There's No Such Thing As A Free Sample

My family has one rule when we go to Costco . . . go on an empty stomach.

Everyone knows that Costco is famous for their low-cost, jumbo-sized items, but in my family, it’s the sample stations that are the real bargain . . . free lunch!

We make our way up and down every aisle, tasting all of the yummy delights. Sometimes we split up and when we run into each other, we compare notes: “Did you try the shredded beef near the frozen section?” or “Oh my God…the cake over there is to die for.”

I've only ever gone to Costco when I’m visiting my family in Florida because there weren’t any in New York City . . . until now.

Recently, one opened in Harlem and a good friend has a membership. She invited me to go along with her and I happily accepted. I didn't tell her about the Forbes Family Rule, but I figured she'd pick up on it soon enough.

As we made our way along the first aisle, we hit our first sample station. Asian noodles! My mouth watered.

Ravenous shoppers flocked around the server, who scooped slippery noodles into little plastic cups. I stuck my hand out just in time to grab the last one. What had been hidden behind the sea of grabby hands were little plastic spoons, one in each cup.

I wanted to boycott this sample, but I'd already touched it.

I downed the noodles in one bite and then had to jam my used plastic cup and spoon into the overflowing trash can. What had I done?

The next station was cherries. I love cherries and was dying to have one. An older woman was passing them out, this time in paper, not plastic cups. I hesitated, but before I knew it, she had stuck one in my hand. I looked inside and saw one cherry. One, lonely cherry in one, single cup. Once I removed it, I had a clean paper cup in my hand and once again, found myself jamming it into the overflowing trash.

I thought about the tree that made the paper cup and the tree that bore the luscious cherry. I wondered if they had somehow been reunited. I hoped not.

As we passed other stations and I spotted each stack of paper and plastic cups, I lost my appetite. I was no longer interested in eating any of these samples, let alone making a meal of them. The Forbes Family Rule was being overruled by Meredith's Injunction Against Wasteful Packaging.

I left the store with agave, a pineapple and a sense of frustration.

I thought about the tray of Asian noodles that held nine samples that disappeared in nine seconds and the 15 people waiting to grab the next batch of samples.

I started to do some math in my head.

Let’s say that in a five-minute period, a server hands out five sets of samples (nine in each set). That’s 45 cups in five minutes. Let’s say the server does this for 20 minutes. That’s about 180 cups.

At any given time there are at least three sample stations operating in that 20-minute period. Now you’ve got 540 plastic cups being thrown away into our landfills.

Consider that this is happening all day long. Now we’re taking my basic math to another level.

An average piece of plastic takes 20 years to decompose but a plastic cup can take up to 250 years! All for some free noodles?

So how free are the free samples? What is Costco really costing us? Do we have to choose between convenience and sustainability? Can't we save money AND the planet?

The next time I go to Costco, I will make sure that I’ve had a hearty meal ahead of time because the lunch I get there may be free, but it's one I can no longer afford.

An Inconvenient Spoon

Let's face it. There are things in life you have to do that are not convenient. Going to the DMV, cleaning gum off your shoe and taking a reusable spoon with you as you head out to lunch.

The other day, a co-worker came up to me and asked me if I had a plastic spoon. Isn't that like asking the seagulls if they like oil?

Once I had picked up my jaw from the floor, I said, "Are you seriously asking me this?"

She stared at me with a half smile, gave a nervous chuckle and said, "Yeah."

I counted to ten. I replied, "I have a metal spoon you can use."

Another blank stare, another crooked smile. "No."

"Why not?" I asked, trying not to run screaming down the hall.

"Well," she said, "it's for my yogurt."

Flashback to a previous blog about a woman who announced that she could only eat ice cream with a plastic spoon, because a metal one got too cold, so she couldn't taste the flavor.

"Are you telling me that yogurt only tastes good with a plastic spoon? Is that what you're telling me?"

She laughed and slapped her knee.

"No, no. I'm taking my yogurt outside and I don't want to carry a metal spoon around."

I wanted to slap her knee for her.

How big did she think the spoon was? Her cell phone was bigger than the spoon.

"Don't ask me to find a place to put it," she said.

I was about to give her a not-so-nice suggestion where she could put it. Instead, in my usual cheerful-but-trying-to-make-her-feel-bad way, I told her that I was unable to help her.

