This is so exciting -- thanks for commenting Jeannine. I think it is unreal when we look closely -- the inspiration is right under our nose. The book I mentioned about Biomimicry is quite something. I will look at the links later -- the best of things happens in the comments :)
It's pretty cool, all right! As I was reading your article, I kept wondering why on earth some clever person doesn't figure our how to use keratin and other readily accessible (And renewable! And naturally biodegradable! And COOL!) substances to make stuff instead of using up the limited oil reserves we have on bobbleheads and picnic-ware and tasty plastic dinosaurs. 😉 So I dived into the realm of all knowledge (factual and otherwise) - aka Google - and lo and behold, I discovered that it's already being done! I guess it's a matter of navigating economic and political hurdles before it becomes commonplace, but it made me happy to see it's actually happening RIGHT NOW, and if I wanted some bioplastic disposable silverware (which I don't , I just use the old fashioned metal ones), I can pop right into Amazon and buy some (https://www.amazon.com/100-Compostable-Utensils-Heavyweight-Flatware-Friendly/dp/B0B5R7RRVK/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2E5L3EQUEKJ08&keywords=biodegradable+silverware+disposable&qid=1687383409&sprefix=biodegradable+silverware%2Caps%2C455&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1). Wow, the wonders of modern life!
Naturally Biodegradable, unfortunately is a bit of a marketing term generally. A large number of these are manufactured from crude oil.The ones that are made from corn are generally much better. Lost of them DO NOT break down into their chemical constituents like proteins do. Rather, they are classified as "Biodegradable" because they do break down into micro plastic particles deemed "small enough". It is these products that are leaching out of landfills and waterways and entering the food chain. I know it probably seems like I'm always pointing to a new old post. This time, if you are not bored with me, go to my topics list for climate at https://markdolan.substack.com/t/climate -- one of the posts in there is titled "The Trifecta" -- it is where I first came up on the realization that we ingest about a credit card worth of microplastic every week -- absurd -- Biomimicry is such a hopeful trend -- as always I LOVE YOUR COMMENTS
The ones in the link are made of corn. I remember reading an article about how companies are merrily cashing in by using "green" terminology to describe their products. I guess saying that something is "biodegradable" is an efficient way to sell it.
Just finished reading "The Trifecta." Maybe all those plastic dinosaur tails that I ate as a youngster might explain how I ended up with IBS... 🤔 BTW, I excitedly announced that, "Bioplastics is the way of the future," before watching the "future is plastics" cllp from "The Graduate" that you posted (https://youtu.be/eaCHH5D74Fs) in the article. Funny the way minds work. 😂
After I wrote the comment I explored the link you provided. You New Hampshirites are THOROUGH! I love The Graduate -- I think I missed the golden opportunity in that post to go with S&G "Mrs. Robinson" https://youtu.be/9C1BCAgu2I8 -- I recently completed two module sessions (32 classes) called Common Earth -- I learned a lot and it created a lot of questions also. I remain optimistic. I believe the Google project to document all of the world's proteins (>200M) and share the results in the public space provides humanity with the building blocks and maybe even the steps to make anything. They are all fundamentally the same. A string of amino acids, 100% recyclable. The future is bright. In such a world, it will merely require pricing pollution of all sorts. This will drive EVERYTHING to migrate to biologically inspired products.
How did I miss this? I don’t always get stacks in my email and this wasn’t in my box on the site. Hmmm.
Thank you for mentioning my dad essay! I truly appreciate the nod. ❤️
You forgot to mention McCulloughs narrative voice. Not only was he a master at non fiction but he was a natural story teller with his voice. Remember the movie Seabiscuit? That was McCullough.
You’ve inspired me to dive into the world of bio mimicry. Crazy good info here.
I love his writing. Heard him speak on a book tour. Like grandpa telling a story. 😃 I wrote a guest post about non-fiction for https://SoNovelicious.substack.com awhile back. Laura Hillenbrand is one of my favorite authors. Gayla Gray the woman behind the Substack is awesome. Seabiscuit was fantastic!!!
