on Amazon). Yay!

Five days later. my first set of Mother's Vault bamboo brushes arrived. Yay again!

First thoughts? Take a look at this packaging.

My four super awesome eco-friendly toothbrushes that will supposedly last me a year came wrapped in a plastic bag, inside a padded envelope. Double fail.

After I take a look at my new toothbrushes, I'll figure out what to do with the packaging. Sigh. This is going to be harder than I thought.

When I held toothbrush in my hand I felt...like a giant. I mean, look how tiny that sucker is. It's practically a kiddie toothbrush. But that's okay. It just takes some getting used to. The size isn't automatically a turn off. (Nah, too easy).

I personally liked the soft bristles. If you like hard bristles, you won't like this brush. But never fear! You can do research to find your own eco-friendly bamboo toothbrush just like I did!

www.google.com

You know what they say. Pics or it didn't happen.

For your personal enjoyment here are TWO pictures. One of me awkwardly brushing my teeth. And one of me awkwardly holding my brand-new eco-friendly bamboo toothbrush. You're welcome.

I don't know how much more I can write about my new eco-friendly bamboo toothbrush. I'm also getting tired of typing "new eco-friendly bamboo toothbrush." It's a toothbrush. It has a purpose and it gets the job done. Plus, I got 4 toothbrushes for $11.99. It doesn't exactly break the bank. And the Mother's Vault brand accepts returns for a full refund! 

I do want to mention this toothbrush is listed as 100% compostable. But I don't think that's 100% accurate. The handle part, yes. But the nylon bristles? Ehhh...

Google, we need you!

Ah, yes. According to my extensive research, you are unable to compost nylon bristles. But you might be able to recycle them.

I'm just a little bothered by them claiming to be 100% compostable, when they really aren't. Hmmm...

The following is an exact quote from www.mothersvault.com:

"Almost 5 billion plastic toothbrushes are produced worldwide and that number is growing. These plastic toothbrushes can never biodegrade and instead will continue to pollute our oceans and take space in landfills. As if the earth is not enough, imagine all those chemicals and carcinogens being leached into your blood and tissue on a daily basis. By making the switch to a natural alternative you can make a significant impact on your overall health and mother nature. Bamboo is the fastest growing plant with natural antimicrobial properties, making it the perfect material to use.  Our mao bamboo toothbrush is made from 100% real biodegradable bamboo, features BPA-free bristles and plastic free compostable packing. This means no plastic waste, no chemicals in your body and no waiting for trees to regrow. It's a win win win situation, so click "learn more" below and make the switch today!"

But, as I said, you can do your own research. It still is better than an all-plastic toothbrush.

The only thing I have to figure out now is how to get rid of my old toothbrush.

You guessed it. Google.

I found the website http://www.terracycle.com/en-US/ which told they can help me recycle the un-recyclable. Yes!

All I have to do is sign up, print out a prepaid shipping label, and mail my old toothbrush and toothpaste to one of their centers. It's that easy.

And guess what I'm going to (hopefully) package my old supplies in. The padded envelope I received my new eco-friendly bamboo toothbrushes in! (Ugh)

Sometimes I even amaze myself.

Let me touch base on the packaging one more time, and then I swear I'l leave you alone.

At first, I blamed Amazon for the wasteful packaging. I figured next time I'll just order my new eco-yadda yadda yadda brushes directly from the seller. But when I looked up that option, I found out that's impossible. You can only by the Mother's Vault brand through Amazon. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Maybe a little sad? cheated? Mother's Vault claims their packaging is plastic free, which yes, the brushes themselves same in individual cardboard boxes. But if you remember, those boxes came in a plastic bag. You would think a brand that claims to be super eco-friendly would care more about how their products are packaged and delivered. Food for thought.

I'm pretty sure I've exhausted the subject of my oral hygiene. And if I mention my new eco-friendly bamboo toothbrush one more time, someone is bound to turn my blog into a drinking game. (Pics or it didn't happen).

I'll leave you with one last thing to help you get through the difficult task of purchasing and using a toothbrush. Happy brushing!

I don't matter.

I don't know what I'm doing...which pretty much sums up adulthood. I can kind of cook. I do my laundry sometimes. I have a few jobs. I'm getting married. I'm trying. I think we can all agree being an adult is challenging and scary. But if the present is scary, thinking about the future is terrifying!

I want to have kids some day, but I'm admittedly worried about what kind of world I'll be bringing these children into. I don't want them spending their entire lives worrying about a real-life Wall-E situation happening in their lifetime or getting swallowed up by a sea of plastic. I want them to live a carefree happy life! Think 1990s. Maybe I'm being optimistic, but I have enough stress in my life. As I write this, my chest muscles are spasming. (If you're a doctor and think I should call 9-1-1, let me know) But, instead of, or in addition to, stressing, I want to take action.

I've always felt kind of alone. Not in terms of friends or family (Hi Mom!)...but as in: I don't matter. I'm only one person in a world of billions. So what if I throw away my toothbrush? I'm only one person. I don't like this bottle of shampoo, I'll just throw it away and buy something different. Who cares?

Um...apparently Mother Earth does. And she can be such a b*tch.

The "I'm just one person" mentality is not good. That's something I'm going to try to change. And I encourage others to follow suit!

Okay, since we're being honest, here. I'm pretty bad at follow through. I have these great ideas, and eventually lose interest. I had a blog once, in 2011. I was looking for something to take my mind off of moving to Williamsburg for the summer and Becca's Bitchin' Blog seemed like a good idea. Why did it only last a few days? I met my fiancé and he managed to keep me distracted from homesickness for two months.

Anyways, my point is I might only write 5 blog posts. Maybe I'll keep it going for a couple weeks or months! Who knows!? But, if my one or one hundred blog posts can help one other person re-evaluate their habits, that's great! Mission accomplished.