Comments on: What I Should Have Said to Melissa Harris-Perry: We Are the Albatross

By: Sunday Surf: Screen-Free Week | A green living, green parenting blog

Sunday Surf: Screen-Free Week | A green living, green parenting blog — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 20:21:02 +0000

[...] Pervasive Plastic. How many times have you had a conversation about a topic you are passionate about and later thought of so many things you wished you said? Now imagine you were on national television. Beth did amazingly well with the short amount of time she was given in an unusual situation to explain about our problems with plastic. But read on about albatrosses, plastic, and what we can all do when something moves us. [...]

By: Meandthedogs

Meandthedogs — Wed, 02 May 2012 03:57:01 +0000

I have to say after being on your FB page for awhile now, seeing you speak made me like you even more! You are optimistic and humble and you got your message across loud and clear. I’m glad you spoke up and told people it’s about starting with ourselves.

By: RAchel

RAchel — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:01:33 +0000

This about made me cry. Thanks for being so awesome. Keep on pushing!

By: BethTerry

BethTerry — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 20:36:58 +0000

@greenasgrass I have researched bio-plastics as a matter of fact. And I have a whole section explaining bio-plastics in my book. There are different kinds with different pros and cons. The plant-derived plastics may have a lower carbon footprint, however, many of the crops used, like corn, are grown with heavy use of petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides and come from genetically-modified organisms. And not all of the plant-derived plastics are actually biodegradable. And some “biodegradable” plastics are derived from fossil sources. It’s a complicated topic. I wrote about it some in my posts about various specific kinds of bio-plastic products. You might be interested in these posts:

http://myplasticfreelife.com/2011/04/the-truth-about-pepsis-new-plant-based-pet-plastic-bottle/

http://myplasticfreelife.com/2011/03/stahlbush-biodegradable-frozen-fruits-and-vegetables-bag-its-plastic/

http://myplasticfreelife.com/2010/10/sunchips-discontinues-compostable-bag-do-we-care/

http://myplasticfreelife.com/2010/10/what-do-you-think-about-stonyfield-farms-new-pla-yogurt-cups/

By: greenasgrass

greenasgrass — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 19:47:19 +0000

Beth: So I wondered if you had researched bioplastics a bit, and wondered also if they might be a safe(r) alternative to the petrochemcal-plastic containers now being used? Since the ones in ued now are derived from fossil fuels, it seems as though any plant-derived plastics would be safer. Of course I understand that they should biodegrade quickly and completely and pose no threat to wildlife to be considered a sensible alternative to what we now have.

By: greenasgrass

greenasgrass — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 17:31:00 +0000

***(sorry: I left my computer for a moment and it posted my unfinished thought on its own.)
To continue with my post…99.9% of the hits would have stated that plastics are derived from fossil fuels, 10 years ago. Google it now, and one will be amazed at the mention of bioplastics–plastics made from the organic fats and polymers, etc., from plants and trees. Maybe they are (at least) a good intermediate answer to the problem, and if they are manufactured in a sustainable and safe process, and further, can be made to biodegrade quickly, may be partly, or completely, an answer to the problem. Let’s hope so. 100 years ago, it was the visionary Henry Ford who advocated the use of organic plastics made from plant material, and his engineers made steering wheels and dash boards and other automobile parts from plant-derived plastics. He even created an automobile body made completely from such plastics, and toured with his “plastic car” to prove that it could be done (in about 1941, if memory serves; Google: “Henry Ford’s plastic automobile”,) and he dared people to try and dent or crack the plastic with a sledge hammer he provided.

By: BethTerry

BethTerry — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 17:11:16 +0000

@greenasgrass Hi. Your message got cut off but I’m assuming you were going to write that most people don’t know where plastic comes from, and I think you are right. Most people probably just don’t even think about it.

By: greenasgrass

greenasgrass — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 17:05:07 +0000

I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated your input on the show, and I further enjoy your “We are the albatross” overview. Beginning right this minute, all of us who love the Earth and the creatures that inhabit the Earth, must become outspoken advocates for the environment–and wear it like a badge! Time is of the essence, since polluters spend enormous sums of money to influence legislation that allows them to continue polluting. If one were to google, “from what source is plastic derived”, I would guess that 99.9% of the

By: Some dude

Some dude — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 09:19:10 +0000

Great job Beth! You got your message across in a short amount of time and jumped into the conversation a few times very smooth and natural like. I’m glad some daytime TV watchers got to hear your story because they probably aren’t typically the ones reading our blog.

By: clkk411

clkk411 — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 05:03:58 +0000

Excellent as usual! From Celia with Charlie Moore’s Algalita Research Fdn.