Palm Leaf plates Technomoral, carbon-reducing every-meal-ware

For some time now, I have hated doing dishes. There is only two people here at home and as busy professionals, my husband and I don’t always feel like spending time cleaning up afterwards. It is nice to eat my foodie creations on china but it’s also nice to throw away the plate instead afterwards–rather than wash it, and take that hour back!  And I mean think of ALL the washing, ALL the wiping counters down, ALL the drying and ALL the putting items back in the cupboards.

I’m reluctant to run a half empty dishwasher which wastes 37% more water & energy than doing dishes by hand, however spending a half hour to an hour doing dishes, and wearing out my manicure, isn‘t my idea of time well-spent….I was relying upon temporary forms of tableware. And feeling all the while like I was contributing to a dystopian world the entire time.

Because when I use temporary eating ware or drink ware that I know will sit in a landfill unchanged for twenty years I think there has to be workable solutions and bright ideas to help us all be more responsible toward our environment.

The materials used for disposable tableware are made of paper or Styrofoam or plastic tableware. Very few products are natural and compost-able because of the chemical compounds used to form them into their familiar usable shapes. While big companies like Starbuck’s have sourced green compost-able packaging, the individual consumer hasn’t had so many alternatives. I did find compost-able plates at Party City once- but when I went back to buy more, they no longer carried them.

I believe that a new energy future starts as soon as awareness thus, we need to turn more ideas into action at home. Greener technology is available for the home consumer, you just have to look.

In my quest to find greener solutions I found Palm Leaf Plates. Sold and marketed by www.marxfoods.com they are firm enough to not allow juices or liquids to seep through its surface and can be rinsed carefully and dried and not lose their shape, for use again. The plates are made from naturally discarded leaves of the Adaka palm tree, washed, naturally-dried and heat-formed into elegant plate designs.

　

I used the plates at home for a reggae-themed rock party this summer, as serving dishes and eating ware and proceeded to use them for camping trips in July and August.

Theoretically, I saved stacks of plates and cups from being thrown in campfires or trashcans that are not biodegradable. Pleased to find our carbon footprint became much lower as a result, of using the beautiful leaf dishes, my guilt lifted.

The palm leaf plates allowed us to avoid wasting gallons of water, washing dishes in the camper and multiple fill-ups of the trailer’s tank. At $80 for 25 settings, including biodegradable birchwood tableware, I found the palm leaf plates, bowls and serving dishes a real, natural, guilt-freeing complete alternative to business as usual–as pushed on us by manufacturers who would like us to use Styrofoam and plates made with chemicals. And carelessly dispose of the chemical laden stuff in our landfills, after we’ve filled ourselves with food tainted by the same preservative chemicals.

The best part of these is that they look good. The wood grain design and elegant shapes are beautiful and trendy. It‘s nice to not feel guilty and elegant all at the same time.

You can find them here:

http://www.marxfoods.com/Palm-Leaf-Plate-Set-Round?sc=2&category=13215

 

Also, anyone would love these as a Christmas present, wedding present this year. It is a gift that does not contribute negatively to our environment & looks great at the same time!