Ecotensil Me. A Green Alternative to the Plastic Spoon Taster

[podcast]http://www.green-talk.com/podcasts/Ecotensil.mp3[/podcast]

Is this a familiar scene?  You are at BJs, Sam’s Club, or Costco and someone is handing out free samples. Or maybe you want to try a soft yogurt that you never tried before.  Think of how many times you have tasted something to just throw away the spoon after one bite?  Probably enough to make your own personal tasting bridge.  Let’s face it.    Being a plastic spoon sucks.  You love them and leave them.  Plus, they ain’t good for the environment.

Move over plastic spoon, since Ecotensil is here.   Enjoy your taste test and help the environment too.  Let me tell you this Company gots you covered in the tasting and eating department with their paperstock Ecotensil and the EcoTaster Mini.  How so?  Read on.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Peggy Cross, the founder of Ecotensil as she gave me an up front and close look at how great her products are.  Be sure to watch the video or listen to the podcast because Peggy really spoon-fed me on the benefits on her renewable and recyclable Ecotensil products with a lot of humor sprinkled into the mix.

So, what’s so bad about plastic, you say?

Before I dazzle you with this wonderful invention, let’s go over why plastic tasting spoon are the ultimate drag on the environment.  Okay.  Plastic in general.
According to a Scientific American article,

“Chemicals added to plastics are absorbed by human bodies. Some of these compounds have been found to alter hormones or have other potential human health effects.

• Plastic debris, laced with chemicals and often ingested by marine animals, can injure or poison wildlife.

• Floating plastic waste, which can survive for thousands of years in water, serves as mini transportation devices for invasive species, disrupting habitats.

• Plastic buried deep in landfills can leach harmful chemicals that spread into groundwater.

• Around 4 percent of world oil production is used as a feedstock to make plastics, and a similar amount is consumed as energy in the process.”

Plastic might be versatile, but it is definitely not your best friend. Nor is thousands and thousands of tasting spoon at events, ice cream shop, and buying clubs.

So, the alternative is…does anyone have the e-envelope?

The EcoTaster

The EcoTaster Mini (pictured above) is made out of silky smooth, renewable paper stock which is compostable recyclable, or biodegradable. Its silky smooth texture is due to a mineral and water based coating.  Future spoons will be made out of FSC paper stock.  Peggy explains that the spoons can only be made out of FDA approved paper, which does not included reycled paper at the moment.

The EcoTaster Mini can be used for bite size food such as yogurt, cereal, and rice.  I thought as Peggy was explaining the EcoTaster that you could use it for hard ice cream.   Peggy explained that the EcoTaster is only for softer foods, but they are working on a spoon that can be used for hard ice cream.  She must know my kids who want to try every flavor in an ice cream store.

 

What about it being compostable? Everyone tauts their product as being compostable, Anna.  Yeah, I know. I know.  The Company states the product will bio-degrade in one to three weeks.  In fact, they further state that the product bio-degrades faster than those other bio-products including corn and sugar based utensils.  Check out this video comparing the EcoTaster and plastic spoon decomposition in one month.  The video bring home how disastrous plastic is for our environment.

The Ecotensil

The Ecotensil is the larger spoon which you can easily use to accommodate larger chunkier items. It is long lasting and durable and also made out of renewable paper stock. It contains milk carton like skin so it may not be recyclable in everyone’s recycling cans.  According to the Company, it does contain about 4% poly materials, which is the lowest amount available as required by the FDA for use in paperboard materials.  They further stated via an email correspondence that at this point in time, “the technology does not yet exist to create paperboard materials or this size without poly, however EcoTensil is always searching for the most eco-friendly options available.”

The product is biodegradable, so it can be sent to a commercial composting facility.

I even got to see the spoon in action. Peggy scooped out pudding on the above video and proceeded to eat it like she was using a regular spoon.  I can tell you not one drop fell on her desk!  Got me thinking.  Why don’t all ice cream stores offer this spoon in lieu of the plastic ones when they hand you a cup of soft ice cream or yogurt?

Space the final frontier.

During the video, Peggy dragged out a typical bag of your garden variety tasting spoons.  Clunky and definitely takes up lots of space.  Then she showed me a box of 5000 EcoTasters, which took  up virtually no room at all.  She explained that her 5000 EcoTasters fit in the same box as 1000 comparable spoons.  So, add another green attribute to these green scoopers.  Reduced carbon footprint.    When you can ship more in a smaller box!    And heavens to Betsey if the spoon ends up in a landfill, they would take up such little space.  But, I believe in the goodness of mankind, and that no one would dare throw their EcoTaster in the garbage.  Right?  (Let me be naive.  I live in my own green fantasy world.)

So what can you do?

So, people, here is the call to action.  Let the Costco’s of the world know that there is a better alternative available. Or the companies who run your fairs and events. Or how about your favorite ice cream place? But don’t forget to tell them to do their part by providing recycling or biodegradable receptacles for easy disposal of the spoons.

Where can you buy them?   For $129 you can buy a case of 5000 spoons. (includes  shipping.)  Or $236 for a case of Ecotensils. (Note, the price per case falls as you order more.)

Be the first on the block to offer an alternative.  Just think you can use the Ecotaster to promote your newest flavor and the Ecotensil for  eating.  Branding of the EcoTaster and Ecotensil is available.

Down with the pink spoon!   Ecotensil me instead.

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