La Ola, Costa Rica
Inaugurating La Ola
On May 12, 2012 I was honored to be invited together with the Mayor of San Jose, Costa Rica to inaugurate La Ola, a public art installation dedicated to plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on the environment in Central America. The installation stands 9 meters tall, and is comprised entirely of green and white PET bottles. At night, it is lit up by LED lights which make its resemblance with ocean waves even stronger.
Quite the symbol of consumption, La Ola makes us also consider our usage patterns – even though PET bottles can theoretically be recycled, a very small percentage gets captured and processed. The rest gets thrown away.
Here are my remarks to the press and media, in Spanish.
Estimados amigos,
Gracias por darme la oportunidad de compartir este dia ran importante con ustedes. Hoy, estamos aqui para ver los resultados reales de nuestros habitos de consume los resultados devastadores del material que la Tierra no puede digerir – el plastico.
La Ola esta formada por seis mil botellas plasticas. Cada anio, Costa Rica importa cerca de cuarenta y seis mil Olas, lo que equivale a thenta olas a dia. Proyecciones optimistas nos dicen que cerca de veinte Olas podrian ser colectadas y recicladas, quizas menos.
El resto, que son mas de cien olas al dia, se descartan.
Imaginemos esto: cien de estas olas cada dia, es sin duda un tsunami plastic que cubre todo a su paso.
El Reciclaje no se igual a nuestro consume, por lo que simplemente no es suficiente.
Incluso en paises en donde existe la infraestructura para colectar y procesar botellas PET, alcanzan un maximo del treinta por ciento.
A donde se va el resto? No desaparece.
Ustedes lo ven en las playas, rios y las calles de sus comunidades. Las tortugas lo ven, y lo ingieren en el oceano.
Mas del otanta porciento de toda la basura en el oceano es plastic que viene de actividades en tierra: botellas plasticas, pajillas plasticas y plastico desechable.
La contaminacion por plastico es global, esta en el oceano, en el desierto, en el Artico, y en el aire despues de ser incinerado.
Lo podemos encontrar en nuestros cuerpos, como quimicos toxicos que se desprenden de contenedores para bebidas y alimentos.
Solo en los ultimos diez anios, como sociedad hemos producido y usado mas plastic que en TODAS las decadas pasadas.
Se seguimos esta tendencia, para el anio dos mil cincuenta, nuestra produccion de plastic sera de dos trillones de libras al anio
A donde va a ir a parar?
El Plastico es un material que no tiene un plan de fin a su vida util
(1) El plastic no desaparece
Cada pedazo de plastico que se ha hecho existe todavia en el planeta
Incluso cuando es incinerado, sigue existiendo como particulas toxicas en el aire. NO tiene sentido continuar produciendo mas articulos desechables hechos de plastic.
(2) El plastico es toxico. Puede ser conveniente para el cellular, ropa, alfombras y autos, pero cuando se trata de recipients para comida es peligroso para la salud. Uno de los plastificadores mas comunes es el Bisfenol A que es una hormona artificial. Se usa en interiors de latas, recipients, algunas botellas plasticas, botellas portatiles para el agua, biberones para bebes.. Y esta conectado a bajo conteo de esperma, infertilidad, cancer de seno y Autismo.
Cual es la respuesta? Que hacemos?
El cambio siempre comienza por nosotros mismos.
Cambiemos nuestra actitud hacia el plastic.
- Colorido, conveniente, barato, eterno y toxico. Usemolo para estructuras, puentes, pisos, telefonos
- Pero no lo usemos para productos que seran desechados
- No lo usemos para contenedores de alimentos
Cambiemos nuestra actitud hacie lo que consideramos conveniente
- El Cancer no es conveniente. La infertilidad no es conveniente. No juguemos perligrosamente con la salud de nuestros hijos, todos estos problemos que van a aparecer en la siguiente generacion. Unos momentos de conveniencia no valen la pena el riesgo
Encontremos buenas alternativas locales
- Centro America es aun uno de esos pocos lugares en el mundo en el que todavia es pueden encontrar botellas reusables y contenedores de vidrio. Nosotros estamos trabajando muy duro para que regresen a Estados Unidos.. Disfruta de tus bebidas en un bonito y no toxico contenedor de vidrio. Las bebidas embotelladas en plastic son tibias y no saben igual. Y no dejen que las companias cerveceras quieran introducir cervezas en botellas plasticas, Simplemente horrible.