All one Substack Charlotte -- I can't stay on topic so lots of different nonsense to explore! I wrote one about the food of my youth and buying butter shaped like a lamb with peppercorns for eyes -- silly for sure! A while ago I decided to 'tag' my posts by topic. I wrote a bunch of stuff in anonymity so I figured if I created the topics and put them on my HomePage some people might explore.
Sometimes if I'm cooking chicken or meat I have to make myself not think about where it came from. Which is one reason why I eat a lot more plant-based meals these days.
If you like to eat chicken, you'll regret it.... luckily for me, I'm a vegetarian (though now I'm conflicted about adding younger ladies to my little backyard chicken flock 😳).
No judgment here - I live with two voracious chicken-vores. My hubby, one of the chicken-vores, does all the non-veggie cooking... and most of the veggie cooking, too, actually. 😉
Not a hard sell but you might enjoy some of the stories at https://markdolan.substack.com/t/food -- I love writing about food memories as well as the modern food system and my journey to a mostly plant-based diet. My most clickbait title ever is All Hail Crucifer
I never much thought about it until writing this. It is crazy that all this durable 'plastic' and they are made from real simple chemicals. It seems a Tupperware bowl made of eagle beaks would last forever.
When I'm in NY I am amazed by all the multi-level bridges so that the trains can get everywhere along with the cars. I would imagine wherever you are in the city you are close to the bridge. People have great problems with scale. When I was prepping this post, I was thinking about how small the boroughs are. Brooklyn is 44K acres. The Amana farm in Iowa is about 26000 acres. Lotsa substackers vs lotsa corn.
Maybe the airlines might allow it as your spirit/companion animal
Thanks for reading and commenting Charlotte. I always enjoy your takes. If you figure out Photoshop you might end up with a free future subscription :) Pangolins happen to be this odd example of weird eating habits. My grandmother was a mystical Polish grandmother. Eating sweetbreads (cow brains) was sensible as were pigs feet in her world. I always hope people know I am not singling one culture. It just turns out pangolins are examples of animals that are on offer in the wet markets in the PRC and probably elsewhere in Southeast Asia. It was just irresistible because it is such a kinda prehistoric looking creature. When Anne K figured out those scales are, at some level, lots of toe nails or at least quite similar, it was irresistible to explore.
My mother used to try to foist tongue and liver on us as kids. I don't think she particularly liked them, she just thought she should. The pangolins are awfully cute! Too cute to eat. But then we could also say that about lambs and other creatures. And I'll start working on my photoshop skills. :-)
FUNNY -- Mom used to make liver and onions cause 'dad liked it' -- Liver is mostly not a thing anymore. While habits may have changed a lot of it is about how cattle are raised. I eat most everything but usually plant-based nowadays. When I blog about food readers accuse me of baiting them b/c I love lamb. It is funny how the appearance of the animal seems to affect us. Maybe we will see someone on an airplane soon with a pangolin as their companion animal.
And did Dad like it? :-) I still love me a steak--had a rib eye on Father's Day, but I eat red meat rarely these days. And, sorry cute lambs, I love lamb! I'm looking forward to the day someone appears on an airplane with a pangolin support animal. If only I could do photoshop....
Dad loved it. I can still remember the smell/stink of it in the pan. A proper steak is tough to beat. I love lamb. I bought the US-raised lamb which is corn feedlot. Tastes like a bad steak. Still love the NZ pasture-only. I recently saw that because of the change in immigration patterns, American ranchers are now raising lots more lamb. Already 65% of it on a feedlot. Scale ruins everything. From my work adjacent to food I have concluded you NEVER want to see how something is made.
