![]() Indeed, I was remiss in not going into further detail about canned tomatoes specifically. My sense is that this has something to do with the high level of acidity in tomatoes (relative to, say, beans or other vegetables). Rachel W.: I’ve done a fair amount of research into BPA in can liners, and I have not been able to find any brand of canned tomatoes that is BPA-free (including Eden and Trader Joe’s). This site has much more extensive information on which brands have BPA in their cans.Īs it turns out, Eden is not all BPA-free (its tomato cans have BPA), and there are other brands that have some BPA-free canned goods (like Trader Joe’s). MBP1111: Come on Umbra! Just because a reader found her own answer doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check her work. had this to add in the comments section of the column : I recently visited the topic of BPA in canned foods, and readers MBP1111 and Rachel W. Happy washing and watering! And thanks for not letting it all go down the drain. Whatever bits are left in the water post-washing are fine for your plant friends and can even be nutritious, especially when filtered through mulch. These are either immediately harmful to plants or will become so over time as they accumulate in the soil.Īs for the food waste, scrape what you can off the plates into the composting bin (yes, you can compost in your apartment), except for meat, fish, dairy, and grease. As I’ve suggested before, look for a dish soap without sodium, chlorine, or boron (which is, alas, a major ingredient in the handy cleanser Borax). Or for the fish and other creatures who eventually meet it in our waterways. ![]() Invite your roommates to help you scrounge between the sofa cushions and under the coin-op washing machine for spare change to purchase some more eco-friendly dish suds, because the stuff you’re using now probably isn’t great for your plants. Whatever the discount is, I say blow it off. Why no biodegradable soap? Do you work for a non-biodegradable soap company that gives you a sweet discount on its product? My apartment has no dishwasher, so my roommates and I are constantly creating a lot of “gray water.” I know the eco-choice here is to collect the dirty rinse water and hydrate the plants, but will the soap hurt them? Will any of the food scraps? We don’t use biodegradable soap, but I don’t know what else to do with it! After all, our bird friends don’t have the option of an electric blankie - or of not getting tazed if someone wants their feathers. If you’re still into the idea of down but not the ethical ramifications, you could always shop secondhand stores for used down comforters, so at least no additional geese or ducks would be plucked of their feathers for your warmth. So what’s a more ethical, still-warm eco-alternative? Organic cotton, humanely harvested wool, or even an electric blanket, which isn’t nearly as big an energy-suck as keeping that thermostat turned up (check out this Treehugger forum piece on what to look for in an electric blanket). And in the case of eider ducks, a protected species that lines its nests with feathers, farmers swipe the feathers for bedding and clothing, removing insulation the little eider eggs need to hatch. ![]() According to PETA, some countries still practice the painful method of live-plucking on geese from breeding flocks or those raised for meat or foie gras (another nasty can of worms entirely). To remove fine pinfeathers, the birds are dipped in paraffin wax. After their throats are cut and the birds are bled, they are scalded to facilitate removal of large feathers. ![]() However, here’s the real deal, according to the USDA: When the birds are slaughtered, they are first stunned electrically. It would be nice to think there’s just a flock of quiet farmers who wait patiently for the down to fall out on its own. So props to you, Mila, for caring enough to ask (and for braving the bedroom chill to keep the thermostat low). You know what else is no joke? How goose and duck down, the soft layer of feathers on the birds’ chests, is obtained. To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist.
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