Day 3 and I'm enjoying this.
Doing. Just doing five things for the planet each day.
It is making me stretch, it is making me think, it is making me better.
I'm having fun. And the planet is smiling.
Here comes five more...
1. McDonalds - stop toying around...
Last Sunday I ended up in McDonalds.
McDonalds is not a place I regularly visit but I was hungry, I needed the toilet and it was the only place open.
To my surprise they now offer three vegetarian options. I opted for the cheapest - a vegetarian wrap Happy Meal.
Happy Meals are a great marketing package - main meal, side order, drink ... and a toy to attract the kids. All for around $3.50.
The toys are most usually based on characters from a current popular childrens film. They are plastic.
I am not a child and I didn't want the toy - but they gave no option - the toy comes in the Happy Meal box whether you want it or not.
What a massive waste of plastic. How many of these toys just get dumped, junked or thrown away as soon as they get home or even before?
I know some children like them and may even play with them, but it wouldn't be nice if Happy Meal buyers were asked if they wanted them or not?
So I've been on to McDonalds Customer Services. I made the suggestion that customers are asked if they want the toy. If they don't McDonalds could maybe even give a small donation to an environmental charity.
They listened, thought it was an interesting idea and said they would pass it on to their Marketing Department.
I am not thinking this is going to go anywhere with just my little voice.
But it does seem like such a massive waste of plastic. McDonalds serve around a billion Happy Meals a year.
Just think of the positive planet impact if the number of plastic toys was reduced by just 10%.
If anyone else, with or without children, is a McDonalds Happy Meal buyer and isn't so keen on the toys maybe you can mention in the store you don't want them - or better still send a message to their Customer Services.
With enough voices we might make a change...
2. Cleaning up the soap packaging
I prefer natural soaps. Faith in Nature is my favourite brand - it is vegan and organic.
But they are hard to find round my way except individually packaged and quite expensive.
Now I have found the Good Club are selling the Faith In Nature Lavender Soaps unwrapped in boxes of 18, at a good price.
I have placed an order this evening for the soap along with some other eco and organic products.
There is more to tell about the Good Club story - but that will come on another day.
3. Don't get stung by your teapot
One of the joys of spring for me is when the nettles start growing again.
I love nettle tea. I love that I can just walk out the back door and pick some leaves. I love that is totally free.
Today I only had nettle tea. I have totally cut out any shop bought teas now - at least until October.
It is way more healthy, totally sustainable and saves around £60 ($80) a year.
4. My Insect Dilemma
In yesterday's post @mattockfs questioned the planetary soundness of swapping cheese and eggs for monocrop based protein sources (like soya) in the quest for a vegan diet.
That is a very valid point - and one of the issues I struggle with in some of the commercial vegan products.
@mattockfs suggested I try entomophagy - insects as a protein source.
I am a bit unsure where eating insects fits in vegetarian and vegan philosophy - but it doesn't really bug me.
So this evening I placed an order with Crunchy Critters for a range of locusts, mealworms, buffalo worms and crickets.
I'll report back on this when they arrive next week.
5. The Daily Donation - Friends of the Earth
Today's £10 donation went to Friends of the Earth UK.
I first got involved with FoE when I was 18 as a local group coordinator.
Since then I have been involved with them on and off for about 3 decades as local activist, volunteer, staff member and regional director.
I learnt so much from FoE. I owe them a lot. £10 is the least I can do.
Keep up the good work Friends of the Earth and happy 50th birthday this year.
That's Day 3 of five for the planet.
I am enjoying this immensely.
Anyone out there who would like to join the challenge?
[ top image from pixabay.com / other images by @pennsif ]
Great strides again @pennsif! @venomnomous made a great post about #4 awhile back. I wonder if i can find it for you. Keep up the awesome initiatives!! Keep being awesome!!
I would be very interested to read that post if you can find it.
I could not find it 🤷♀️
This tool might help...
Hehehhee...you and the puns!!!
"Doesn't bug me" lololol
Wow...I'm so impressed that you're so vigilant about these things and WAY TO GO!!! Scoring that soap!
Will be interesting to see what happens with the McDonald's!! :)
And ...yeah.
Bugs.
Nope.
😂😂😂😂 But looking forward to hearing what you think about them?
Now maybe this is a dangerous question... And if it ends up being potentially a pot-stirrer, feel free to ignore it altogether!!!
But... Why are insects ok to eat for vegans but not animals?
Or.. are they still not ok? (I know you said you're not vegan.. so maybe that's why it's ok)
But do vegans avoid them?
I am very interested to hear views of vegans (and vegetarians) about the insects.
Honey was mentioned in one of my vegan shows - but not insects.
Me too!
I don't have a problem with either, as I'm not vegan or vegetarian.... But I always thought that many vegans didn't eat living creatures or their products?
Maybe I'm wrong! But if you find out.. I'll be interested :)
I haven't had any comments on the insects yet.
The delivery came today - so look out for feedback soon.
That's interesting that you can't buy unwrapped soaps locally. I'll admit that when we first arrived in South Australia nearly 11 years ago, they were way behind the UK with regards to organic and natural products, but they've made huge strides in this. Health food and zero waste shops are stringing up everywhere, even in our low class suburbs. The supermarkets are getting used to us turning up with our reusable produce bags.
I’m sure we used to have no problems with McDonald's when we asked them not to add the toys to the happy meals, back in the UK. They sometimes would run out, so it's not as of it's an immovable item. I don't see why there should be issues with them not adding it. It's ridiculous. Fingers crossed on some results there. It annoys me that some of our supermarkets here do these promotional giveaways of little toys or stickers. It's never long before you start flinging them as litter. Surely it's unnecessary to be promoting a supermarket that people are going to be shopping at whether they did the giveaways or not. People need to buy groceries and if they prefer the farmers markets and buying locally instead, you certainly aren't going to entice them back with wastefulness.
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It is quite rare to see unwrapped soaps here now.
For McDonalds I believe they have promotional targets for the toys. I suspect the film companies pay for the toys and pay McDonalds many millions of dollars to distribute certain volumes of their promo meals and toys.
So reducing the number of toys given out would likely impact the size of the promotional deals.
Ah yes, money always seems to come into play somewhere.
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@pennsif Greetings my friend and I don't have to ask, as I see you are well.
This doing 5 things for the planet is a brilliant idea and I hope that hundreds more will join in. As you might know, I have a deep love for nature and my stories are mostly focused on eliciting more interest by others to become involved.
As far as soap goes, we use hand made glycerin pure soaps, don't frequent McDonalds, but will talk about the plastic toys to friends that do.
Nettle tea is great and in the insect department, you should try to get some "Mopanie" dried worms. My mom and them used to eat Mopanie's and grasshoppers on the farm.
Maybe we should all learn to eat like the big apes do!
See my post yesterday ""It's Ape Friday" to see what they have for lunch.
Blessings.
Stephen
I am glad you like the idea of these #five4theplanet posts. Hopefully a few people will join in.
We received the delivery of insects this afternoon - 4 different types but not Mopanie Worms. I will look out for them.
@pennsif Good and thank you my friend.
I posted one of the new projects today and maybe you will like it?
It is called; "What would you do"?
Blessings!
We can actually change our world through decisions like this!
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Very much.