Tag: plastic waste

  • Alarm as study shows how microplastics are blown across the world 

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    By Christopher Thompson Research finds even supposedly pristine region of the Pyrenees is polluted Microplastic is raining down on even remote mountaintops, a new study has revealed, with winds having the capacity to carry the pollution “anywhere and everywhere”. The scientists were astounded by the quantities of microplastic falling from the sky in a supposedly […]

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  • How Does Your Love of Wine Contribute to Climate Change?

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    By Ryan Johnson Consumers don’t have access to much information about how businesses operate, but they can ask questions and focus on one tangible item, the bottle. The exquisite vulnerability of grapes to nuances of weather makes wine both particularly susceptible to climate change and a harbinger of what’s to come for many other agricultural products. […]

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  • Legislature OKs 5-year ban that bars local governments from forbidding plastic straws

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    By Christopher Thompson The Florida Senate on Tuesday passed an environmental bill that includes prohibiting local governments from enforcing regulations on plastic straws over the next five years. On a 24-15 vote, the Senate imposed a moratorium on plastic-straw bans, the latest example of the constant tug-of-war between the Legislature and cities and counties over […]

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  • Balloons are actually bad

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    By Ryan Johnson We’re going to go ahead and be party poopers: Balloons are bad, and now it is scientifically proven. A recent study published in Naturereveals that those plastic party decorations are the deadliest plastic out there for seabirds. To make that determination, the researchers looked at the stomach contents of more than 1,700 marine birds, comparing […]

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  • Starbucks, Dunkin Race Against Bans, Taxes on Disposable Cups

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    By Christopher Thompson Inspired by plastic bag bans, jurisdictions have set their sights on a much bigger target: the to-go coffee cup The People’s Republic of Berkeley, Calif., takes pride in its leadership on all things civic and environmental. The small liberal city east of San Francisco was one of the first U.S. cities to adopt curbside […]

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  • A stranded dolphin in Florida shows why plastic bags are the worst

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    By Ryan Johnson The waters of the Gulf of Mexico are warm and welcoming. Even during the dead of winter, Floridians enjoy higher temperatures swimming than New Yorkers on land in spring. We share the area with a marvelous array of wildlife, including dolphins—long, strong sleek creatures who speed by in pods, their jutting fins, […]

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  • Why your brain doesn’t register the words ‘climate change’

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    Which phrase does a better job of grabbing people’s attention: “global warming” or “climate change”? According to recent neuroscience research, the answer is neither. If you want to get people to care, try “climate crisis,” suggests new research from an advertising consulting agency in New York. That phrase got a 60 percent greater emotional response from listeners […]

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  • Exclusive: Adidas’s radical new shoe could change how the world buys sneakers

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    Futurecraft Loop is an experiment in the circular economy. For Adidas, it could be the beginning of a major shift in how it does business. When it catches the light, the all-white shoe shimmers like a radioactive marshmallow. I know it will never look this pristine again. Not just because it will get inevitably dirty, […]

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  • If we care about plastic waste, why won’t we stop drinking bottled water?

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    We have all seen the damage plastic waste is doing around the world – but sales of bottled water have continued to grow For all the innovation and choice that define the food and drink industries, if you want to make money, you could do a lot worse than bung some water in a bottle […]

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  • Biodegradable plastic bags can still hold full load of shopping after three years in ocean, study shows

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    Biodegradable and compostable bags have been found intact enough to carry shopping three years after being exposed to air, soil and sea – the same conditions they would encounter if left as litter, a new study has found. Researchers at the University of Plymouth examined biodegradable and compostable plastic bag materials widely available from high […]

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