{"id":11983,"date":"2019-02-27t06:19:28","date_gmt":"2019-02-27t06:19:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dpetrov.2create.studio\/planet\/wordpress\/coming-full-circle-to-combat-climate-change\/"},"modified":"2023-02-28t18:36:18","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28t18:36:18","slug":"climate-crisis-circular","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/climate-crisis-circular\/","title":{"rendered":"coming full circle to combat climate change"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cpeople don\u2019t often link plastic pollution right to climate change,\u201d said lauren moore of upstream<\/a>, an organization that advocates for a circular economy. but she emphasized that plastic products do not materialize effortlessly, just as they do not disappear when thrown away.<\/p>\n

\u201cplastic creates pollution right from when it\u2019s made, and then continues<\/a> to create pollution,\u201d moore said. \u201cit never goes away.\u201d<\/p>\n

moore used the 120 billion disposable coffee cups americans discard annually as an example, citing the clean water action’s rethink disposable<\/a> program. she explained that alongside the 2.2 billion pounds of waste created by the coffee cups, and the strain on finite resources such as fresh water and trees, this throwaway habit also results in 4 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions every year.<\/p>\n

the throwaway culture that has developed over the last half-century costs the environment as well as the economy: people discard first-use plastic packaging worth the equivalent of $80 billion to $120 billion annually, according to a report<\/a> from the ellen macarthur foundation.<\/p>\n

furthermore, environmental damages caused by plastic pollution, along with the greenhouse gases emitted by plastic production, cost at least $40 billion annually, according to the report.<\/p>\n

so how do we counteract all this waste? the report offered the circular economy<\/a> as the solution to plastic waste in all sectors. the circular economy\u2019s mission is to move society away from its current reliance on disposability and unsustainable resources by redesigning products and systems in order to minimize waste and pollution.<\/p>\n

\u201cif we turn off the tap of plastic production, use, and waste management, we\u2019re only left with real materials \u2014 reusables that can be used an infinite amounts of times,\u201d moore said.<\/p>\n

\"lauren
lauren moore stands next to a sculpture while at a #breakfreefromplastic event. (photo courtesy lauren moore)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

moore explained that addressing the production, distribution, and widespread use of plastic is crucial in order to make a long-term impact on both plastic pollution and climate change.<\/p>\n

while recovery measures such as cleanups and recycling are important, they are \u201cband-aid solutions\u201d that don\u2019t address the root of the problem, moore said. \u201cyou can\u2019t get all (of the plastic) out if it keeps coming in.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201conly 9% of plastic ever created has been recycled,\u201d moore said. \u201cwe are overflowing with plastic. recycling is not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

mike schoniger, a business owner who oversees the loading and unloading of shipping containers in the port of los angeles, witnessed the limits of recycling firsthand, explaining that the \u201csheer volume\u201d of recyclables is the issue. he said that because the united states lacks recycling centers, and china has refused<\/a> to continue receiving and processing recyclables from the west, materials are now stacking up in shipping containers with nowhere to go.<\/p>\n

\u201ci\u2019ve seen trash trucks picking (the recyclables) back up and taking them to (a) landfill<\/a>,\u201d schoniger said.<\/p>\n

to mitigate the recycling backlog, the u.s. has started exporting recyclables to india, vietnam, malaysia, and indonesia, the new york times reports<\/a>. schoniger warned that these nations do not have the infrastructure to deal with the influx of materials, and worried that it will result in illegal dumping.<\/p>\n

\u201ci don\u2019t think their environment can tolerate it,\u201d he said of the countries chosen to bear the burden of america\u2019s waste.<\/p>\n

\u201cwe all just think as far as the curb. we as consumers look away from our problems,\u201d schoniger said.<\/p>\n

moore said she knows that when it comes to plastic waste, out of sight should not mean out of mind, and that she fears the trash our species has accumulated so far \u201cwill become a layer in the earth, and (a) mark in history of when we didn\u2019t know better.\u201d<\/p>\n

at upstream, moore works to stop issues like the recycling overload through measures that \u201cstop trash at its source.\u201d upstream works with venues, corporations, communities, and individuals to institute the circular economy on three levels: throwaway free places, throwaway free communities, and throwaway free living.<\/p>\n

moore\u2019s awareness of the far-reaching impacts of manmade trash began with her upbringing in staten island, new york, where, \u201cyou can\u2019t walk on the beach without shoes because there\u2019s so much trash,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

now, at upstream, she co-leads the united states\u2019 branch of a #breakfreefromplastic<\/a> working group, recruiting new partners and orchestrating the vast web of organizations connected to solving the plastic crisis.<\/p>\n

moore said the organizations she collaborates with \u201crange from people working on the frontlines fighting oil production to people working (on the issue of) microplastics.\u201d<\/p>\n

moore explained that this multifaceted approach is crucial because every problem plastics cause is interconnected. she emphasized the importance of \u201ccollaborating to amplify each other\u2019s stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cwe are all fighting the same fight. stopping a pipeline in louisiana is going to stop plastic waste in the philippines,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

a recent victory that upstream collaborated on was the development of a disposable-free dining ordinance<\/a> that will make berkeley, california, a leader in establishing throwaway free communities. the ordinance requires all takeout containers to be compostable and all dine-in dishes and cutlery to be reusable, while also adding a quarter surcharge to every disposable coffee cup to incentivize people to bring their own cups.<\/p>\n

moore said she hopes to develop a widespread \u201cculture change\u201d that will shift people\u2019s relationships with the items they use.<\/p>\n

\u201ci believe humans are incredibly adaptable. if all single-use plastics were banned, humans would adapt in a week and it would become the new normal,\u201d moore said.<\/p>\n

moore is raising her five-year-old daughter to embrace a waste-free future. she and her daughter buy groceries in bulk, use cloth napkins, and make their own toothpaste in mason jars.<\/p>\n

\u201cbeing throwaway-free is completely normal to her,\u201d moore said of her daughter.<\/p>\n

when asked what her biggest hope is for the world her daughter will be inheriting, moore answered immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201ci would love if she could walk on the beach and not see plastic.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

recycling is not the answer \u2014 not anymore. here’s how a circular economy can both reduce waste and lessen the climate crisis \u2014 and why we need to change our mindset now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9698,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4900,4923,5196],"tags":[144,569,3620,590,425,591,2075,3607],"storyfest_categories":[],"class_list":["post-11983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-green-living","category-oceans","category-past-storyfest","tag-climate-change","tag-economy","tag-pfcorrespondent","tag-plastic","tag-plastic-waste","tag-storyfest","tag-trash","tag-upcycling"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\ncoming full circle to combat climate change - planet forward<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/climate-crisis-circular\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"coming full circle to combat climate change - 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