Bioplastics is the way of the future! (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-51393-5)... or the present!! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic)
This is so exciting -- thanks for commenting Jeannine. I think it is unreal when we look closely -- the inspiration is right under our nose. The book I mentioned about Biomimicry is quite something. I will look at the links later -- the best of things happens in the comments :)
It's pretty cool, all right! As I was reading your article, I kept wondering why on earth some clever person doesn't figure our how to use keratin and other readily accessible (And renewable! And naturally biodegradable! And COOL!) substances to make stuff instead of using up the limited oil reserves we have on bobbleheads and picnic-ware and tasty plastic dinosaurs. 😉 So I dived into the realm of all knowledge (factual and otherwise) - aka Google - and lo and behold, I discovered that it's already being done! I guess it's a matter of navigating economic and political hurdles before it becomes commonplace, but it made me happy to see it's actually happening RIGHT NOW, and if I wanted some bioplastic disposable silverware (which I don't , I just use the old fashioned metal ones), I can pop right into Amazon and buy some (https://www.amazon.com/100-Compostable-Utensils-Heavyweight-Flatware-Friendly/dp/B0B5R7RRVK/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2E5L3EQUEKJ08&keywords=biodegradable+silverware+disposable&qid=1687383409&sprefix=biodegradable+silverware%2Caps%2C455&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1). Wow, the wonders of modern life!
Naturally Biodegradable, unfortunately is a bit of a marketing term generally. A large number of these are manufactured from crude oil.The ones that are made from corn are generally much better. Lost of them DO NOT break down into their chemical constituents like proteins do. Rather, they are classified as "Biodegradable" because they do break down into micro plastic particles deemed "small enough". It is these products that are leaching out of landfills and waterways and entering the food chain. I know it probably seems like I'm always pointing to a new old post. This time, if you are not bored with me, go to my topics list for climate at https://markdolan.substack.com/t/climate -- one of the posts in there is titled "The Trifecta" -- it is where I first came up on the realization that we ingest about a credit card worth of microplastic every week -- absurd -- Biomimicry is such a hopeful trend -- as always I LOVE YOUR COMMENTS
The ones in the link are made of corn. I remember reading an article about how companies are merrily cashing in by using "green" terminology to describe their products. I guess saying that something is "biodegradable" is an efficient way to sell it.
Just finished reading "The Trifecta." Maybe all those plastic dinosaur tails that I ate as a youngster might explain how I ended up with IBS... 🤔 BTW, I excitedly announced that, "Bioplastics is the way of the future," before watching the "future is plastics" cllp from "The Graduate" that you posted (https://youtu.be/eaCHH5D74Fs) in the article. Funny the way minds work. 😂
After I wrote the comment I explored the link you provided. You New Hampshirites are THOROUGH! I love The Graduate -- I think I missed the golden opportunity in that post to go with S&G "Mrs. Robinson" https://youtu.be/9C1BCAgu2I8 -- I recently completed two module sessions (32 classes) called Common Earth -- I learned a lot and it created a lot of questions also. I remain optimistic. I believe the Google project to document all of the world's proteins (>200M) and share the results in the public space provides humanity with the building blocks and maybe even the steps to make anything. They are all fundamentally the same. A string of amino acids, 100% recyclable. The future is bright. In such a world, it will merely require pricing pollution of all sorts. This will drive EVERYTHING to migrate to biologically inspired products.
How did I miss this? I don’t always get stacks in my email and this wasn’t in my box on the site. Hmmm.
Thank you for mentioning my dad essay! I truly appreciate the nod. ❤️
You forgot to mention McCulloughs narrative voice. Not only was he a master at non fiction but he was a natural story teller with his voice. Remember the movie Seabiscuit? That was McCullough.
You’ve inspired me to dive into the world of bio mimicry. Crazy good info here.
I love his writing. Heard him speak on a book tour. Like grandpa telling a story. 😃 I wrote a guest post about non-fiction for https://SoNovelicious.substack.com awhile back. Laura Hillenbrand is one of my favorite authors. Gayla Gray the woman behind the Substack is awesome. Seabiscuit was fantastic!!!
Well, honestly, I had no idea you wrote a SS about food. I'm on it!
All one Substack Charlotte -- I can't stay on topic so lots of different nonsense to explore! I wrote one about the food of my youth and buying butter shaped like a lamb with peppercorns for eyes -- silly for sure! A while ago I decided to 'tag' my posts by topic. I wrote a bunch of stuff in anonymity so I figured if I created the topics and put them on my HomePage some people might explore.
