Eat paste!

EBC book and meeting number 2 well behind us, club meeting number 3 next week, and just now having a chance to put to cyber-paper the lessons learned from the first two books. Since reading "Silent Spring" and "The Ecology of Commerce", I have been more vigorously trying to live my life according to the "waste equals food" mantra. In wondering what more I could do for the environment, I realize the question, for now, must be what less can I do to the environment, for living in the US in the twenty-first century, even while doing one's best to do no harm, often includes taking actions that injure our natural world in some respect.

And so in my goal to generate only waste that is edible to something, I have surveyed the chemicals I use and, to the extent possible, begun making substitutions that consist of food, which now brings us to the paste-eating portion of our show—toothpaste, that is.

Yes, fluoride-containing toothpaste, something I have been sticking in my mouth, and then down the drain and out into the world, at least a couple of times a day my entire life is toxic in surprisingly small doses. (At least I was surprised.) There is a lot of evidence on both sides of the question as to whether fluoride is harmful to the environment. I am not addressing that question. I have simply decided that if something I stick in my mouth says on its face that I should contact a Poison Control Center immediately if I swallow more than a toothbrush-full, I don't want to stick it in my mouth, or anywhere else, anymore.

And so, I have begun making my own toothpaste from ingredients in my kitchen and have been enjoying the fruits of my efforts, as salty as they are, ever since. The recipe follows, if you care to try it. I am not a dentist or (as clearly evidenced by the previous paragraph) a scientist, so you may want to check with your dentist before doing so.

Either way, I invite you to ask yourself what less you can do to the environment and undertake some action, whether it be as simple as bringing your own non-plastic bags to the store, bringing a travel mug to the coffee shop or hopping on the bus to the next Eco Biblio Chicago meeting!

Toothpaste Recipe

Ingredients:
❀ 3 TABLESPOONS Baking Soda
❀ 1 TABLESPOON Salt
❀ 3 teaspoons of Vegetable Glycerin
❀ 10 - 20 drops of Essential Oil (such as Peppermint, Cinnamon or Anise)
❀ Just enough Water to make the mixture into a paste

Directions:
Mix baking soda, salt, vegetable glycerin and essential oil together. Add water to desired consistency and start brushing!