09 July 2010

Loud Chips Bag

I was sitting at an office going-away party/potluck when someone started making the loudest racket at the other end of the table. It was a bag of chips and it was annoying. But, I was busy stuffing my face and didn't let the noise bother me.

Fast forward a few days and the bag of sun-chips is still on the break table. Needing a quick snack (now that I'm back to work and not home eating ALL day), I decide to dig into the bag. It's horribly loud and annoying. Sounds like an alarm going off. Seriously, like someone is going to run in the break room and get me... like I'm a kid with my hand caught in the cookie jar. I grab a few chips and head back to my desk thinking to myself that it's the last time I'll set off that snack alarm!

Fast forward a few more days. I walk into the office and my co-worker has cut the bag in two and is cleaning out the crumbs. Now, he's at least a little smarter than me because he removed half of the noise. As he got up from his desk, he commented on this super loud bag. What I learned has amazed me ALL day so I wanted to share it with you.

First off, the bag is nicely labeled to do all the talking, and not just because it's loud as it rustles around. Sun-chips has nicely marketed their new product all over the bag, I just didn't pay any attention. Most of what I learned I gathered right off the bag:

- This bag is louder because it is compostable.
- Its the worlds first 100% compostable chip package
- It's made from more than 90% renewable, plant-based materials and it breaks down completely into compost in a hot, active compost pile.

It even shows pictures of the bag at weeks 3, 9, and 13.

This is very intriguing to me. Since I compost at home (I'll admit I don't do the best job because it's not my priority), I decide to take the bag home and try it. But before doing so, I wanted to see what I could find online about the new-to-me idea.

Here's the link to sunchips site that talks about the compostable packaging. You can click on that link to read about their process in creating the bag, ideas on composting, and it even has a link to their Modesto plant (an hour from where I was raised) where they're using solar power in production. Now I don't want to come off as some tree hugger. I'm certainly not that. However I am aware of the benefits of using things like compost to grow a better garden (or weeds in my case), throw away less to the garbage (so my hubby doesn't have to carry so many bags to town) and things like that. I've seen the benefits of teaching hungry, starving people how to garden and compost to sustain themselves. What a gift that can be. I cringe when I thow away stuff in the trash that I know won't break down over time (which is why I have bags full of those stinkin' capri sun pouches in my basement that I'm going to do something crafty with).

So there you have it. I thought it was pretty cool. And from now on, I might buy more sunchips and I might also pay more attention to the packaging.

Happy weekend friends. Love your green, but not overly green, friend.

3 comments:

Wedehase Family Blog said...

I've also been very annoyed by the same packaging! Cool concept, but so stinking loud!! No chance of sneaking a midnight snack with SunChips anymore!!

Anonymous said...

I have a friend who actually wrote the company, asking if there was a way to 'quiet' the bag. They told her no and that they like to think she eats the chips and the earth eats the bag. :)

Anonymous said...

I just picked up a book called Sewing Green that has an idea for making car-sun-shades out of those Capri-Sun bags...

Nikki