[Chanting] Save our Earth! Its the biggest Ive seen. In New Jersey, I met a man who built a $180 million recycling business off of that waste. The whole idea about, "Oh, just sort better. Dr. Patricia Corcoran, Associate Professor of Earth Sciences, University of Western Ontario'Angela Sun spoke with all the right people and even went to places she wasn't supposed to go in order to present the full story on plastic pollution. All rights reserved. In an underwater paradise, a plastic nightmare. We are approaching a 'point of no return. Welcome to Portland. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler was talking up the future of recycling. They said that the chasing arrows symbol was OK, as long as it was small and on the bottom of packaging. By doing so, this film will inspire young people to act as global citizens and contribute to finding solutions for the major environmental problems of the coming century.' No transcript available. There's dissatisfaction about what's going on with the solid waste issue." DAVID ALLAWAY, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality: Very nice to meet you. Plastic Paradise Flashcards | Quizlet In the business, theyre called "mixed plastics. Thats the past. In what may be part of a national trend, the City Council of St. Paul, Minnesota, voted to outlaw the use of polystyrene plastics. She or he will best know the preferred format. Construction will eventually employ 6,000 people. But I had millions of dollars to do what I felt was necessary. Anyone may search for titles and find detailed information about the titles. MONIQUE OXENDER, Chief sustainability officer, Keurig Dr Pepper: I mean, youve got a couple hurdles, in the sense that youre going to have to have people sorting out tiny cups, right? It's margarine tubs, clamshells, deli containers. The idea behind that particular facility is if we improve the way that recyclables move down the conveyor belt, so they get separated, we're going to create better, cleaner streams of like materials. and fast. 115 billion pounds. When you get a bale of plastic, how much of that bale is plastic that the company wants and how much of it is stuff that is just plastic that youre not going to do anything with? Well, that is a challenge. Until there is a viable option for recycling those things, we should be putting it in a landfill. Eleven billion. Coming up with ways to have their product perceived as more recyclable and more environmental makes their product look better. 11 Zero Waste Documentaries to Inform & Inspire Change - Sustainable Jungle What is the problem? What does coral treat? Her film articulates this message in a way that will resonate with anyone that cares about nature and the environment. A barge filled with garbage is causing quite an international stink. In the meantime, let me just recycle this.". Its showing the people picking up the litter. Film Review: Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. A dead seal or sea lion? Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. View Plastic Paradise Worksheet.pdf from CHEM 1405 at Killeen Early College High School. At Hagley, we found a collection of internal plastic industry documents about this period of time when the industry was in the crosshairs of the environmental movement and plastics were under attack. What do you think Americans need to know? [CDATA[ As I made my way through the innovation fair. People all around the country bought that line and thought it was our responsibility to take care of litter. It holds one of the worlds largest collections of industrial history. How could they go into all of these communities and tell people "You just have to recycle" when they knew there were so many problems and so many hurdles? How much responsibility do you feel like you have over what's happening here? were contaminated with trash and plastic that cant be recycled. We could ship scrap and hope that it is being recycled in the way it should be, or the other way is come here, see how serious he is about doing it the right way. The producers know what the environmental impacts of these different formats are, but they don't disclose it. This is a pile of U.S. recycling. ", America has a garbage problem too long ignored. Are we damaging the environment more in the name of recycling?". We need to increase the interest in and demand for recycled materials and more products made from recycled materials. Reflection of the documentary Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific We have to show hard results. This confusion about what can and cant be recycled, and where plastic ultimately ends up, is no accident. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Lets be the ones that came together to change the world. The film is excellent--in its timeliness, its depth, and its presentation. Well, one thing that's different is the actual ecological context is different, that we're really bumping up against ecological limits. This is just hangers, one type of plastic. But it isnt just industry thats kept consumers focused on recycling for so long. See it and share it with others!' Transcript Plastic Wars View film LAURA SULLIVAN, Correspondent: In 2015, a marine biologist came across a sea turtle in distress. After a 30-minute drive, we reached a quiet neighborhood with an area hidden from the road. Made from readily available petroleum, plastic was the go-to material for the war machine. And the guy industry tapped decades ago to get recycling going isnt surprised. I strongly recommend this film as an instructional tool to connect ecology, communication, and global service. Yeah. In this independent documentary film, journalist/filmmaker Angela Sun travels on a personal journey of discovery to uncover this mysterious phenomenon. It provides valuable information and presents that information in an engaging and visually gripping way.' As packaging evolves. and came up with a report identifying key