Broadcast date: 4/29/2018
This past weekend around the world individual’s and cities celebrated Earth Day, which is marked on April 22 every year. This year's Earth Day was focused on ending plastic pollution in the oceans, the land and in our bodies. 300 million tons of plastic are sold each year and that 90% of that is thrown away. A huge percentage of those plastics end up in our landfills, our oceans, our wildlife and our bodies. It’s with that concern, that organizations and people around the world are calling on government leaders to take the health risks of plastic seriously and asking them to ban single use plastics and non-recyclable products.
Polystyrene, (a substance more commonly known as Styrofoam) is one of these products of special concern. Numerous studies highlight the harmful effects of Polystyrene and the danger it poses to both our health and to the environment. Many are aware that Styrofoam cannot be completely recycled, but most don’t understand that the Styrofoam disposed of today will still be present in landfills 500 years from now. And its toxicity to human, wildlife, and environmental health is well documented. Both the EPA and the International Agency for Research on Cancer have established styrene as a possible human carcinogen.
Join Kris Kington Barker as she speaks with members of the organization SLO Foam Free, Janine Rands, Chair and founder of SLO Foam Free, Lee Perkins, activist, and Judith Bernstein, freelance writer on sustainability and consultant to non-profits. They will discuss their work with local cities to reduce plastic pollution by raising awareness of the environmental, social and economic impacts of polystyrene (foam products) and how they encourage local governments to take action to reduce and substitute polystyrene products in the community. We hope you will join us!
Central Coast Voices is sponsored by ACTION for Healthy Communities in collaboration with KCBX and made possible through underwriting by Joan Gellert-Sargen.
