I made a very environmentally-unfriendly purchase recently and thought I'd share my experience since there may be a few of you out there with the same mindset.

So the other evening I had to drag my butt to the grocery store to pick-up a few things for some upcoming Christmas events when my kid spotted a big display in the seasonal section with huge stacks of miscellaneous SpongeBob Squarepants merchandise (probably old overstock items from Toys 'R Us from Christmas 2003).  What really caught his attention was a "SpongeBob Squarepants Cocoa Mug Gift Set" which came with two ceramic mugs, two packs of hot chocolate mix and a packet of marshmallows.

Overpackaged? Check.  Probably made in China? Probably.  Dirt cheap and able to keep my kid amused so I could finish my grocery shopping?  Bingo!  So I bought the gift set despite the fact it didn't have a single redeeming environmental trait.

When I got home my kid was really excited and wanted to have a "SpongeBob Chocolate".  After removing the plastic wrap, the bulky plastic mold inside, and ripping the glue off the mugs and food packets we were ready to rock... almost.

See, for every article I've posted to Ecollo I've probably read thirty.  Lead paint, date-rape drugs in toys, China, tainted baby formula... it gets to you.  So before I put the kettle on I checked the mugs: "Made in China".  Well, betting that SpongeBob's ugly grinning face isn't plastered on there with lead paint, I washed the mugs.  Chances are the mugs are just fine.  But then I checked the marshmallows and hot chocolate mix: "Made in China". 

I had to pause a moment, "Am I overreacting?  Am I being overcautious?  Someone, somewhere must've tested this for safety, right?"  I re-read the label and took a moment to think about it.  As a rational adult I know there's a 99.99% chance the powdered hot chocolate mix was perfectly safe.  As a parent who cares about the safety and well being of his child and as someone who has been bombarded with anti-China media for the past few months, that 0.01% still seemed like too great a risk.

So did I give my son the Chinese chocolate, or did I discard the packets and make him a homemade hot cocoa?  I won't tell you, you can guess for yourself.  The important part of this little story is at least I looked and the label and took a moment to think about it.  We can't trust licensed cartoon mascots, brand names, or fancy packaging.  We have to read the fine print, stay informed, and make the best decisions we can.

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