Apparently more snow and ugly weather is on the way and surely the news media is making hay. We'll survive.
I've been hearing commercials for Portuguese cork on public radio these days. Haven't you? So, wasn't it that we were supposed to be very concerned about the fate of a diminished cork oak forest? Now all I am hearing is sustainable harvest, greenhouse gas absorbing, living tree harvesting cork, cork, cork. And now with all the polyurethane corks, shouldn't we wonder about peak oil? What? Oil an endangered resource? Eh? Will those plastic corks give way to the corky corks? I don't like the idea of plastic corks, but they never split from poor storage.
I had some other thought, but alas, I cannot recall. Better wait till next month.
Yep, I've been thinking about the corks! I like screw tops, because the wine stays happy. But now I'm thinking about what goes into making a screw top and synthetic corks. Should we sacrifice some wine, for the cork oaks and the natural product vs manufacture?
ReplyDeleteScrew top revolutionary!
ReplyDeleteWhat does go into these corks? The screw top is metal (sometimes) and/or plastic. What goes into a cork cork? How bad is it for the tree? Do these trees grow on plantations or are they wild harvested? Does the bark grow back, like some kind of bark pollarding?
Is cork compostable? Reusable?
I smell a cork story. Have you noticed that your thumbnail creates the illusion that you are holding a bug-eyed white kitten? At least from where I sit.
Jaaaaaaaaaaaaajajajajaja. I just saw the bug eyed white kitten. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteI think - think - that the cork is peeled away, leaving the tree alive. Renewable corks. And that old time cork harvesters are twiddling their thumbs now that cork is not in such high demand.
Uses for old corks. Good for starting fires. Floating cushions stuffed with corks? Shredded cork as...compost?
I wonder what the cork might do in terms of nitrogen demand in compost. I've been throwing them in the compost, unshredded though, I'm not doing serious cposting.
ReplyDeleteFloating cushions, there's an idea.
Firestarter, I'll remember that for this year's camping.