They are individually wrapped prunes. My question is why on earth do I need individually wrapped prunes at all? Why not buy a regular bag and have one every now and then when the mood strikes? I suppose they could come in handy if you were on the go and you wanted to have a stash in your purse, in the car, etc... But then what do you do with the garbage from all of those individually-wrapped prunes? You throw it away of course! Toss it in with all of the rest of the unnecessary "packaging" garbage around. Sometimes it sickens me to think of all of the rubbish that we as a nation and even me, individually, generate every day. I try to do better on my own and I know I have a long way to go in this trashy battle, but why do all of these companies keep producing more and more single-serving packaged items? 100 calorie snack packs, anyone? How about some individually packaged applesauce and puddings? (And there are many, many more...)
Our massive consumerism is turning this world into a veritable wasteland. Here are some statistics for you to think about:
"Today’s consumption is undermining the environmental resource base. It is exacerbating inequalities. And the dynamics of the consumption-poverty-inequality-environment nexus are accelerating. If the trends continue without change — not redistributing from high-income to low-income consumers, not shifting from polluting to cleaner goods and production technologies, not promoting goods that empower poor producers, not shifting priority from consumption for conspicuous display to meeting basic needs — today’s problems of consumption and human development will worsen.
… The real issue is not consumption itself but its patterns and effects.
… Inequalities in consumption are stark. Globally, the 20% of the world’s people in the highest-income countries account for 86% of total private consumption expenditures — the poorest 20% a minuscule 1.3%. More specifically, the richest fifth:
Consume 45% of all meat and fish, the poorest fifth 5%
Consume 58% of total energy, the poorest fifth less than 4%
Have 74% of all telephone lines, the poorest fifth 1.5%
Consume 84% of all paper, the poorest fifth 1.1%
Own 87% of the world’s vehicle fleet, the poorest fifth less than 1%
Runaway growth in consumption in the past 50 years is putting strains on the environment never before seen."
— Human Development Report 1998 Overview, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
6 comments:
I think you should ask my Dad why the single serving prunes are such a good idea. He has them with him in all his travels... I'll let him tell you the secret to why they are do delicious this way... I know you are dying to know.
I have some strong feelings on this matter as well. I will keep it short by saying, yes, I have bought a tube of those individually plastic wrapped prunes (I had a coupon) and while they are quite moist and plump... I will never by the "Ones" again. Too much packaging waste and frustrating when you want to eat several in a row (it takes a while to get each one out of its plastic shell).
I will admit that some individual packaging schemes are very convenient for when you have small children. (String cheese!) I am trying to be better about my family's waste production and so I applaud your post.
I imagine that the reason your dad takes the single serving prunes with him might very well be similar to the reason that Mr X has a nice big bag of them (not the single ones though) readily available in the cupboard at home. So I think I'll pass on having a conversation about the delightful effects of prune consumption with your dad. It is strange that he takes them with him on his travels...still not going to ask though.
I actually do the string cheese thing as well. Though I have noticed that they have individually wrapped string cheeses all wrapped up in yet another package together....so now I try to just buy the individually sold ones, which often are cheaper (at Wild Oats at least) than the packaged twice ones. But yes, I know, it's still packaging. I'm taking baby steps right now. I've begun to wash out and reuse my ziplock bags...
Kev and I flew down to California when we were in middle school together and we had a stop over in SLC. Grandpa and Grandma Rich came to the airport to meet us and bring us some lunch to take on the plane. Sandwiches, cookies, grapes in ziploc baggies. We got on the plane and opened them up and everything tasted REALLY bad. Probably because the bags were labeled "200 small perch."
Eeeww. That's gross...but point taken. I guess I'll have to make sure I don't re-use ziplock baggies when I've previously packed them with things like poultry and fish and meat in general.
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