problems with the numbering code. This is plastic that has no home, so it's your clamshells, Ziploc bags, film, a CD, a food wrapper. Dr. Joel Baker, Director, UW Puget Sound Institute, Professor and Port of Tacoma Chair in Environmental Science, University of Washington Tacoma'Angela Sun has found a way to present the imminent dangers of plastics pollution in a jarringly visual and inquisitive formatSignificant take-home messages include a misconception of just how few plastic products are recyclable, and that plastics production will continue to increase as long as the demand for plastic products remains. They created the Council for Solid Waste Solutions, drawn from their ranks of big oil and petrochemical companies that made plastic, like Amoco, Chevron, Dow and Exxon. I mean, absolutely societywide we bought this myth that recycling will solve the problem and we don't need to worry about the amount of plastic being produced. Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (2013) - IMDb So the idea would be mechanical sorters pick out 11 billion K-Cups, right? Coy Smith ran recycling centers in Southern California in the 1980s and early '90s. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. The U.N. estimates by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. This package here is technically recyclable. We have not had any model shows around here in a long time! ", "We must immediately undertake a major program of unprecedented proportions to reverse this fast-moving tidal wave of growing negative public perception.. Waste pickers would look for plastics of value, and the rest would be burned. The Hollywood Reporter'The film everyone needs to see.' Watch Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patc - Tubi Dr. Chelsea M. Rochman, Smith Fellow in Conservation Biology, Marine Ecologist/Ecotoxicologist, Aquatic Health Program, University of California Davis'Plastic Paradise offers new and sharpened perspectives on the problem of plastics in the environment. I think they knew that the infrastructure wasn't there to really have recycling amount to a whole lot. Carl F. Cranor, Professor of Philosophy, Faculty of Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program, University of California-Riverside'Plastic Paradise warns that the environment is everyone's responsibility, and that humanity cannot turn a blind eye to its own garbage forever. And Im afraid that the same thing is happening right now. We took a seat by the side of the road and she showed me pictures she'd collected of plastic that locals said had been dumped here. So you can talk about this stuff a lot. I mean, for most states they did it in, recyclers didnt even know it happened. The customs document we had said the company was getting plastic from the U.S. With no one from New Harvestindo willing to speak to us, we still wanted to know what they were doing with all those bales of plastic waste and whether it was all being recycled. Modern-day miracles that were made with the help of petrochemicals. YUYUN ISMAWATI, Co-founder, Nexus3 Foundation: Yeah. Have each group report their findings to the class. This poor sea turtle, a straw stuck in its nose, It would attract more than 35 million views. When the recycling market in China went away, Bagaria and other brokers scrambled to find a new home for their plastic, and countries like Indonesia saw a business opportunity. I highly recommend checking this film out!' Because the average person saw the symbol, they know the symbol and said, "Well, its recyclable, right?". And theres nothing wrong in an industry promoting those kinds of things, but thats not addressing the problem that people are criticizing you about. Lead editor, Wendy Shuey; cinemtaography, Francisco Aliwalas [and 6 others]; music by APM Music [and 6 others]. We need to confirm if the data that we have is correct or not. Environmentalists have, too. The start of construction on that multibillion-dollar plastics plant. twice the size of texas or as big as the US. and focus public attention on a growing problem. Oh, man! National Geographic Society is a 501 (c)(3) organization. And they said no. This film makes the case that the only solution is source control, and that consumers have a great deal of underutilized power.' Greenpeace went and climbed aboard it and took a huge banner that we put on it. Plastic Paradise engages students by illustrating how their everyday interactions with plastic are connected to pollution at the farthest, most exotic corners of the world . Dr. Kirk J. Havens, Director, Coastal Watersheds Program, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary'I believe that this film portrays the state of the plastic marine debris issue accurately. What are the toxics emissions? And some children got hospitalized. It currently covers roughly 1.6 million square . But later we surely realized that there was always another aspect of what was going on in China. Angela Sun is an award-winning journalist, sports caster, and filmmaker. Ive got a couple of newspaper articles I want to show you from the past. That's just freaking. Here we are at our GDB South Brunswick facility. Melati and Isabel Wijsen are on a mission to stop plastic bags from suffocating their beautiful island home of Bali. The most famous one, with the crying Indian. It needs improvement. We reached out to more than a dozen major plastic makers; the only one that would sit down with us was Chevron Phillips. Plastic Paradise | Bullfrog Films: 1-800-543-3764: Environmental DVDs and Educational DVDs is a leading source of educational DVDs & videos, with a collection of over 700 titles in these main subject areas: Environment Globalization Sustainability Climate Change Social Justice Developing World Indigenous Peoples Earth Science Life Science I think others were more hopeful. So, if somebody throws their Tide bottle into their bin, thats a win, but what youre saying is youre seeing more and more of this stuff. Do you think that they took a lesson away from how to fight the bans? But even as Liesemer and his colleagues were publicly promoting recycling, privately, the industry had long expressed doubt it was ever going to happen on a broad scale. 