LET'S
LET'S KICK IT OVER TO KACI. >> SOME LOCAL CITIES HAVE
BANNED PLASTIC BAGS BUT STATE
LAWMAKERS ARE PLANNING TO
INTRODUCE A BILL IN OLYMPIA
NEXT YEAR THAT WOULD MAKE IT
STATEWIDE.
STATEWIDE. ALLISON MORROW, OUR
ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTER WE WANT
TO GET YOUR INSIGHT ON THIS.
CAN YOU GIVE US AN OVERVIEW WHY
PLASTIC IN GENERAL IS AN
ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER.
ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER. >> MORE -- A MAIN CONCERN FOR
MARINE DEBRIS.
MARINE DEBRIS. 8MILLION METRIC TONS OF PLASTIC
ARE MAKING ITS WAY TO THE OCEAN
EVERY YEAR.
EVERY YEAR. WHICH IS THE WEIGHT OF NEARLY
90 AIRCRAFT CARRIERS.
THAT IS THE MAIN PROBLEM.
WE HAVE OTHER ISSUES THAT GO
INTO CREATING ALTERNATIVE BAGS.
WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO IS,
INPUTS, OUTPUTS AND APPLICATION
OF REUSABLE BAGS VERSUS PLASTIC
BAGS AND PICK YOUR POISON.
ARE YOU MORE CONCERNED WITH
GREENHOUSE GASES, FERTILIZERS,
WATER USE OR WATER POLLUTION
WHEN IT COMES TO CHEMICALS OR
MORE CONCERNED WITH THE ACTUAL
DEBRIS WHICH IS THE PROBLEM
WITH PLASTIC BAGS, ULTIMATELY
THE OUTPUT.
THE OUTPUT. LEARNED A COOL PHRASE TODAY,
LIFECYCLE ANALYSIS, WHICH I
NEVER HEARD OF BEFORE.
INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT THE
PROBLEM AT THE END OF THE LIFE
OF THIS OBJECT LOOK AT IT FROM
THE VERY BEGINNING FROM
CREATION THROUGH HOW THE
CONSUMER USES IT AND HOW THE
CONSUMER DISPOSES OF IT.
THAT IS WHERE PLASTIC BAGS IN
SOME CASES ARE SEEN TO BE
BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT THAN
REUSABLE BAGS WHICH IS HARD TO
BELIEVE.
BELIEVE.
BELIEVE. BASICALLY BOILS DOWN TO WHAT
GOES INTO CREATING A REUSABLE
BAG.
BAG.
BAG. FOR
BAG. FOR INSTANCE, NOT MANY OF US
HAVE AN ORGANIC COTTON BAG, BUT
HE HAD AN ORGANIC COTTON BAG
YOU WOULD HAVE TO USE IT 149
TIMES MORE THAN A PLASTIC BAG
IN ORDER IT FOR IT TO EQUAL THE
GREENHOUSE GASES THAT WENT INTO
CREATING IT.
CREATING IT. IF YOU INCLUDE FERTILIZER,
WATER AND ECOSYSTEM IMPACTS USE
THE SAME BAG 20,000 TIMES FOR
IT TO EQUAL A PLASTIC BAG.
>> WE HAVE PHYSICALLY
OVERSIMPLIFIED THE ISSUE SAYING
IS JUST PLASTIC BAGS.
>> EXACTLY ULTIMATELY COMES
DOWN TO APPLICATION. FROM A
SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGIST, I
SAW HER ON A T.E.D.
TALK AND SHE HAS THIS WHOLE
SUSTAINABILITY COLLEGE THAT
REVOLVES AROUND LOOKING AT
THESE PERSPECTIVES DIFFERENTLY
SO YOU DON'T CREATE MORE
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS. >> WE HAVE TEXT MESSAGES, GREAT
ONES FROM VIEWERS SINCE THE
STORY CAME OUT.
WHY IN THIS DAY AND AGE OF
TECHNOLOGY CAN WE FIGURE OUT A
WAY TO MAKE BIODEGRADABLE
PLASTIC BAGS.
PLASTIC BAGS. >> GREAT ANSWER TO THIS
QUESTION.
QUESTION.
QUESTION. THE FIRST THING THAT HAS BEEN
TRIED BY CERTAIN -- SEND CHIPS
TRIED THIS AT ONE POINT.
WHEN IT COMES TO PLASTIC
POLLUTION, PLASTIC BAGS ARE LOW
ON THE LIST WHEN IT COMES TO
PLASTIC BOTTLES OR WRAPPING
PAPERS.
PAPERS.
PAPERS. THAT JUST ENDS UP BEING MORE
VOLUME IN THE MARINE
ENVIRONMENT.
ENVIRONMENT. GUESS WHY THEY STOPPED IT?
