BeyondPlastics provides a Plastic-Free Back To School Guide and a variety of other resources, including guides for eliminating single-use plastics in cafés and restaurants and by dry cleaners. For more information, see the BeyondPlastics site — and our own resources on Climate Action Planning and Implementing Bethlehem’s Climate Action Plan, both of which include information … [Read more...] about Beyond Plastics / Back-to-school Guide
plastic
‘Do You Ever Feel Like a Plastic Bag, Drifting through the Wind?’
Lilyanna Nowak The title is a lyric sung by Katy Perry, originally related to the emotion of worthlessness, but can be also taken as a call for change, as the sight of a plastic bag in the wind is a commonality. It has become routine that when we go to the grocery store to just accept that there will be plastic bags to serve us. We place our fresh vegetables in plastic bags … [Read more...] about ‘Do You Ever Feel Like a Plastic Bag, Drifting through the Wind?’
When the Water Is Low
by Tara Zrinski Tara Zrinski resides with her family in Hanover Township, Northampton County, and serves on the County Council. She has taught Philosophy at both Northampton and Lehigh-Carbon Community Colleges and is an energy consultant for Trinity Solar. She has been an advocate for clean … [Read more...] about When the Water Is Low
Connecting the Dots (1)
The shutdown of many businesses and activities during the coronavirus lockdown resulted in a significant reduction in fossil-fuel use, and the low oil prices make it cheaper to make plastic from fossil fuels instead of recycling plastic. And this leads to lower demand and lower prices for recyclables — in many cases, they now go straight from your recycling bin to the … [Read more...] about Connecting the Dots (1)
Banning Styrofoam in the Lehigh Valley
Over the past few years, several cities have banned the use of styrofoam products. Last year, DART Industries claimed recycling was achievable and safe, and the ban was postponded in New York City. On February 29, 2016, Eric Goldstein wrote a blog post about a call to move forward with the ban. You can read the blog post here. Although cities around the U.S. are making … [Read more...] about Banning Styrofoam in the Lehigh Valley
Peter Crownfield: ‘Styrofoam Containers & Plastic Bags’
People in the U.S. and around the world use billions of plastic containers, utensils, & bags every year. Do we really need these 'conveniences'? The processes of manufacturing styrene & styrene foam releases thousands of tons of ozone into the atmosphere and a variety of other pollutants that cause cancer and other health effects in those who work in or live anywhere … [Read more...] about Peter Crownfield: ‘Styrofoam Containers & Plastic Bags’
BPA and Emotional Problems in Young Girls
by Julia Ward Recently, there have been links between bisphenol A ('BPA') and emotional and behavioral problems in young girls. BPA is used to make plastic containers and the liner in canned foods. It is also found in dental sealants and some cash register receipts made from thermal paper (so be careful what you touch!). The study was conducted by Harvard School of Public … [Read more...] about BPA and Emotional Problems in Young Girls