She went off and no doubt found a more willing petroleum-based utensil supplier. Ever since the BP disaster, it's been hard to even look at a plastic spoon without seeing the oil that was used to make it. Not to mention that plastic forks, spoons and knives are not recyclable, so they end up in our landfills, beaches, and oceans. Americans toss out enough plastic utensils each year to circle the equator 300 times.

If my co-worker fully understood hat her choices were between supporting the industry that's hurting the seagulls or carrying the metal spoon, I wonder which one she'd pick?

Or anyone, for that matter.

Please tell me you'd carry the spoon.

I'll Have A Turkey and Paper, Hold The Plastic

We tend to order out a lot at my work. A favorite is a luncheonette that makes yummy sandwiches and salads.

One day while placing our lunch order online, a bright red paragraph came up on screen letting us know that to help the environment, the take-out deli would no longer provide plastic utensils, condiments or napkins.

I was so excited! Finally! We have an entire drawer full of leftover plastic utensils and a basket as big as a pond overflowing with condiment packets.

We placed our order and waited for our new eco-friendly lunch to arrive.

The delivery man arrived with a big plastic bag. Inside the plastic bag was a paper bag. Inside the paper bag were our sandwiches...wrapped in three layers of paper surrounded by an elastic band. Tucked neatly inside the elastic band was another slip of paper which listed the ingredients of our sandwiches.

To top it all off was a stack of napkins. At least there were no utensils.

As I pulled out the last sandwich out of the bag, there was a final slip of paper. A shiny, bright note announcing that to help the environment, they would no longer be providing utensils, napkins and condiments.

Hmmm. Is it really a green initiative if it includes extra paper to repeat the initiative that you just announced on-line?

And does your sandwich really need the tissue-like piece? What is that for? It always gets wet and sticks to the sandwich, anyway.

And the piece that they wrap around the sandwich and cut through. Do they really need that to hold the sandwich together?

It's enough to make you want to prepare your own lunch. Which I should be doing anyway.

Green and Natural

A few weeks ago, I was looking to find a new facial cleanser. My favorite, Stella McCartney, has been removed from all of the shelves in the US because somehow the organic standards of the EU are worse than the American standards. But that's another blog.

In my journey to find my new cleanser, I travelled to "earth-friendly" stores like Origins and Aveda as well as Sephora to compare products and find one made with the safest ingredients.

After misleading experiences in both Origins and Aveda (both of their products carried at least 2 of the danger list ingredients...see link below), I was off to Sephora.

Upon arrival, a young man came over to me and asked if I wanted help. I explained to him that I was looking for a cleanser that was made with botanical ingredients, minimal chemicals and most importantly, no parabens.

He was very excited about one of the eight brands that are displayed in the "Naturals" section of Sephora.

"All the stars use this one!" he exclaimed holding up a colorful tube.

Well, if the stars use it! I excitedly picked up one of the jars and began to read its contents.

"Oh, you don't have to do that! They are completely free of all the bad stuff."

I trusted him and took home a sample. But something was bothering me. I put the sample aside and went back to the store to do some more research.

I snuck into the store and looked down each aisle carefully so as not to run into him. Finally, I found the product and read the label. It had parabens! I breathed a sigh of relief that I hadn't used the sample.

I decided to check out the other 7 brands against their big wall decorated with pretty green leaves, obviously showing the correlation between nature and these products.

One actually had a list of all the things that supposedly weren't in it on the box, including parabens, yet when I read the label on the jar, it had parabens!

I frantically picked up the other pretty, leafy, flowery patterned jars. Fragrance, parabens, more fragrance! What was going on here?

I pulled a very nice saleswoman to the side and asked her to tell me what Sephora's definition of natural was.

She smiled and said "You are the first person that has asked me that question!"

Really? Was she kidding me?

"Sephora's "natural" products are the ones that contain the least amount of bad things."

Ok. I could accept that. It was unfortunate that only 2 of the 8 products were truly natural. But at least they were trying. And they were honest and up front about it. With me anyway.

But what about all those poor people who want a better product and don't ask what their policy is? Maybe I should stand there with a sign telling them. Hmmm.

Read those labels! Become acquainted with what the nasties are. Know what you're putting on your body, your children's bodies and what's going back into the earth via your drain. Remember that your skin is your largest organ!

Here's a partial list of the most common ingredients to avoid. I pulled this list from a site called Northwestern Health Sciences University but these lists are everywhere...just google them. I liked this one because it had explanations of why these products are bad. And there is a cool app from Gorgeously Green that also has these lists at your disposal.