Sometimes if I'm cooking chicken or meat I have to make myself not think about where it came from. Which is one reason why I eat a lot more plant-based meals these days.
If you are unsure about chicken DON'T READ https://markdolan.substack.com/gallus-gallus-domesticus
Well now of course I have to read it.
If you like to eat chicken, you'll regret it.... luckily for me, I'm a vegetarian (though now I'm conflicted about adding younger ladies to my little backyard chicken flock 😳).
I do rely on chicken as a healthy protein far too much I'm afraid!
No judgment here - I live with two voracious chicken-vores. My hubby, one of the chicken-vores, does all the non-veggie cooking... and most of the veggie cooking, too, actually. 😉
Not a hard sell but you might enjoy some of the stories at https://markdolan.substack.com/t/food -- I love writing about food memories as well as the modern food system and my journey to a mostly plant-based diet. My most clickbait title ever is All Hail Crucifer
I can’t believe eagle beaks is not in the lead!
Also 789 bridges and tunnels is a lot!!! What a city!!
Also I have already launched my search for a local pangolin so can win my free sub.
I never much thought about it until writing this. It is crazy that all this durable 'plastic' and they are made from real simple chemicals. It seems a Tupperware bowl made of eagle beaks would last forever.
When I'm in NY I am amazed by all the multi-level bridges so that the trains can get everywhere along with the cars. I would imagine wherever you are in the city you are close to the bridge. People have great problems with scale. When I was prepping this post, I was thinking about how small the boroughs are. Brooklyn is 44K acres. The Amana farm in Iowa is about 26000 acres. Lotsa substackers vs lotsa corn.
Maybe the airlines might allow it as your spirit/companion animal
I'm not exactly sure what a pangolin is, but it's kind of cute. Can I photoshop it in to a pic of me? Oh never mind, I don't know photoshop.
Thanks for reading and commenting Charlotte. I always enjoy your takes. If you figure out Photoshop you might end up with a free future subscription :) Pangolins happen to be this odd example of weird eating habits. My grandmother was a mystical Polish grandmother. Eating sweetbreads (cow brains) was sensible as were pigs feet in her world. I always hope people know I am not singling one culture. It just turns out pangolins are examples of animals that are on offer in the wet markets in the PRC and probably elsewhere in Southeast Asia. It was just irresistible because it is such a kinda prehistoric looking creature. When Anne K figured out those scales are, at some level, lots of toe nails or at least quite similar, it was irresistible to explore.
My mother used to try to foist tongue and liver on us as kids. I don't think she particularly liked them, she just thought she should. The pangolins are awfully cute! Too cute to eat. But then we could also say that about lambs and other creatures. And I'll start working on my photoshop skills. :-)
FUNNY -- Mom used to make liver and onions cause 'dad liked it' -- Liver is mostly not a thing anymore. While habits may have changed a lot of it is about how cattle are raised. I eat most everything but usually plant-based nowadays. When I blog about food readers accuse me of baiting them b/c I love lamb. It is funny how the appearance of the animal seems to affect us. Maybe we will see someone on an airplane soon with a pangolin as their companion animal.
And did Dad like it? :-) I still love me a steak--had a rib eye on Father's Day, but I eat red meat rarely these days. And, sorry cute lambs, I love lamb! I'm looking forward to the day someone appears on an airplane with a pangolin support animal. If only I could do photoshop....
Dad loved it. I can still remember the smell/stink of it in the pan. A proper steak is tough to beat. I love lamb. I bought the US-raised lamb which is corn feedlot. Tastes like a bad steak. Still love the NZ pasture-only. I recently saw that because of the change in immigration patterns, American ranchers are now raising lots more lamb. Already 65% of it on a feedlot. Scale ruins everything. From my work adjacent to food I have concluded you NEVER want to see how something is made.
What do we call a pangolin rabbit hole? 😂
Maybe an Anne-eurism -- enjoy your trip
😂
Ha! & thanks!