There's boat stuff coming too. Green boat stuff. But first, a little story...
Remember last year when I blogged about my difficulties filling up my Klean Kanteen at San Francisco's Outside Lands Music Festival? If you haven't read the post, be sure and check it out. It's pretty outrageous.
Well, this year, Outside Lands is supposedly making a big change. They've announced they will provide water refill stations and encourage festival participants to bring their own bottles. I'll let you know how this works out because I'm going to the festival this Saturday. By myself. Why? Because no one else I know is up for spending 100 frickin' dollars to join me for Jason Mraz, Black Eyed Peas, TV on the Radio, and a whole host of other bands plus food and art and wine. I know it's not Radiohead this year, but still fun, right? (Oh, and some guy named Dave Matthews who is the headliner. Meh. [Although I could be convinced otherwise.])
Anyway, the water situation seems to be covered, but last year, as I mentioned in my post, I also had problems finding a plastic-free way to taste wine. At the Winehaven tent, each attendee was handed a "recyclable" plastic wine "glass." Now, I understand the reason an outdoor festival hosting thousands of guests would be averse to using actual glass. Dangerous! But I thought, there has to be another alternative.
So a few weeks ago, I Googled "Stainless steel wine glass" just on the off-chance that such a thing existed. I mean, after all, many wines are aged in stainless steel tanks. In fact, Klean Kanteen advertises its 27-oz bottle with flat cap as a wine "karafe". (Go marketers!) But I need my Klean Kanteen for water. And it's not really useful for tasting small amounts of wine. Hence, my Google search. And that is how I stumbled upon GreenBoatStuff.com.
(Please see disclosure at the bottom of this post.)GreenBoatStuff.com not only carried the
stainless steel wine goblets I was looking for, but a bunch of other products I never knew existed. (Have you ever heard of an
all natural canvas bucket?)
Of course, as we all know, metals such as stainless steel are not without their environmental impact. But as GreenBoatStuff.com explains on their site:
People sometimes ask how our metal galley gear can be classified as truly "green"? After all, there is no such thing as organic steel or aluminum.
Like most things at greenboatstuff, we try to envision the impact our gear has on the world around us as it is made, used, and ultimately lost or discarded.
In addition, we believe a product you only have to buy once in your lifetime is much greener than a cheaper version you will replace countless times.
With this in mind we offer an assortment of high quality products that are designed for you to pass on to the next generation.
You won't find cheap plastic covered junk here, just the best boat gear we can find that makes a minimal impact on the environment.
(A Facebook friend of mine suggested I find bottles and containers made from gourds for the least impact of all. Great idea! Anyone want to design a practical gourd bottle for me? I will totally invest in your company.)
So, I ordered the glasses. And here is how they came shipped:
No plastic on the outside and...
no plastic on the inside. Just some re-used paper and a handy Guide to Ocean Friendly Sea Food. And here are the "glasses" themselves. I ordered a set of four because I just know some of you guys are going to want to come with me next year!
I was so intrigued by this little company I had never heard of with its funny name and its products I'd also never heard of that I contacted the owner, Eric Allen, for a little interview. And here it is. Be sure and read to the bottom, where GreenBoatStuff.com has provided a coupon code.
Beth: When did you start sailing? What attracted you to the marine environment in the first place?
Eric: I started sailing about 10 years ago. I was drawn to the simplicity of sailing along with the desire to get out on the water with my family without having to make a bunch of noise or burn a bunch of fuel like my jet skiing and power boating friends and neighbors. I also had visions of becoming competent enough to cross an ocean one day, a plan I still have in mind all the time.
Beth: As a sailor, when did you first become concerned about protecting the environment? Was there a particular moment when you made the connection between your love for sailing and the impact you had on the planet?
Eric: My sailing career coincided with my environmental awareness. As a self taught sailor, I devoured every book I could find on boats, the Ocean, and sailing techniques. A book by Carl Safina, Song For The Blue Ocean, really opened my eyes to what was happening to our aquatic treasures. I became committed to pursuing an environmentally aware life after reading Carl’s book and started Greenboatstuff shortly thereafter.
Beth Terry writes about finding alternatives to plastic and tracks her own plastic consumption and plastic waste at www.FakePlasticFish.com. Why Fake Plastic Fish? "Because if we don't solve our plastic problem, they could be the only kind of fish we have left." Please stop by and leave a comment!
Jordana G. says:
Beth - curious to know how this worked out at Outside Lands..
Beth Terry says:
Jordana, I'm about to post all about it... within in the next 30 minutes!
Adam W. says:
Doesn't the stainless steel effect the taste of your wine?
Beth Terry says:
Adam, EVERYONE asks me that question. What they don't realize is that a lot of wine is actually aged in stainless steel tanks! So the answer is no. It tastes just fine. Way better than wine in plastic. :-)
Adam W. says:
O i've been inside enough wineries to know that the wine isn't REACTING with the stainless steel, I was just curious about the flavor that steel imparts when you are actually drinking out of it. I can certainly taste my stainless steel water bottle, so i was just curious.
That being said, I guess you are right - we're not comparing steel to glass, were comparing it to plastic. And there is no doubt that we can taste plastic - and that taste is no good. We should set up a blind taste test - glass vs plastic vs stainless vs a gourd or maybe even a ceramic goblet!
Beth Terry says:
Hmm... interesting question, Adam. Maybe the stainless steel imparts more taste to the wine than glass would. My preference would be glass. But glass was strictly prohibited at Outside Lands. Also, I think it depends on how long the wine is in contact with the container. I don't let it stay in there very long. :-)