Trabajemos juntos para exigir conductas mas responsables a los productores
- No dejemos que nos digan que es nuestra culpa que las playas esten inundadas de botellas plasticas, exijamos tener la alternative en vidrio
Plastic Pollution Coalition es una alianza global que trabaja para terminar con la contaminacion por plastic.
Juntos estamos lanzando una Campania para elevar la conciencia y el conocimiento del problema de la contaminacion por plastico, y desarrollar alternativas locales.
Plastic Leaches Chemicals?
Yes, it does.
Each time I speak about this problem I realize how much work still needs to be done to raise awareness about the health impacts of plastic pollution.
Plastic pollution is not only in the ocean, in the desert, on riverbeds and beaches. Sadly, plastic pollution affects each and every one of us, in the form of chemicals leaching out of plastic containers, dental sealants, cash register receipts, medical devices – and so much more. Many of chemicals are known synthetic hormones with proven effects on human health.
Since the turn of the century plastic items have entered every aspect of our lives: colorful, cheap and lightweight, there seems to be no end to their practical purpose. The question nobody has asked until now is – are they actually safe? My article in the Green Prophet discusses these issues.
I recently had a discussion with a scientist, who felt very strongly that the goal of the environmental movement should be to make the manufacturers prove the product safety for plastic containers, just as we do for drugs – before the products hit the market. Long term trials for product safety make great sense to me too, but how do you make that happen? We are dealing with an industry that has build a lucrative business model around externalized costs and no responsibility for human health.
Inevitably, the road begins with knowledge – there is no stopping the collective power of educated and well informed people to enact change. We have made the first steps down a long journey.
I made an interesting discovery during my last trip to the Middle East.
They are beginning to realize the problem caused by plastic bags, and are taking action. But the country-wide ban on conventional plastic bags has opened a whole new market for bioplastics. Bioplastics are also very popular in Central America. The industry behind it is doing a great job promoting their “natural” sources, as well as their miraculous end of life properties. There is more myth than reality about bioplastics. That was the theme of my article, published in The Green prophet, on March 8, 2012. Here’s a link to the article.
Plastic Pollution in the UAE
Back in 2009, while opening TEDxGreatPacificGarbagePatch, I said “Plastic pollution is massive, urgent and cannot wait.” Everything I have observed since then has proven this statement,
I just returned from Abu Dhabi and Dubai after a series of meetings on plastic pollution. It never ceases to surprise me how plastic pollution is different, yet the same – wherever we go.
The UAE has banned plastic bags, effective 2013. But plastic bottles and all other disposable plastics remain visible and all around us.
I was glad to visit Ajman’s Municipality and Planning Dept, for a remarkable conversation about
conservation, recycling and bioplastics. Since the plastic bag ban was announced, the bioplastics industry here has received a major boost. Ajman has a special facility to test claims for biodegradability and they are taken very seriously.
I look forward to working with the chemists on testing for BpA and phthalates in the food packaging containers. This will be next. Ajman has a very modern view on electricity conservation maintaining a low carbon footprint. No wonder the emirate has a TEDx event earlier in the year.
I had a great and very productive meeting with Notable Supporter H.H. Abdul Aziz Bin Ali Bin Rashind Al Nuami, aka “The Green Sheikh”, to discuss collaoration in the region. His passion being young people, and inspiring them to action, it was natural to invite him to champion the project. This would be a terrific opportunity for young leaders.
I was delighted to meet with Cameron Oliver, who is working to protect camels from plastic pollution with his anti-littering campaign. Cameron was inspired by the 2009 report, “Fatal Pollution,” which documented the tragic death of camels that ingested plastic bags during their daily desert walks. We support Cameron in his important work and welcome him to the Plastic Free Campuses initiative. We are delighted that he will be our champion in Abu Dhabi.
A word about our hosts, the Plastic Not So Fantastic (PNSF) plastic pollution awareness tour. Starting in May 2012, PNSF will travel over 160,000 kilometers, visiting schools and universities in over 50 countries to share images of plastic pollution collected along the way. Their goal is simple — to connect the global community of concerned students, and to elevate the issue of plastic pollution.
