Comments on: Plastic is a Social Justice Issue (Van Jones at TEDxGP2)

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 02:15:34 +0000

Suzanne, we are all motivated by different things. For some reason, concern for the well-being of the most vulnerable among us motivates me more than my own health. Yes, I know that my own health is connected to the health of the planet and that there really is no separation. And yet thinking of the other people and animals that I am affecting does more to motivate me to action.

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 21:51:03 +0000

This is exactly the kind of motivation I need to go further. Social justice issues just break my heart and before this I hadn’t made the connection.

Ok now on to find out how I can do this best.

By: {tidbits of green} edition #10! | Recycle Your Day

{tidbits of green} edition #10! | Recycle Your Day — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 21:06:21 +0000

[...] Plastic is a Social Justice Issue (Van Jones, TEDxGP2) [...]

By: Tracey

Tracey — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 08:00:42 +0000

This piece brings an new connection to me … what we anarchists called “environmental racism” when we weren’t “environmentalists” because that movement in the 80′s behaved like it was about hiking trails and acted against First Nations who wanted logging rights on their own lands over corporations.

So now I know – and I should have known – that plastics harms those who live near where they are produced! I wonder how bad it is on First Nations Reserves, too. I know that at Akwesasne, even the frogs qualify as toxic waste, and mothers are too toxic to breastfeed because of paper mill effluent. Paper! I use it every day!

I’ve been thinking that poor people are over exposed to the risks of plastic because of all the past dates (expired) food from food banks, discount food stores and free food distributions. When I worked in a drop in centre for women, we had a minimal grocery budget to feed 50-80 women a day – most of the food was canned, expired and donated by prisons. And poor people often live in places where you can’t cook; you can only use a microwave!

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:52:26 +0000

Thank you, Beth for highlighting important aspects of the terror we inflict on others unwittingly. Now, we know and cannot pretend to think we are doing good by “recycling.” There is so much to be “daylighted” by us environmentalists that involve lousy human conditions and the ways in which we treat each other.

I hope lots of people read your blog.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

By: Katrina

Katrina — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 06:15:12 +0000

I am so happy to see Van Jones talking anywhere but especially happy to also see him talking about plastic. Thanks for posting this.

By: D.C.

D.C. — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 05:23:12 +0000

Clif: “We all try, don’t we?”
No, the problem is that we don’t. If everyone did try a little, (say, for example, we all didn’t eat meat at least one night a week) the impact would be huge.

By: Why I’m reducing my use of plastics | My Many Goals

Why I’m reducing my use of plastics | My Many Goals — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:02:47 +0000

[...] shipping our plastics to other countries to be disposed of. Beth just wrote about this today: Plastic is a social justice issue. This horrified me. Honestly, I think it horrifies me more than anything else, not because using up [...]

By: Reenie

Reenie — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 16:15:21 +0000

I appreciate the reminder about biomimicry, and hope that we can end the use of plastics for the sake of our fellow humans who suffer due to mfg and disposal. When plastics are burned in another part of the world and degrade the environment and health of that area, the air with particulates of nasties whirls about carried by the Earth’s spinning and so we are all breathing in some of the toxins.

By: kara

kara — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:28:48 +0000

Powerful post!
Looking forward is seeing this TED video.