BECAUSE CONSUMERS DIDN'T LIKE
HOW IT FELT. THIS BRINGS US
BACK TO HOW ARE YOU, AS A
CONSUMER, GOING TO USE WHATEVER
IT IS YOU HAVE BOUGHT.
APPLICATION, APPLICATION I KEEP
READING ABOUT UP TO US
ULTIMATELY EVEN IF IT IS A
PLASTIC BAG OR COTTON BAG, HOW
ARE YOU USING IT AND ARE YOU
BEING RESPONSIBLE WITH IT IN A
WAY THAT REDUCES YOUR OWN I
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT?
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT? >> LET'S GET HER NEXT QUESTION,
SUPER INTERESTING.
SUPER INTERESTING. INSTEAD OF BANNING PLASTIC BAGS
WHY DO WE PENALIZE PEOPLE WHO
LITTER OR DON'T RECYCLE
PROBABLY.
PROBABLY.
PROBABLY. YES PLASTIC BAGS ARE RECYCLABLE
AND REUSABLE.
AND REUSABLE. >> WE ALREADY DO HAVE LITTER
LAWS.
LAWS.
LAWS. I
LAWS. I SEE PEOPLE LITTER ALL THE
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. I
TIME. I WAS WALKING MY DOG THE OTHER
DAY, A PERSON LITERALLY STOPPED
AT THE STOP SIGN AND JUST
TOSSED THEIR PLASTIC COKE
CONTAINER OUT OF THE CAR AND
DROVE ON BY.
WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO, WRITE
DOWN THEIR LICENSE PLATE AND
ARE THE POLICE GOING TO GET
AFTER THEM?
AFTER THEM? THAT'S A GREAT IDEA BUT NOT
ENFORCEABLE.
ENFORCEABLE. FINDER PEOPLE AND REPORTING THEM
, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO LOGISTICS
IS NOT FEASIBLE.
>> WHAT IS, IN YOUR OPINION THE
MOST IMPORTANT THING WE CAN BE
DOING NOW.
DOING NOW. >> NOT EVER USED SOMETHING ONE
TIME UNLESS IT IS A SANITARY
ISSUE.
ISSUE.
ISSUE. THE PROBLEM COMES DOWN TO
WHETHER CLOTHES OR BAGS OR
ANYTHING ELSE, YOU ARE NOT JUST
BASICALLY EATING, USE IT
MULTIPLE TIMES.
MULTIPLE TIMES. IF YOU USE IT SEVERAL TIMES,
LIKE CLOTHES, I HAVE A FRIEND
WHO THROWS AWAY SHIRTS AFTER
SHE WEARS IT WANTS.
>> WHAT?
>> WHAT?
>> WHAT? >> WE ARE FOR ENEMIES NOW -- WE
ARE FRENEMIES NOW.
USELESS AND WHAT YOU DO CONSUME
USE IT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND
MAKE THE IMPACT THAT WENT INTO
CREATING THE OBJECT WORTH IT.
>> IF WE ARE TRYING -- HOW DO
WE REMOVE PLASTIC FROM ENTERING
THE OCEANS?
THE OCEANS? >> ANOTHER ISSUE, IT COMES TO
DISPOSAL.
DISPOSAL.
DISPOSAL. UPSCALING DISPOSAL FOR
MUNICIPALITIES, THAT IS WHY THE
UNITED STATES, WE ARE 20th ON
THE LIST OF PLASTIC POLLUTERS
BUT THE TOP FIVE REPRESENT 60%
OF THE MARINE PLASTIC POLLUTION
AND THEY ARE ALMOST ALL IN
ASIA.
ASIA.
ASIA. ACTUALLY WE USE MORE PLASTIC
PER PERSON THEN OTHER COUNTRIES
IN THE WORLD, BUT BECAUSE WE
HAVE BETTER DISPOSAL WE DON'T
HAVE THE SAME POLLUTION
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS. >> WORLDWIDE.
>> WORLDWIDE. >> WHAT IF WE GET PEOPLE,
INSTEAD OF HAVING ONE OR THE
OTHER PLASTIC OR PAPER WHAT IF
WE GET PEOPLE ANOTHER OPTION IS
STARTED CREATING SOMETHING THAT
HAD LESS IMPACT EITHER WAY.
RIGHT NOW DESIGNERS ARE LEFT
WITH THE TASK.
>> SO INTERESTING OBVIOUSLY A
VERY NUANCED TOPIC WE WILL GET
MORE INTO.
MORE INTO. WE WILL ASK MORE QUESTIONS IN
THE 5:00 SHOW.
TEXT YOUR QUESTIONS AND POST
THEM IN THE FIVE HIVE.
IF YOU WANT MORE INFORMATION