Our work in the UAE has just begun, but I am excited about the progress and the opportunity for real change. I look forward to sharing the knowledge about the real dangers of bioplastics and conventional plastics, and to working together to find real sustainable alternatives.
Looking forward to 2012!
The end of each year is an opportunity to reflect on accomplishments and to plan for the future. I am proud of everything Plastic Pollution Coalition has achieved in 2011. But I am really pleased when I hear the term “plastic pollution.”
Back in 2009 this term was not popular. It has taken two years and lots of persistence and focus to get the term into the mainstream discussion about marine debris.
Some of the greatest projects in 2011 were:
- The launch of Plastic Free Times – a citizen activation portal that deliver news about plastic pollution from around the world.
- Growing the coalition to over 150 institutional members, with a global reach to over 2 million people
- Growing the stellar lineup of Notable Supporters including American actress Bette Midler, Green Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Ali Al Nuaimi, Teamsters General President James Hoffa, Jr. and many other distinguished leaders and public figures.
- The launch of Plastic Pollution Coalition: Central America, following a great trip and a series of press conferences
- The launch of Plastic Pollution Coalition East Coast, USA
- The launch of Plastic Pollution Coalition’s online store
- The launch of Plastic Free Campuses project, with its collegiate debut at the University of California – Santa Barbara
- The launch of Think Beyond Plastic, a PPC initiative to spur innovation and entrepreneurship for solutions
- The launch of the Plastic Pollution Coalition individual membership program, and signed up hundreds of members
- and the hundreds of talks, presentations, art exhibits throughout the year,
In 2012 we will deliver results from our projects, and will continue to build momentum for the cause of plastic pollution around the world.
I am excited about the future, and looking forward to a great tidal wave of behavior change for individuals, businesses and organizations for the common good of our planet: a world without plastic pollution.
Notes from my talk during the Plastic Pollution Tour of Central America, June-July, 2011.
(Click here for the full trip report)
Plastic pollution is quickly emerging as one of the greatest issues facing the planet today. It represents the nexus of environmental justice, eco-system degradation, public health and corporate responsibility.
We now know that 80% of all trash in the ocean is plastic, land-based sources: straws, plastic bags, plastic cups – single-use, disposable plastic. Plastic pollution has become an ocean emergency.
Around the globe, we have discovered plastic pollution in the desert, in the air, on land, in our rivers and dams.
Increasingly, there is plastic pollution in our bodies. EWG reports that newborn babies carry toxic chemicals associated with plastic in their blood streams. The Breast Cancer Fund reports new evidence linking chemicals associated with plastic and breast cancer, liver cancer and other forms of cancer. Click here for the full presentation.
Plastic pollution has become a global menace.
But how did we get to this point?
In the last ten years alone we, as a society, have produced used more plastic that in all the past several decades. If we continue that trend, by the year 2050 our plastic production will be at 2 Trillion Pounds a year. Where will this plastic go?
Plastic is a material that the Earth canot digest.
Every bit of plastic that has ever been created still exists, including the small amount that has been incinerated and has become toxic particulate matter.
Plastic poisons our food chain
In the environment, plastic breaks down into small particles that attract toxic chemicals. These particles are ingested by wildlife on land and in the ocean, contaminating the food chain.
Plastic affects human health
Harmful chemicals leached by plastics are present in the bloodstream and tissues of almost every one of us, including newborns.
Disposable plastics are the main source of plastic pollution
Consumption of disposable plastics—bags, bottles, straws and so forth—has spiraled out of control. These items are used for seconds, hours or days, but their remains last forever.
Plastic recycling is not a sustainable solution
Most of our plastic waste is landfilled, downcycled, incinerated or exported to other countries. Recycling of plastic is costly and does not stem the production of virgin plastic product.
What is the answer?
Our relationship with plastic must change.
A material that is lightweight, cheap and durable but toxic must be used in a smart, respectful way – with a full sense of the implications of this use – to the environment, to us and to the animals.
Our attitudes must change.
Our infatuation with convenience, marketed heavily since the fifties, needs to grow into admiration for the beauty of durable objects, produced with pride; objects that we would love to look at day after day.
