...Thank you for giving us all we need to exist, and so much more.  You are the source of all that sustains us. 

We humans sometimes take you for granted.  The pain and destruction we have inflicted on you is truly horrifying.  Yet, you accept it and continue embracing us in your glory - in your healing energy vibrating so high that if we choose to experience it we can fly to unimagined realms of creative inspiration and blessed peace.  Even if we don't make that conscious choice, you still embrace us, day in, day out.

On this Earth Day, 22 April 2013, we would like to apologize on behalf of humanity for the toxic plastic waste that litters your skin, waterways and organs.  People are now waking up and realizing how serious a problem this is. Yes, it negatively affects your intricate systems so deeply, including all levels of the food chain maintaining life on You. 

We see great hope for change.  Efforts are underway, and the younger generations rising into positions of power - especially, finally, the women - see clearly through the lies and propaganda that end up harming you.  Yes, there is great hope.  And of course the greatest source of hope is You.

Thank you, and with Love from Life Without Plastic

3 April 2013 -- We're just back from India where Co-Owner Jay has three aunts and many cousins. It was a spicy, soothing and spiritual time visiting family in Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi.  We also had excellent meetings with some of our suppliers. You can read more about our trip in our recent blogpost: India Rising...Above Plastic.

One thing that may astonish any new visitor to India is the sight of free-roaming cows. They go where they please. The holy cow, described by Mahatma Gandhi and others as the Mother of India, is considered sacred and protected from slaughter in most Indian states.  But there is much more to wandering cows than their holy stature.

Nowhere is the sad direct consequence of plastic pollution more obvious than in the streets of large Indian cities where one can see cows ingesting plastic regularly while grazing on food scraps in garbage.  Plastic can look like food to the cow and is intimately mixed with food waste.  The plastic accumulates and accumulates in the cow's four stomachs (yes, cows have four stomachs) until the digestive system can no longer function and the cow dies an excruciatingly painful death.

Recognizing the cow as an icon for all animals dying from plastic pollution, the dynamic South Indian Karuna Society for Animals and Nature has initiated a Plastic Cow Project to bring attention to the issue.  They perform surgery on cows to remove plastic (sometimes over 50 kgs/110 lbs in a single cow), initiate public interest litigation to ban plastic bags, and conduct India-wide outreach, partly through an excellent 34-minute documentary entitled The Plastic Cow (watch it below).

20 March 2013 -- Check out this new ebook, Invisible Plastic, in which award-winning science writer Alanna Mitchell sets out on a quest to find out just what happens to plastic on the high seas. Her story is riveting, and essential reading for everyone concerned about this growing and worrying issue. The book is only $2.99 on iTunes: http://itunes.ca/StarDispatches.

Listen to Allana talk about the problem of plastics in the ocean in this interview she gave on the CBC show Quirks & Quarks just a few weeks ago: http://www.cbc.ca/video/news/audioplayer.html?clipid=2335696113.

*TRADUCTION À VENIR* 1 March 2013 -- A joint report by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) entitled, "State of the Science of Endrocrine Disrupting Chemicals - 2012" was released on February 19, 2013. 

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) leach from numerous types of plastic, and are now present throughout the environment, including in oceans and the air. 

The report is the most comprehensive overview of research on endocrine disrupting chemicals to date, and highlights associations between such hormone disrupting chemicals and serious health problems - for example, the potential for such synthetic chemicals to contribute to the development of non-descended testes in young males, breast cancer in women, prostate cancer in men, developmental effects on the nervous system in children, attention deficit /hyperactivity in children and thyroid cancer.

If you're looking for ways to reduce your exposure to EDC's in everyday life, Environmental Defence provides handy Tips and Guides on how to avoid these synthetic chemicals that are all around us.

21 January 2013 -- Wow! Time really flies! We have been meaning to wish everyone a Happy New Year much earlier than this. Please accept our sincerest wishes for a healthy happy 2013. 

Don't we all look so Happy! From left to right on the photo, Jay Sinha, Co-Owner and Customer Service Guy, Alise Marlane Bowler, Singer-Songwriter and Graphic Designer, Judy McMillan, Expert Knitter and Bookkeeper, and Chantal Plamondon, Co-Owner and Business Manager.

21 November 2012 -- Foster a new symbiotic relationship with the bees using this plastic-free re-usable food wrap made of a blend of cotton and hemp canvas impregnated with beeswax, jojoba oil and tree resin. You can use it to cover your left over food in glass, ceramic or stainless steel containers. Or to package a sandwich or a light dry snack.

Simply use the warmth of your hands and some gentle pressure to shape the wrap around your food or dishes to protect. The flat will stiffen as it cools.

We are introducing 4 different food wrapping products:

1) The Flats

Use these wrap sheets for protecting the contents of your lidless leftover dishes.
 These are pliable enough to wrap around oddly shaped items like, for example, half a watermelon or cucumber. Perfect for protecting cheese. Each package contains 3 flats with the following dimensions: one 18 X 18 cm / 7 X 7" flat (small) one 25 X 25 cm / 10 X 10" flat (medium) one 33 X 33 cm / 13 X 13" flat (large).  They are sized to adapt to the various containers you have at home from small to large. Available here for $16.95.

We're thrilled to be featured in the November/December issue of Mother Earth Living, which is currently on the news stands. The article Purge Plastics: Reduce your intake of potentially harmful chemicals by getting your food off its plastic dependency, provides a solid overview of the plastics issue and some handy tips on how to reduce plastic use in your life. The article even explicitly describes what is a large part of our mission statement:  "Although plastic is ubiquitous, learning a bit more about the most dangerous types and replacing plastic with practical, easy-to-find alternatives will keep you and your family safe."

You can like Mother Living on facebook here, and hey, while you're at it, feel free to like us too.

Wakefield, 27 September 2012 -- Our paper catalog is out now. You can browse through it by clicking this link:

http://lifewithoutplastic.com/documents/lwp-cat-2012.pdf

You will see both Jay and I in it, as well as our son Jyoti and many of our Wakefield friends whom we thank very warmly. We didn't hire any professional models and stayed pretty much clear of stock photos. We are very proud of it and very thankful to our amazing graphic designer and photographer (and musician and songwriter) Alise Marlane Bowler and photographer Franziska Heinze. We hope you will like it. Feel free to send any comments to: info at lifewithoutplastic dot com.

Also, don't forget to subscribe to our bi-monthly newsletter which introduces to you our new products, some noteworthy plastic news and great rebate coupons. Subscribe here.

Thank you for all your support!

Chantal and Jay