The 47th Ward Green Council welcomed a group of ward residents who formed the group OPA: Organizing for Plastics Alternatives to their meeting on March 10th at Sulzer library. The problems associated with plastics are serious and are accelerating.
During the meeting, there was a screening of the abridged version of “A Plastic Ocean” (https://aplasticocean.movie/) which chronicles the devastating impact our throw-away, single-use plastic culture is having on the circulatory system of our planet.
The first of two researchers from Loyola University Chicago, a graduate student in Timothy Hoellein’s lab presented her research about the origin of trash that ends up in the North Branch of the Chicago River. The other, Dr. Sasha Adkins, discussed the occupational health dangers of the plastics industry and the greenwashing from things like recycled plastic roads but really extremely harmful because of their contribution to microplastic pollution.
Some of the good news:
- The City of Chicago passed legislation to ban Styrofoam and some single use plastic; a move heavily promoted by the OPA and supported by Ald. Matt Martin
- Legislation was recently presented at the federal level; the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act was introduced on February 11, 2020.
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Some of the bad news:
- The problem is getting worse at a rapid pace
- Microplastics are bioaccumulating in our food chain and carry anthropogenic toxins that are now found in breast milk
- Plastics, which are being produced at record and increasing rates, can be found at the deepest reaches of the Earth’s oceans
- Industry leaders responsible for the production of single-use plastics are not being held accountable
What do we need to do as a community in the great city of Chicago:
- Reduce your consumption of single use plastics
- At the meeting, a member of the OPA brought a list of products that are plastic free and can replace all plastic toiletries and detergents
- Help eliminate waste from our waterways by picking up litter in our communities and volunteering for an event hosted by Friends of the Chicago River, Alliance for the Great Lakes, and others.
- Write to legislators at every level.
The meeting was very encouraging, but I came out of it thinking that we are focusing too much on relying on legislation to get out of this mess. Although this may seem like the best way to hold the producers of single-use plastics accountable for their resulting health and environmental impact, we should not ignore the impact that public pressure can have on the producers of single-use plastics and the corporations at every step of the supply chain. How about writing letters to the leadership of Whole Foods next meeting? Plastic wrapped individual cucumbers and eggplant…really?