Good luck and I wish you a very clean and natural shower!

Coal Tar
Function: This chemical helps stop itching, controls eczema, and makes hard, scaly, rough skin soft. It is also used as a colorant in hair dyes.
Product types: shampoos and hair dyes.
Health concerns: International agency government research on cancer says there is enough evidence to suggest that coal tars are carcinogenic in humans. Coal tar has been banned by the European Union since 2004.

Formaldehyde
Function: This chemical acts as a disinfectant, germicide, fungicide, and preservative.
Product Types: deodorants, nail polish, soap, shampoo, and shaving products.
Health Concerns: This is considered a possible human carcinogen, may trigger asthma, irritates eyes and the upper respiratory tract, can damage DNA, and is banned by the European Union.

Parabens (methyl, ethyl, propyl and butyl)
Function: These are a large group of chemicals used as preservatives in cosmetics to prevent bacteria, yeast, and mold formations in products such as toothpaste.
Product Types: moisturizers, shampoos, conditioners, hair styling gels, nail creams, foundations, facial masks, skin creams, deodorants, and baby lotions.
Health Concerns: This chemical may impair fertility; alter hormone levels; increase risks for certain types of cancers; alter reproductive development, cause skin irritation, rashes, and allergic reactions; and some studies have found parabens in breast tumors.

Phthalates
Function: These are industrial chemicals used as solvents and plasticizers in cosmetics.
Product Types: nail polish, deodorant, fragrance, hair spray, hair gel/mousse, and lotions.
Health Concerns: Phthalates can damage the liver, kidneys, and lungs and acts as a reproductive toxin in males.

Talc
Function: Talc is designed to absorb moisture.
Product Types: blush, powder eye shadow, perfumed powder, baby powder, deodorant, and soap.
Health Concerns: Talc is a proven carcinogen and is linked to ovarian cancer. The chemical has particles similar to asbestos and data suggests that it can cause lung tumors.

Sodium Laureth/Sodium Laurel Sulfate
Function: Acts as a penetration enhancer.
Product Types: shampoo/conditioner, bar soap, body wash, face cleanser, liquid hand soap, acne treatment, hair dye, mascara, shaving products, moisturizer, toothpaste, sunscreen, makeup remover, perfume, cologne.
Health Concerns: This chemical alters the structure of the skin and allows chemicals to penetrate deep into the skin, increasing the amount of chemicals reaching the blood stream.

Eco-Friendly Unplugged

Who says you need electricity to put on an amazing show?

Not me.

Last week, my father was in town and we went to see Rock of Ages on Broadway. It stars Constantine Maroulis from American Idol. If you grew up in the 80's or are just a fan of 80's music, then this is the show for you. This was definitely a show for me.

The show is a huge spectacle with its share of flashing lights, electric guitars, smoke machines and a mic'd up cast.

My dad bought our tickets and the lady sold him front row. While I was not thrilled at the idea of being exposed, I figured we'd just have a really good view of Constantine. Little did I know that the "front row" was actually 2 seats that were practically on the stage.

The show opened with "Come On Feel The Noise" by Quiet Riot and believe me, we did. The seats shook from the sounds of the instruments and singing.

The first act ended and we laughed about how close we were and how I spent a lot of time looking at, well, lets just say that the cast does a lot of...grinding.

The intermission seemed to be taking longer than usual and then finally the band came out, plugged in and were ready to play. The smoke started but it didn't seem like it was really getting anywhere. And then the news came...

"Ladies and Gentleman, we are experiencing some technical difficulties. We hope to start the show soon."

A lot of groans of disappointment were heard. The band was called off stage. And then one of the stars came out shirtless and looking pretty hot with his six-pack abs.

He apologized for the delay and informed us that there was no power. He started talking with the audience members. My guess is to distract them. After a Q & A, he suddenly decided that he should sing something. He brought one of the guitarists back out and they started jamming. Singing unplugged. And then a couple more cast members came out. And then Constantine. More Q&A and then they got rocking. Soon, the entire cast was out, sitting on the stage, chilling out and singing with just a single, acoustic guitar. No mics. No drums. Just...them.

"We Built This City", "Sister Christian", "The Joker", "Any Way You Want It". It was great. Soon the audience was standing, singing and cheering. This was better than any Broadway show I'd seen in a long time. They ended with "Don't Stop Believin'" when suddenly, the lights popped on.

Another disappointed sigh from the audience. We were having too much fun without the electricity.