The change begins today. It starts with every one of us!
Notes From Guatemala city
Writing this in Guatemala city, as I complete the Plastic Pollution Coalition tour of Central America. It has been an amazing experience. We visited Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Guatemala. In every country we met people who welcomed us into their lives, into their work and their passion, and who were eager to learn from us.
What we brought to them: the understanding that plastic pollution is the nexus of some of the major problems facing the planet today – eco-system degradation, public health, environmental justice and corporate responsibility.
What they brought to us: inspiration. Learning about their lives, how they truly incorporate a philosophy of sustainable living into their work, and every day decisions; and most importantly – the respect for their culture and tradition, interwoven into their work.
I am truly inspired by these meetings, and enriched by these new friendships.
Looking forward to some great partnerships in Central America.
Blue Vision Summit Talk
Exceprts from the talk I gave at the Blue Vision Summit, Washington DC, May 19-21
….In the middle of the 19th century, Victor Hugo said, “There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come!”
The great idea is the realization that plastic pollution represents the cross-section of most major issues facing us today: eco-system degradation, pubic health, environmental justice. And its time has come.
The important question I ask myself is – why now?
We all apply philosophical principles to understand the world around us.
Dialectical materialism teaches that every object – a process, a phenomenon, a thought, a movement, anything – exists as a unity of quality and quantity. One of the laws of dialectical materialism is the transformation of quantity into quality, and vice versa.
Enough quantitative changes in an object, and it simply changes its quality, and becomes something else. Take boiling water for example. Heated water molecules move rapidly, increase in their speed brings the water to boiling point, at which point water begins to evaporate and turns into something else.
What I see is systemic, massive, quantitative changes in how we use resources, how we dispose of them, and how we treat our commons – the ocean being a notable example. When it comes to plastic pollution, we have reached the boiling point. Birds dying by the thousands, in lands as far away from us as possible; leatherback turtles excrete plastic bags; whales die with stomaches full of plastic; children born with chemicals in their blood, breast cancer connected to plastic pollution – everywhere we turn.
The message is loud and clear. Change is already happening. The world today is not the world of our parents, and certainly not the one our children will inherit.
How it will change is up to us.
WE ALL MUST CHANGE
- Our infatuation with plastic needs to grow into a mature marriage based on love, understanding of each other’s shortcomings, and shared responsibilities. A material that is lightweight, cheap and durable but toxic must be used in a smart, respectful way – with a full sense of the implications of this use – to the environment, to us and to the animals.
- Our infatuation with convenience, marketed heavily since the fifties, needs to grow into admiration for the beauty of durable objects, produced with pride; objects that we would love to look at day after day.
- To follow Kenneth Boulding’s paradigm – We must stop living like cowboys and become astronauts. Cowboys lived in sparely populated expanses, gifted with seemingly inexhaustible material resources. Except for the indigenous people, who had the right to the land, everything else was free for the taking, to be used and discarded at will. Let each person compete in search for his or her fortune, their gain will be the gain of the community as well.
Astronauts, on the other hand, have a small crew and precious, and limited resources. Everything must be maintained in balance, nothing must be wasted, all must be recycled. The measure of well-being is not how fast the crew can consume their resources but how effective they are in using the shared resources to maintain their health, and the life-support systems on which they depend. Crew members function as a team. What is thrown away is inaccessible forever.
….The aggregate social network of all members of PPC reaches well over 1 million people now. They come searching for answers – answers that we, together, are able to provide. But we can only do this by working together, depend on each other and take responsibility for our actions: individuals, businesses and organization alike.
Is Plastic-To-Oil Conversion the Answer?
I love technology. I am excited by innovation, and love the ingenuity of creating gadgets to solve problems we never knew we had.
Plastic pollution is rapidly emerging as one of the most critical problems of our day, and so naturally, it inspires entrepreneuriship and the spirit of innovation. Could we simply not innovate our way out of this mess? Everybody wins: plastic manufacturers can continue to produce mountains of plastic; we could continue to buy, use and throw away single-use items; and entrepreneurs will make lots of money from introducing technologies to solve the problem. A win-win scenario all around.
Witness the advent of various new systems that convert plastic into oil. Just in the last six months alone I have seen or heard of at least a dozen such technologies – in the US, in Japan, In Australia, in Europe.
