Week 7: Plastics

Listening to Dr. Gimzewski on plastic pollution was not a shock, but I was not aware of the specificity of the variety plastic pollutants, more specifically microplastics. This was the same case listening to all the videos about plastic production and subsequent pollution. I became more aware of how plastic has permeated our lives and has become an essential part of our lives. The two important points that Dr. Gimzewski discussed were the microplastics and gyres that have formed. I think recycling has become a marketing ploy for many companies. I think microplastics will be more challenging to discuss with the general public, but based on the lecture, their effects are drastically more disastrous. Mainly because they are so small, they can cycle through our water systems and end up back in the water. The results of microplastics are unknown; however, microplastics come in various sizes and can affect biological processes. I found this info graphic that summarizes the variety of microplastics. 

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Something that stuck out to me when reading about microplastics and their effects on marine life is this quote in a nature article by Xiao Lim. "Perhaps the simplest mode of harm — when it comes to marine organisms, at least — might be that organisms swallow plastic specks of no nutritional value and don't eat enough food to survive" ( Lim 2021). I think it is important to consider the effects of plastic. Still, thinking about the most basic functionalities of life, I think it is also an impactful and important effect on the plastic population and microplastics. 

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Gaining awareness is a challenging problem because, in many ways, becoming environmentally conscious has become a trend. It can impede the progression of understanding and discourse in the general public if everyone is just following the trend. For example, environmentally friendly products have been shown to earn the consumer's trust and bring a sense of help to the environment purchasing products ( Smith 2012). While this brings in a superficial discourse, I think talking more; generally, there is more to be done. The work done by Boyan Slat is fascinating. He attempts to collect plastic pollution in the ocean and reprocess the plastic into sustainable items. While it is impressive that he has gotten so much backing, I think the problem with this plan. Similar to the critique done by Martini et al. l; in 2014, his project is a large-scale project that will not be able to match the scale of the pollutants in the ocean; this implies high costs and long times. From what I observed, the reprocessing was also concerning as chemicals are released through the heating process, and more energy must go into reprocessing.

Ideally, my solution would require a global effort first to regulate current plastic manufacturing processes, severely halting the production of plastic. I think possibly switching to more reusable materials such as aluminum or glass. While it still causes significant problems, it is known to have a well-known process of reusing rather than plastic that will degrade over time. While the aluminum process is challenging and emits odors, if we can reuse it may be an alternative (SCA 2022). I found this video explaining the pros and cons of switching or supplementing plastic production with aluminum. The next step would be for companies to invest in research to find and then utilize sustainable options to reuse packaging materials. This would benefit both the consumer and the companies as they do not have to spend much money on shipping and packing costs. I do not think it is possible to eliminate plastic use, but it would be essential to eliminate all unnecessary plastic packaging. 

Is aluminum better than plastic? It’s complicated.

Also, as Dr. Gimzewski stated, artists' work on plastics would be a great and effective way of communicating the current problem and its severity. I found this sculpture "Wave of waste" by Parley for the Oceans quite intriguing. It is crucial to create work that is amenable to kids, older adults, and the doubtful. I think expressions in various forms are essential; for example, the video posted this week by Sheldrake, although intriguing, may also be interpreted as a fanatic who is really into mushrooms. I personally think the legibility of work is essential to convey this severity as art is often open to interpretation; the message may not be conveyed in the way it is intended. 

 

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Work cited

  1. Lim, XiaoZhi. "Microplastics are everywhere—but are they harmful?." (2021): 22-25.
  2. Smith, Katherine Taken, and Tracy R. Brower. "Longitudinal study of green marketing strategies that influence Millennials." Journal of Strategic Marketing 20.6 (2012): 535-551.
  3. ​​“The Environmental Impact of Aluminum (and Why It's Still Better than Plastic).” The Student Conservation Association, 6 Nov. 2019, https://www.thesca.org/connect/blog/environmental-impact-aluminum.
  4. Green, Kelly. “Making Art with Plastic Waste: Eco-Age.” Eco, 3 Feb. 2021, https://eco-age.com/resources/making-art-plastic-waste/.
  5. Martini, Dr., et al. “The Ocean Cleanup, Part 2: Technical Review of the Feasibility Study: Deep Sea News.” Deep Sea News | All the News on the Earth's Largest Environment14 July 2014, https://www.deepseanews.com/2014/07/the-ocean-cleanup-part-2-technical-review-of-the-feasibility-study/.
  6. Sheldrake, Merlin. “Merlin Sheldrake Eats Mushrooms Sprouting from His Book, Entangled Life.” YouTube, YouTube, 23 June 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJfDaIVl-tE.