Patrick Pierazzoli: Unfuck the world
The good news is that around 3.5 billion toothbrushes are sold worldwide every year – and the trend is rising. The bad news is that every one of them ends up in the bin at some point. Most of it ends up in landfills, and since polypropylene and nylon do not decompose, there is a good chance that the plastic will make its way through groundwater, streams and rivers and into the sea. He has enough time. Once in the sea, it joins the at least eight million tons of plastic that end up in the ocean every year. And the one from last year and the one from the year before last – and so on. According to the United Nations Environment Program, there are currently 18,000 pieces of plastic of various sizes floating on 1m² of ocean surface, most of them invisible to us. There are now more microplastics in the ocean than stars in the Milky Way. High time to do something about it. You would think. But the big manufacturers see too little demand for alternatives, and so it is once again up to the small, innovative companies to make the world a little better. Like Bambudent, a start-up from Passau that produces the best bamboo toothbrushes. Bristles made from bamboo viscose, handle made from pure bamboo, free from varnishes, oils or paints and 100% recyclable – that’s my toothbrush. www.bambudent.d
Marina Warth: Minimal
15 kilograms. That’s how much a toddler weighs – or my rucksack. I was away for a few weeks in the sun when you were here fraternizing with St. Nicholas and stuffing your face with cookies. 15 kilos is not a lot, it barely fits in a 55-liter backpack. I ranted and raved until I had everything I needed before I left. The biggest construction site? The toiletry bag. Well, I unpacked my shampoo, conditioner, body wash and face wash and replaced them with one of the Wash Bars from Stop The Water While Using Me. That saved me extra stuffing – and at least one nervous breakdown. Less packaging, fewer ingredients, but all the more space in your luggage and a few karma points. After all, the German natural cosmetics label does not use water, reduces its packaging and now also uses tea wax, a waste product from tea production, for its wash bars. All good, but it doesn’t legitimize the 25-hour flight. Damn it. Stop The Water While Using Me, “All Natural Face & Body Wash Bar”, 105 g, approx. 15.-
Marco Rüegg: Tea for Tangier
Check! Tangier has been on my bucket list ever since the vampire lady Eve (Tilda Swinton) floated through its nocturnal medina in “Only Lovers Left Alive” (Filmcoopi). Recently I was able to check off the point, including a date in the bar where Eve meets her mentor. In Jim Jarmusch’s bloodsucker romance it is called “Mille et une nuits”, in reality Café Baba. Clouds of hash obscure the view of the harbor, the toilet is a hole in the ground, the service is a runaway, the selection consists of little more than hypersweet mint tea. Nevertheless, Westerners pant up the blue steps to marvel at the photos of the celebrities who have stayed here since 1952: Keith Richards, Kofi Annan, Patti Smith… None depends on Eve. But the DVD runs in an endless loop for me.