'Superworms' may hold the key to world's trash crisis : NPR Angela Sun is an award-winning journalist, sports caster, and filmmaker. Have we made any progress? What items were most common? JERRED JONES, Program representative, Keep America Beautiful: We are Keep America Beautiful. It did a good job of doing what it was asked to do; it made life more efficient and easier. Their . The manufacturing of plastic has increased from 20 million pounds worldwide in 1927 to 115 billion in 2014. Amazing work!' Plastic Paradise Worksheet.pdf - Plastic Paradise 1 Why is This is from Purchase, New York. New to Docuseek? So, we dont think banning these products is necessarily the right way to go. Making recycling work was a way to keep their products in the marketplace. 640,000 tons. They say residents will put all their plastic containers in one bag. 2023 Docuseek, LLC All rights reserved. Angela Sun provides an excellent model of how one curious person can use her talents to follow her interests, speak from the heart, and contribute to improving the world. It spent most of its money, millions and millions of dollars, on advertising. Once a completely natural product, much of today's plastic is man-made and largely dependent upon fossil fuels. and plastic bans are spreading across the country. In this independent documentary film, journalist/filmmaker Angela Sun travels on a personal journey of discovery to uncover this mysterious phenomenon. Go to some other symbol, just not the triangle. In 2017, however, researchers surveying the islands beaches found the highest concentration of plastic trash ever recorded.In this infographic, the colored dots show the amount of plastic and other trash collected in one survey plot. That was one of the comments early, that it implied that those products were being recycled. Yeah, this is totally American. We took a trek up to Wilmington and this one DuPont executive, he said, "I think if we had $5 million"which seemed like a lot of money then"if we had $5 million, we could solve this problem.". Most end up in the ocean, where they pollute the water and harm marine life; the rest are burned in garbage piles, where they release harmful dioxins into the atmosphere. "Some firms used it as a green marketing tool." But as we continued our reporting in Oregon, we heard about a surprisingly similar effort that took place more than 25 years ago at a recycling company 50 miles away called Garten Services. We said, "Next time try recycling." Id come to see what its archive could tell me about the evolution of the plastic problem. Starting in the late '90s, Bagaria and other recycling brokers had a one-word answer to the growing plastic waste problem: China. Plentiful supplies of natural gas are driving down the cost of making plastic. Americans need to know that your waste ended up here. In Oregon, again, there are no curbside programs that would accept any of these tubs. 'This is an issue of vast scales. Glass? TV-PG. The film takes a refreshing approach of avoiding the blame game, while emphasizing that learning about the issue can lead to less plastic use by the general public.' Sun, Angela (film producer) All of a sudden, our own customers, they would bring it in and not only say it has the triangle, but it wouldthey would flat-out say, "It says its recyclable right on it." Plastic Paradise makes the issue of plastic pollution real and relevant. Drawing from the expertise of a diversity of scientists, activists and management practitioners in the field, this film introduces its audience to issues regarding plastic production and waste-management, plastic contamination in the ocean and the hazards of plastic and its chemical cocktail to humans and wildlife.' He was checking out a recycling company that he sells his plastic to. The documentary is directed by Craig Leeson, an Australian journalist dedicated to investigating the impact our obsession with plastic is having on the planetspecifically our oceans. Angela Sun reveals the effects of our rabid plastic consumption as she investigates The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This is the same kind of thinking that ran in the '90s. Sun, Angela (film producer) Good stuff, easy to do. Let's do right by our future. Where does the plastic pollution on Henderson Island come from? This is my basic question, because it seems like everybody is buying lettuce in a box now. Because we are struggling to clean up the modern debris and modern litter in Indonesia, the additional burden of waste from overseas, I dont know how we are going to handle it. Her documentary, Plastic Paradise, reveals the devastating truths around single-use plastics and the reality of what they are doing to our oceans & marine life on a massive and rapid scale. How are those two things going to meet anywhere in the middle? As of today, plastic bags are banned in Jersey City. STEVE RUSSELL, VP, American Chemistry Council, 1995-2020: The thing that made them unique was the ability to do more with just a little bit of material; to make things that we used lighter and more efficient. Register to request a quote. We support, actually, the ACC goalsAmerican Chemistry Councilgoals of getting plastic waste out of landfills by, I think the date is 2040. ", "Thoughtful new documentary by @sunnyangela examines the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, @plasticdise plasticparadisemovie.com #ppgp2", "Offers some alarming information that might cause viewers to think twice, about buying one-time-use water bottles. The film is excellent--in its timeliness, its depth, and its presentation. This is one of the easiest visualizations of how humans (not all, but many) have lost connection