The whole picture

I was happy with the new stainless steel water bottle I had purchased to avoid the evils of plastic—the leaching phthalates and Bisphenol A, the burdened landfills.

I was not alone—I began to notice more and more stainless steel bottles in yoga class and at the gym. A great bottle shift was taking place.

Then I read an article in the April 19 New York Times titled “How Green is My Bottle,” ( nytimes.com , search the article title), which took me down a couple of notches in water bottle smugness. Turns out I hadn’t considered the whole picture.

go to column

My new beautiful plastic card

My eyes lit up when I saw the envelope. I snatched it out of the tiny mail slot in front of my apartment in Brooklyn, and held it in my teeth as I hastily unlocked my front door. I dropped everything I was carrying immediately upon entering. I tore through the envelope, rifling through the random papers, pre-stamped envelopes and glossy pamphlets, finally coming to the fruit of my labor: a tiny card. I held it in the palm of my hand and marveled at the way it caught the light. It was beautiful and I held it close to my chest and smiled. Success.

go to column