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EAS 217 F20

EAS 217 Course Website for Fall 2020

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Submerged marine festival

  • From Submerged marine festival, the factory is using plastic since it is low cost without the care of environment. At first the use of plastic is for the waste of energy  and the waste of material. But, now as we see, it is hurting the environment. The reduce of waste  seem to be so less, but the pollution is much greater problem than that. So, maybe some better material to reduce waste and pollution to replace the use of plastic.

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  • Single-use plastics are definitely more cost-effective when compared to any other materials that can be used. However recently there have been efforts to combat the vast increase in the use of plastics and its pollution. Some examples were the recycling of plastics bottles into fibers to create clothing, or the recent ban in NYC on all plastic bags, albeit currently not enforced due to the pandemic. People are realizing that plastics are causing devastating effects on us and the climate and starting to reverse that effect.

    Are you sure that “Single-use plastics are definitely more cost-effective when compared to any other materials that can be used”?  Are you considering the long term costs on ecosystems, environment, and the effects these could have on people?

    Plastic caught on in popularity for how its really durable for how cheap it is for the consumer, but you can also get a decent re-usable bottle for about 10-20 dollars. It’s that getting a plastic water bottle at a corner store is easier than buying a reusable one and then finding a place to fill it up. Many people know the damage that plastic can cause, but still use them because its easy. In order to actually do anything to reduce plastic waste, we need to find a way to make reusables more appealing. The plastic ban is a good first step, but we need to do more if we want to make any sort of progress on fighting plastic waste.

    I agree with Jason Chen’s comment about single-use plastics are more cost-effective in terms of manufacturing them. one observation that I have noticed that many of the stores in New York stores are doing is the use of paper bags instead of single-use plastic bags. However, I do agree this is the best option as an alternative to plastic bags. From doing some research on this top, I learnt that takes more than four times as much energy to manufacture a paper bag as it does to manufacture a plastic bag and it requires trees to be cut down to produce the bags. The manufacturing of paper bags also releases a higher concentration of toxic chemicals to the environment than manufacturing plastic bags. It seems like there needs to be a better option and more research into other forms of materials than just paper bags to compact the issue of plastic bags in the environment.

    When I was younger, using plastic water bottles was basically unheard of. There were water fountains all over the place… Now when I go to the park, the fountains are often non-working. Is there a stigma against water fountains? New York City water, in particular, starts out super-clean in the Catskills, and sure there is some possible contamination via lead pipes and such in buildings, but there are also chemicals leaching into the water in those plastic bottles.

    I would reckon that reusable materials are much more cost effective for buyers and manufacturers. They might cost more to make initially but there isn’t a constant need to be producing at the rate that we do with single use plastics. You buy a reusable shopping bag and you’re set for years to come and you save money, since thankfully we get charged for bags now. Carrying a reusable water bottle also saves a bunch of money. I don’t think people realize how much money they waste on buying bottles of water at the bodega, it adds up! It’s all about habits, people are so used to the ease of buying anything they need right away as Julian mentioned, but one you get into the habit of using something reusable it becomes just as easy. Some single use plastics are hard to get around. But using a reusable bag, bringing bags for your fruits and veggies at the store, have a reusable water bottle and coffee cup are all simple and easy ways to reduce your plastic consumption.

    I agree with lauren on the fact that people should realize how much money they’re spending on plastic water bottles. My family recently took a liking to buying a pack of water bottles each month and I hate it because it’s a waste of money and it also isn’t good for the ecosystem in the long run. In my home country it was rare for people to buy water bottles because we had fountains everywhere and I think that decreased the need for water bottles.

     

    One solution I would suggest regarding increasing the frequency of water fountains, is installing a fountain at each fire hydrant. Fire hydrants are generally not in use 90% of the time, and especially in the summer people open them and waster water. My idea is that by sharing the water of fire hydrants for fountains, we can reduce the need for plastic bottles because drinking water becomes much more accessible this way.

    I appreciate the different perspectives and how informative they are in helping understand what motivates consumers when it comes to deciding what materials to use in their daily lives. The truth is that single use plastic simply is not sustainable. Yes, it is convenient; sure, it’s light, resistant, can be made to look beautiful, “easy” to dispose—we think. However, regardless of the short or long term cost of using plastic compared to other materials the ecological cost should trascended the economical one. Therefore I am an avid supporter of other options that would cost the smallest possible impact in our ecosystem. I appreciate the information on paper bags since I used to go for those instead. Now, however, I will carry tote bags made of recycled fabric that I can use over and over again. Other things I already do is using metal straw, glass cups for my drinks when eating out, do not tend to make to-go orders, and even if I do I do not accept plastic utensils, and I installed a water filter at my place. Next changes will take place with they clothes I buy and my way to clean them. And let me tell you do I have homework to do in that area…

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