The Freebird Times - Issue 1

19
Living & Lifestyle
Time to Become 'Virtuous' About Your
Toothbrush
Dylan's Eco Tip
I really worry about the over use
of clingfilm. It is a very high use
item in most households and as it
usually ends up with food
particles on the surface, this
contaminates the whole recycling
bin. One alternative is to use
waxed cloths to cover food or
wrap your sandwiches in. Cloths
can be made to any size, washed
and reused. You can also make
them look good by choosing
fabrics (100% cotton) with a nice
pattern. It is possible to buy them
online or you can make them
yourself.
To make your own cloths see
less-stuff.co.uk for instructions.
Dylan Regan, inventor of VirtueBrush.
Dublin-based Dylan Regan first
had the idea for the VirtueBrush
when he was running a blog called
greenliving.ie. ?I was thinking
about items in people?s homes
with ?green? potential and the
plastic toothbrush kept jumping to
the forefront of my mind,? he says.
?Most plastic toothbrush handles
can?t be recycled and this is very
troubling considering how many
millions are discarded each month.
Plastic toothbrushes ultimately
end up in landfill and clogging our
seas and waterways damaging
delicate aquatic ecosystems.?
Regan began looking into
alternatives to plastic handled
toothbrushes and quickly
discovered that toothbrushes
made with Moso bamboo were
popular in countries like Australia.
?I realised there must be a gap in
the market in Ireland and many
other countries for them and I set
up my company, VirtueBrush, to
introduce them to Irish
consumers,? he says.
?Moso bamboo has been
recognised as a ?plant of virtue?for
millennia. It?s a type of grass with
naturally antibacterial qualities
that grows up to three feet per
day and re-grows very quickly
after harvesting. It dries out
quickly and has a tensile strength
that rivals steel. I did a lot of
research and eventually tracked
down a 200- year old company in
China that grows its own bamboo.
They are now manufacturing the
VirtueBrush for me. I chose this
name as I believe customers
appreciate that sustainability is a
virtue. "Unlike plastic which is a
danger to our food chain, bamboo
is an environmentally strategic
material for the twenty first
century with over 1000
documented uses,? Regan adds.
?We have also started an initiative
with Trees for the Future (who
work around the Equator) to plant
three trees for every brush we
sell. We feel this is a positive visual
representation of the good that
people do when they refuse
plastic and go with biodegradable
and sustainable options instead.?
To know more, visit our website
http://www.virtuebrush.com/.