The machines are able to process polyethylene, polystyrene and polypropylene products. The result is a low octane grade gas that can be used for heating, and if refined, could be used to fuel cars. One kilogram of plastic produces approximately one liter of oil. Almost all of these systems have an oil – gas filter that captures the gases created during the process, and filters them. And almost all of them assure us that the resulting residue is non-toxic.
So, I get asked often, shall we be excited about this technology? Can we innovate our way out of this mess?
First, lets remember that this technology only solves the problem of plastic that has been already captured, which is fairly low. Indeed, this plastic will not end in the landfill, or be shipped to China, but – at least in the US – we are still looking at a total of under 10% of all throwaway plastic. What happens to the avalanche of bottles, utensils, plastic bags and other single use items?
Next, we need some real data that the emissions are not toxic.
Then, I really want to know who is going to be paying for these systems – whether at the landfill or at home. Why are we responsible for the cost of disposal of products forced upon us by an irresponsible industry?
There is no easy answer. The only way to stop the deluge of plastic is by honoring the concept of mottainai – treating all animals and objects with great care, making waste socially unacceptable, and loving the lasting beauty of all objects around us. Begin by refusing single use and disposable plastics and reducing your plastic footprint. The change begins with us.
Just returned from 5IMDC in Honolulu, Hawaii, where I had the honor and privilege to speak to the conference attendees on the behalf of the thousands of members of the Plastic Pollution Coalition.
I must thank the United Nations Environment Programme for offering me this opportunity, and commend them on their commitment to have a balanced representation of view points. With that, I still had to point out the obvious issue – that the word “plastic” was notably absent from any title, or most notably, from the conclusion of the conference.
These are the notes from the talk I gave on March 24, 2011
Friends,
welcome to Hogwarts.
These rooms are full of witches and wizards of enormous powers, vision and ability to change the world. Some of the leading experts on ocean health are here this week. Policy-makers, scientists, people gifted with enormous powers to transform our world.
Yet, we all whisper the name, but remain silent – there is the one who Must Not Be Named.
The one is everywhere. In almost ever talk. Around us.
I am daring us all – lets say the name.
PLASTIC POLLUTION.
Friends – we all know that marine debris includes many different components: glass, aluminum cans, organic matter - but predominantly, increasingly, it includes plastic.
In the last ten years alone we have used more plastic that in the past several decades.
If we continue that trend, by the year 2030 our plastic consumption will be at 2 Trillion Pounds a year.
If we are choking now, what do you think will happen then?
It is only honest to admit that marine debris has a major component coming from plastic – indeed any ocean cleanup report will tell you that.
We need a change. And the change begins with us.
A perfect example is this conference.
We had dishes and platters of food, carefully wrapped with plastic. Each room in the hotel has little soaps, wrapped in plastic; single-use plastic toiletries and cream and sugar packets wrapped in plastic.
How many of us recycled them? How may did not use them because they are wrapped in plastic?
Not many hands went up.
Is it because we are not good people?
This is a microcosm of the real issue.
A packaging material that does not have a lifecycle plan; Good people with good intentions with no other option but to use the products; Policy-makers who are not involved in solving this problem.
The change begins with us.
And therefore, we – Plastic Pollution Coalition – today, make the following commitments:
1. We will continue with the campaign that inspires individuals, to REFUSE single use or disposable plastic objects. Reduce your overall plastic footprint.
2. We will continue to encourage scientists to use the power of their imagination and their knowledge to help us with new product design and with new materials; with better knowledge about ocean health, and public health and how plastic pollution affects us all
3. We will continue to urge manufacturers to own the entire lifecycle of our products. We do not want to pay for the removal of your mess.
4. And we say to policy-makers and legislators – you are in this with us. Help us with policies that encourage manufacturers, but also demand responsibility from them; and policies that allow us to decide the destiny of our communities – and not leave it to corporations thousands of miles away.
Our capacity to transform our world lies not only in the materials we choose to use, but in our ability to find alternatives; in our power to build communities that work together towards a better future – where our babies are born without chemicals running through their veins; where our food, water, drink – and our bodies – are free of chemicals; a future free of plastic pollution.
