Plastic pollution is one of our greatest environmental threats. This PBS NewsHour special is a must-watch for all concerned.
activist360 comes across articles and commentaries on plastic and the harm that it is doing to us and our planet on a daily basis. We are increasingly alarmed and concerned. We encourage our visitors to learn all they can and encourage others to do the same.
By 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans. It’s an environmental crisis that’s been in the making for nearly 70 years. Plastic pollution is now considered one of the largest environmental threats facing humans and animals globally.
In “The Plastic Problem: PBS NewsHour Presents”, Amna Nawaz and her PBS NewsHour colleagues look at this now ubiquitous material and how it’s impacting the world, why it’s become so prevalent, what’s being done to mitigate its use, and what potential alternatives or solutions are out there. This hour-long program travels from Boston to Seattle, Costa Rica to Easter Island to bring the global scale of the problem to light.
How are American supermarket chains doing in regard to cutting back on single-use plastics? –B. Weston, Jacksonville, FL
Not very well, if you ask Greenpeace. The activist group compares 20 U.S. grocery chains by their commitments and actions to reduce single-use plastics in its recently released “Shopping for Plastic 2019” report. Each and every chain—even those you would think are leading the charge on reducing plastic—gets a failing score.
Illinois-based ALDI, with 1,900 stores in 36 states, ranks highest on Greenpeace’s list, thanks to its efforts to set a specific plastic reduction target and establish a more comprehensive plastic reduction plan than any of its competitors. That said, ALDI sells mostly its own in-house versions of products so the company has more control over its entire supply chain than conventional grocery retailers that draw from thousands of different producers. But beyond the product line and its packaging, ALDI has also been more transparent on its plastic practices and Greenpeace gives bonus points for the company’s commitment to implement reuse and refill systems across the entire chain.
Does that corn really have to be wrapped in so much plastic? Credit: Anna Gregory, FlickrCC.
That’s about as nice as Greenpeace gets in the report. While second-place finisher Kroger Co. gets kudos for being the only U.S. retailer of its size to phase out single-use plastic checkout bags (by 2025) and for setting plastics recycling goals for its own branded products, Greenpeace chastises the grocery behemoth with more than 2,400 stores in 31 states for not already taking much bolder steps to scale way back on single-use plastic: “These goals might have been totally rad in the 1990s, but given its size and the scale of the plastic pollution crisis in 2019, Kroger must do far more to reduce its plastic footprint.”
Greenpeace didn’t have much nice to say about third-place finisher Albertsons, either, and is incensed that the company participates in Hefty’s EnergyBag Program whereby non-recyclable plastics are incinerated or turned back into fossil fuels. “Plastic incineration in any form threatens human health and the climate,” says Greenpeace. “Albertsons must immediately stop participating in this program.”
Whole Foods’ 11th place finish on the list begs the question of how the chain known for its green and healthy food selection could be so bad on plastics. Greenpeace says the chain has largely focused on recycling initiatives and using more lightweight plastics but needs to “up its game to reduce and ultimately end its reliance on single-use plastics.” Whole Foods’ past groundbreaking efforts in plastics reduction—it was the first large nationwide U.S. retailer to ban single-use checkout bags as well as plastic straws and then microbeads—aren’t lost on Greenpeace. But given the scale of the plastic pollution crisis, Greenpeace says Whole Foods “needs to do much more.”
While Greenpeace is working hard to pressure these corporations to go above and beyond minimal efforts to reduce single-use plastics, it’s up to individual consumers to really drive the point home by bringing their own reusable shopping bags to the grocery store, staying away from products swaddled in unnecessary amounts of throwaway plastic, and complaining to store managers about all the plastic wrap everywhere.
CONTACTS: Greenpeace’s “Shopping For Plastic 2019”; “Say NO To Dow’s Dirty EnergyBag.
Is it true that lawn chemicals can cause canine cancer, and if so, how can I protect my dog? –Bill W., Ithaca, NY
Unfortunately,
the answer may very well be yes. A 2012 study published in the peer-reviewed
scientific journal, Environmental Research, found that exposure to
certain lawn care products, such as the nearly ubiquitous herbicide
2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2 4-D for short), increases dogs’ chances of developing
Canine Malignant Lymphoma (CML) by 70 percent. When ingested repeatedly, 2 4-D
acts as an endocrine disruptor, mutating a dog’s white blood cell count
allowing malignant tumor cells to replicate unchecked. While obviously
worrisome for dogs and those of us who love them, the implications for people
aren’t good either, given the similarities between the onset of CML in canines
and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in humans.
Maybe you shouldn’t let your dog run free at the park — or in your neighbor’s yard — if carcinogenic chemicals are used on the lawn. Credit: Brett Sayles, Pexels.
A 2013
study in another peer-reviewed journal, Science of the Total Environment,
found that “exposure to herbicide-treated lawns has been associated with
significantly higher bladder cancer risk in dogs.” Certain breeds of dogs
(terriers, beagles, sheep dogs) are at greater risk, but needless to say lots
of 2 4-D or other synthetic lawn chemicals like glyphosate (the active
ingredient in RoundUp) aren’t good for dogs of any stripe. “A strong
justification for the work was that dogs may serve as sentinels for potentially
harmful environmental exposures in humans,” report the researchers behind the
bladder cancer study.
What
can you do to help prevent more dogs (and humans) from getting sick? For
starters, avoid using lawn care chemicals around your home. And if you hire or
manage someone else to take care of your yard, make sure they are not using 2
4-D, glyphosate or any other potentially hazardous pesticides, herbicides or
fertilizers. Getting rid of your lawn altogether and replacing it with
regionally adapted native plants that don’t need fertilizers or pesticides to
thrive is another way to protect dogs from chemicals while saving yourself the
trouble of having to mow the lawn.
If you
can’t live without a grassy green lawn and can’t bear to just let it go wild,
opt for all-natural, organic inputs. For instance, organic compost distributed
across your lawn with a shovel in a thin layer can do just as well or better at
nourishing your grass as chemical fertilizers. For weed control (beyond
good-old hand-pulling), a great all-natural alternative to RoundUp is BurnOut,
which uses the power of food-grade vinegar and clove oil instead of glyphosate
to eradicate unwanted plants.
As for
protecting your dog while out on a walk, steer clear of private lawns, even if
you have to leash Fido to keep him out of neighbors’ yards. And the days of
letting your dog run free in parks where your municipality may use questionable
landscaping chemicals are over now that we know the potential consequences.
Fortunately, many enlightened cities and towns have taken steps to rid their
publicly accessible lands of such hazardous treatments. But you won’t know
unless you ask, so contact your local parks department to find out exactly what
they’re spraying. And if you don’t like the answer, rally other dog owners to
help get it changed, for dogs’ sake.