They launched into the second act and uttered a few impromptu in-jokes about there being no power during intermission. And by the end of the show, we felt like we had all bonded.

It just goes to show you that while all the lights and mics are great, you can sit through an amazing, electrical show without the electric part.

The Green, the Bad & the Ugly's Earth Day Top Ten

Happy Earth Day!!!

40 years ago today, people gathered together for a nationwide, grassroots demonstration on behalf of the environment. Their efforts have turned into a global phenomenon and today millions will celebrate our beautiful planet and raise awareness to protect her and her resources.

It's so cool to see how far we've come. But for every step forward, there's been a misstep. Or two. Or three . . .

Here are my Top 10 Environmental Faux Pas Since Earth Day 2009.

10. Finding underwear in the sand during my beach clean-up.

9. Hearing people behind me scream “Fuck the Porpoises” (don't ask why) at a Kiss concert (which used so much confetti that the show actually managed to insult the environment twice).

8. The girl in Whole Foods who licked peanut butter off plastic lids and them left them at the peanut butter making machine.

7. Hearing “Going green is for young people” stated by one of my peers, who is the ripe old age of 53.

6. The Metropolitan Museum of Art employee who offered me a coupon and when I declined, instead of putting it back in the pile, threw it in the trash.

5. The Starbucks barista who made my frappucino in a paper cup and then poured it into my reusable cup, thereby defeating the purpose.

4. At the Grove in L.A., walking by stores that kept their doors wide open with the air conditioners on full blast.

3. Watching people secure their natural, real Christmas tree to their car with plastic wrap.

2. Overhearing a woman who proclaimed that she would only ever eat ice cream with a plastic spoon, because you don’t get the full flavor or experience of the ice cream with a metal one.

And the Number One Environmental Faux Pas Since Earth Day 2009…

1. Seeing a woman hand a Starbucks barista her eco-friendly, reusable Sigg bottle to fill with coffee (you're not even supposed to fill it with hot water) and then ask for the cardboard sleeve because the bottle was too hot.

When It Greens, It Pours

I have to admit that I love a rainy or snowy day outside. It makes me feel all warm and cuddly. I love to bundle up, put my cute rain boots on and most of all, I love to pick out my umbrella for the day.

I have many obsessions...shoes, handbags and umbrellas. My absolute favorite umbrella is my "Friends" umbrella. Yes, the TV show and no, it doesn't have pictures of Chandler and Phoebe on it. Just the simple logo. It is the second best umbrella I ever bought. After almost 6 years, it is still in great condition!

The best umbrella I ever had lasted close to 10 years. It was a Swatch umbrella...red and orange with a clock on it. So adorable.

I remember the day I finally had to part with it. It had turned into a skeleton and it pained me to throw it in the trash. We said our good-byes, I thanked it for its protection from the elements and then carefully placed it into my trash bag.

Most people don't have any sort of attachment to their umbrellas. I know that because of all the umbrellas I see in the corner trash cans on a rainy day.

Just the other day we had a horrible, windy storm and my friend's umbrella broke and she threw it in the trash right in front of Sothebys. I actually wasn't with her when she did it but I certainly heard about it. I wanted to run outside and rescue it from the landfill. Maybe I could've turned it into a piece of art, so it could be inside Sothebys instead of in front of it.

So many of the umbrellas made today are so cheap, they barely make it through a heavy rainstorm. Millions of people buy umbrellas which wind up being thrown away only to head straight to the landfill where it takes an eternity to decompose.

BUT...there is something you can do! Actually, there are many...

1. Buy a well-made, strong umbrella. Sure, it might cost a little more but just think of the long relationship the two of you will have!

2. Buy an umbrella made of recycled materials. There are so many companies like Engage Green that make super cute umbrellas out of old materials. I even own a biodegradeable one made from a company called Brelli!

3. Don't throw it away! Once you've said your good-byes, return it to Recycling Zychal. She is a fabulous designer that turns broken umbrellas into doggie coats, placemats, bibs and a ton of other cool stuff. Here is her address:

Recycling Zychal
c/o Taryn Zychal
2033 Spruce St Apt BR
Philadelphia PA 19103

4. Turn your used umbrella into a reusable grocery bag! Here are the instructions.

5. Click on this link for some other terrific ideas on what to do with your broken umbrella including using it as a drying rack!

I say let's start an umbrella project! Let's all take that one crappy umbrella and turn it into a work of art. We can sign them, display them and inspire others to think before they chuck.