April Fool’s Day Poll
We had a sneaky little April Fool’s Day poll in the sidebar:
What’s the best birthday gift?
With only seven responses, the joke’s really on us, but here goes:
The winner is “Three six-packs of bottled water delivered to your home each week.” That’s not a winner, but it did receive the most votes — three!
Why wouldn’t you want bottled water for your birthday?
Even if that bottled water really was delivered straight to your door (and you didn’t have to lug the stuff from the store), it still had to travel from the manufacturer. And if you could buy it straight from the manufacturer, that still would not change the fact that millions of barrels of oil are used to produce the plastic bottles. And only around 20% of water bottles are recycled. According to Tappening, bottled water can cost as much as $10 per gallon compared to less than a penny per gallon for tap water. If you don’t have great-tasting tap water, invest in a water filter. Also, reusable water bottles can be more fun than you might imagine.
And free Styrofoam plates came in at two votes. Yuck. That stuff will be around much, much, much, much longer than any of us. It does not biodegrade. Imagine that Styrofoam coffee cup you used at work last week. It will be here in 3015. Many cities are getting 
smart and banning restaurants from using Styrofoam to-go containers. Plant-based alternatives are available. If you really, really need disposable dishes, try EarthShell, available at Wal-Mart. EarthShell plates and bowls are made from renewable veggies and they biodegrade. The best answer though is to never buy any disposable dishes.
Your own private jet came in at one vote. I’d like to think that most people who can afford this are thinking twice. Flying in a private jet leaves a much larger footprint than commercial flights that transport many passengers.
Also coming in at one vote, a lifetime supply of chlorine bleach. Very funny indeed. Making and using chlorine bleach creates toxins like dioxin and other organochlorides. Studies have shown these chemicals cause cancer, birth defects and reproductive disorders. Chlorine bleach is also very bad for people with respiratory disorders. Alternatives to chlorine bleach include oxygen bleach and hydrogen peroxide-based bleach.
I hope someone out there got a laugh out of the April Fool’s Day poll. It made me laugh anyway. Look for a new poll soon.
Cup and joker photos via MorgueFile
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POSTED IN: Consumer Choice, Poll
9 opinions for April Fool’s Day Poll
Kisha
Apr 1, 2008 at 12:03 pm
I saw the poll but didn’t like my choices, lol. Great poll, it was funny. I’m going to have to look into the Earthshell stuff, haven’t seen it or heard of it before today and I love shopping at Walmart.
Jennifer
Apr 1, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Wait that was a joke poll? I’m not getting the jet? :( Sadness.
marye
Apr 1, 2008 at 1:46 pm
o.k..well I added the chocolate truffles.
Homemom3
Apr 1, 2008 at 2:10 pm
I took part, I was one of your bottles. I figure I can at least make dozens of gardens or shake bottles for the kids to pretend to be in a band.
Peggy
Apr 1, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Hello Kisha. Glad you liked the poll. If you go to the EarthShell website, enter your zip. It will tell you where to find the products. They are also available in some grocery stores as well.
Marye — I love the choice you added. That’s what I would want too!
Homemom3, what do you put in the shake bottles? That’s an interesting idea. I guess I haven’t thought of it since I stopped buying bottles. Feel free to e-mail me at peggy.rowland (at) b5media if you want to share the recipe. : )
No Jennifer! You are a bad girl.
Homemom3
Apr 1, 2008 at 3:07 pm
A variety of ideas:
1. suck the air out of a bottle. Scrunch it up before capping it. Kids/babies love that crunchy/crinkle noise.
2. beads, rocks, sand, coins inside an empty water bottle will all make different sounds but kids will love them. Make sure they are securely capped shut, duct tape or something if ya must.
Homemom3
Apr 1, 2008 at 3:09 pm
Another thing if you keep old water bottles and rinse them out really good you can use them on walks, or fill them up with a little milk/juice and bring it for the road. These work great for kids, especially when you don’t want to grab a soda in a drive-thru.
On bottle noise makers- try leaving one empty so they can just use them as drumsticks throughout the house.
DramaMama
Apr 1, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Yeah I thought the choices were a little odd for you ladies! The fact that it was up so long kinda threw me for a loop. I felt like if I didn’t vote, I’d be left out!
Peggy
Apr 3, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Thanks Homemom3. I don’t have kids, but I’m always searching for new cat toys to keep kitty occupied. Putting a mouse in a water bottle would drive my cat insane. I might try that.
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