What if you could make a difference in the world simply by choosing better dishes? What if you could easily take away a toxic chemical that you and your family could be exposed to at every mealtime? Wouldn't you make that choice?
I'm Dylan Kendall and I'm proud to introduce my new bamboo dishes - nothing toxic, nothing bad for the planet - only plants and veggies in my new plates!
About a year ago I began working with bamboo. After traveling through the Far East and seeing bamboo used in place of our metal construction scaffolding I realized how strong bamboo was and began to explore what else could be done with bamboo grass.
(courtesy of bamboo chutes blog)
Why was I so intrigued by bamboo? Bamboo could be the most important natural resource we have on the planet. Bamboo is a type of grass meaning when you cut it down, it grows back very quickly, unlike trees which can take decades, if not centuries, to grow. Tree deforestation is one of our planets gravest challenges - affecting both, air and weather. Also bamboo requires very little water and because the plant is naturally pest-resistant, it requires no pesticides which protects both the earth, its soil and rivers, and the people who harvest the plant.
After harvesting bamboo there are a lot of ways to work with the plant from food products to textiles. I started working with pressed bamboo - the process of crushing the stalk into a powder and then "glueing" it into a shape. Since my experiences were already in making fun things, I looked at how I could use pressed bamboo to make things for home and I began to design dishes for casual gatherings and kids. Along the way, I learned something that cemented my decision to using bamboo for serving food. The number one material in the casual dining and kids dishware market is melamine and melamine is toxic.
How do we not know that? We did. Melamine has fallen in and out of favor. Powdered melamine lead to the deaths of untold numbers of cats and dogs in the US when it was added to pet food in 2008 and lead to thousands of sick babies in China a year earlier when it was found in powdered milk. The FDA approves "food-grade" melamine as long as you don't expose it to certain triggers which can cause the melamine to leach into the food you are eating and then be consumed by you. According to the FDA, food-grade melamine is acceptable as long as you don't heat up any food on melamine dishes or use melamine dishes to serve anything acidic (stop pouring that orange juice into your kids melamine cup right now.) A few years ago, JAMA released a study which stated they found that actually any hot foods served on melamine could cause melamine to leach - ugh, how many times have I poured hot water from the kettle into a melamine bowl for oatmeal?
Melamine in combination with cyanauric acid - a by-product of melamine production - is not metabolized by the body. This means the cyanauric acid can't pass through the kidneys. Instead it forms crystals in the kidneys which can lead to kidney stones or, in situations with extreme exposure, kidney or renal failure. Yikes. How many chemicals have we been exposed to that are "ok" only to be told a decade later by the World Health Organization that "oops, please limit exposure, that could kill you"?
And if health reasons aren't enough to scare you, our plastic oceans should. Melamine dishes are made from melamine resin, a chemical compound bound to make a thermoset non-recyclable plastic. Melamine will last forever and that's a scary thought. Melamine eventually breaks into smaller plastics - microplastics - which then become bite-sized for birds, seal life and marine animals. More plastic in the ocean? Please no.
That's the problem and we now have a solution. What if you can make a difference in the world just by changing your dishes? You can.
I'm proud to introduce the first entirely eco-friendly bamboo dishes for casual dining and kids. I use no chemicals in these plates. Only plants.
Are they durable? You betcha. How many times has a child, cat or dog caused a plate to go flying across the kitchen? Fly away, these plates can handle it.
Are they dishwasher safe? Absolutely - we know how busy you are. These plates have passed a 40 cycle dishwasher test with flying colors!
Are they fun? What? Fun? Does that matter? We believe it does. We all want to protect the health of the people we love and the health of the planet but we also want the objects we live use to makes us happy, something our kids will want to use. These dishes come kid-approved!
For the past year I've worked on making a product that you could feel good about and that kids and kids-at-heart would love!
These dishes just need a final little help from you to bring them to market. We want to show big business that we don't need their chemicals! We don't need their pollution! Can choosing better dishes really make a difference. Yes it can. For you, your family and our planet.
1. The Dishes!
Bring home one set, bring them all home! Use them for your kids but don't be surprised if our bamboo bowl becomes your favorite go-to bowl too!
2. Out Kickstarter-Exclusive Placemat!
Introducing our new placemats - the only way to make messy tables fun! Our placemats, like our dishes, our eco-friendly and completely non-toxic. Our placemats are made entirely from recycled plastics! We turned waste into something grand! Measures 16.5" x 11.5"
3. The Kickstarter Exclusive Dylan Kendall Guide to Happy Homes!
By supporting this campaign your telling big business that you are tired of chemicals in your dishes and plastic in your ocean. To thank you, every supporter will receive my Happy Homes Make Happy People® e-book filled with useful tips to make your home a happy, healthier place!
4. Limited Edition Prints of Martin Leon Baretto's animals!
Artist Martin Leon Baretto brings our dishes to life. We believe that protecting our families and the planet doesn't mean sacrificing good design and fun!
We are excited to offer a small number of limited edition prints on high-quality paper of all four animals. These animals will brighten any little person's room! Prints are 11" x 11".
5. Hang out with me!
Questions/comments/good jokes? Let's hang out! If you're far away we'll have to meet over Skype but if you're local to Los Angeles I'd love to get coffee!