Fine Dining Without SUDs: Ça Va Todd English

What makes fine dining fine? Flavors composed so well that they play a symphony with each bite? Swank decor and thin-stemmed wine glasses? A server so attentive you wonder if she can read your mind? 

All of these things matter, of course. But what really separates the chefs from the cooks is attention to detail.

And one detail at Todd English's Times Square restaurant Ça Va (aside from the perfectly crusted truffle mac and cheese) was the stack of cloth towels next to the sink in the bathroom. 

Click to read more ...

SUDs ban in Portland

See how silly we need to dress to get things done?

Have you heard of Bellingham, WA? Last week we brought you news of a plastic bag ban there. This week we bring you the same good news from a place most East Coasters have heard of.

Click to read more ...

Welcome!

Thanks for joining us! We're glad to have you! This is a new project of ours, and we're grateful for any feedback you have to offer.

Our mission is to show that life is cleaner, more comfortable, and less expensive without single use disposables, or SUDs as we like to call them.

So poke around and enjoy! And please contact us to let us know what you think!

SUDs ban in Bellingham, Washington

A big shout-out to Bellingham, Washington, which just added its name to the growing list of towns with a ban on single-use plastic bags!

Though the benefits of plastic bag bans might seem obvious when you think about how much damage they do and how a 2002 nationwide ban in Ireland reduced consumption of the petro-baggies by 90%. 

Click to read more ...

Airlines Waste Enough Aluminum to Build 58 New Jets Every Year

At sea level, you won’t catch me anywhere near anything with even a trace of high fructose corn syrup. I gave it up for my high school sophomore field hockey season and never went back.  But at a comfortable cruising altitude of 30,000 feet, there’s just something about a Sprite on the rocks that I just can’t resist. 

But what I don’t like is how I use that plastic cup for all of 15 minutes (any more time and I’m flirting with the 100% chance of knocking it off the traytable) and then it’s trash.  The aluminum can it came in faces the same fate.  Trash. Done. Finito. No reduce, reuse, recycle for this bad boy.  It’s headed to a landfill for all eternity with its buddies Empty “Grape Juice” Bottle and Airline “I Promise I’m Edible ” Food.

Click to read more ...

Putting Numbers Where the Dryer Is

When a big company like Starbucks makes a switch to reduce their use of SUDs, it makes a difference.

Even better-the company realizes it's paper cup problem. Yes, here at Throwaway Nation we are of the belief that paper cups are among the bad ideas out there. But the company is actually taking the cup issue seriously and working on ways to reduce their waste.

Because I Like My Sips Packaged

Bottled water is bad. If you want the skinny on $8/gallon stuff, I recommend the documentary Tapped.

Just one of the many bad things about bottled water is the fact that it's packaged in plastic, which lasts virtually forever.

Click to read more ...