with the environment--a sad state of affairs--but the truth.' Every single piece of this has to be sorted in some way. So all the plastic will come off before the line ends. Oh, yes. That all originates with us. Yeah, I mean, its bleeding already. Timothy Hoellein, Aquatic Ecologist, Assistant Professor of Biology, Loyola University'With fantastic archival footage, revealing modern images from the pacific and thoughtful, fact-based explanation, Plastic Paradise provides an educational, hip, and very entertaining look at some of the many ways plastic is affecting us all. But if it's not happening in Oregon, it makes me wonder what's going on in the rest of the country. Industry would only switch to a triangle, which recyclers said was too similar to the chasing arrows. So here weve collected some old newspaper articles from 199425 years ago. Earth Day was one of the largest mass protests in U.S. history. Film Review: Plastic Paradise, The Great Pacific Garbage Patch And you don't think this is just an industry coming up with a way to get out of a crisis? And this was in 1973. I said everybody up here said they don't want the plant. JIM BECKER, VP, Sustainability, Chevron Phillips: Our view is you have to be very careful with that because sometimes the substitute products can have a bigger environmental impact than the thing you are banning. Students will learn the unexpected economic and ecological facets of plastic pollution and ways for each of us to minimize our plastic footprint. The industry found another way to promote plastic using recycling. So let's take a look at these blueberries. Years later, we shut it down because there was no way to make money at it. And Id be like, "I can tell you, I cant give this away. Plastic Paradise - YouTube the equivalent of a garbage truck dumped every minute. We're covered in plastic-based gear from head to toe. Timothy Hoellein, Aquatic Ecologist, Assistant Professor of Biology, Loyola University'With fantastic archival footage, revealing modern images from the pacific and thoughtful, fact-based explanation, Plastic Paradise provides an educational, hip, and very entertaining look at some of the many ways plastic is affecting us all. If you're looking for a zero waste documentary on Netflix, don't overlook the 2016 film A Plastic Ocean. And the consumption and lifestyle that we have, I think itsyou have to rethink, because we have to reduce the amount of plastics that we produce at the moment. I wanted to understand how we came to this moment; how the plastic industry has been able to thrive all these years in the face of a growing crisis and opposition thats now stronger than its ever been. You get recycling going, that has its benefits and it improves the image of the material. "The code is being misused.". So this is how it looks like when they burn it. The problem, recyclers said, is that it left the impression that all those kinds of plastics were actually being recycled. And on the day I stopped by, local lawmakers had been invited in to hear about the benefits of a new sorting machine that industry says will make recycling plastic more economical. In five years, he invented a new material called celluloid, which would become known as the first plastic. When they were running the advertising on television, they were not about how plastics can be recycled but all the wonderful things that plastics bring to us. We need more work. I mean, it says "sorts out the problems.". Its facing opposition to the construction of new plants. Once in the ocean there is really no way to get it out, other than hope that it washes up on a shore and is collected. I mean, you got handed this task to recycle plastic in the United States. Plastic Paradise Documentary by Angela Sun on the Great - Inhabitat And I think whats good is that were all working together to help improve some of those recycling habits and understanding behavior. In response, many companies, including plastic makers, and even some environmentalists got behind an iconic ad campaign that focused attention on the publics role. Honolulu Pulse'Offers some alarming information that might cause viewers to think twice about buying one-time-use water bottles.' But the alternative is having plastic waste in the environment. It all made me wonder whether the plastic industry is just recycling old ideas. How does this conflict compare to what you saw happen in the '80s and '90s when this last came up with this kind of fervor? Even if there was, how do we put a price on an albatross? They knew these problems existed, absolutely. Then what? When we started that advertising program, I think the image of plastics was in the mid-30s, 30-35% favorability. Today its main lobbying group is the American Chemistry Council, and until recently its vice president of plastics was Steve Russell. It didnt make any sense. It was manufactured. Wed heard about an environmental activist whos been tracking what happens to the plastic coming into Indonesia. harden plastic. Plastic Paradise engages students by illustrating how their everyday interactions with plastic are connected to pollution at the farthest, most exotic corners of the world. First,. Brand-name companies that used plastic were facing bans on their products. Much more education needs to happen on how to recycle. In South Portland, the plastic industry was showcasing a demonstration project. Please inquire if you are with a K-12 district or school or with a public library. So they knew that these problems existed. And yet it's become ground zero for The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, syphoning plastics from three distant continents. A bunch of small but . The Legislature wants to impose new fees on plastic makers and restrict single-use plastics. What would happen if the corals died off? When we do that, we end up with bales that are more easy to sell and that are more easy for consumer goods companies to incorporate into their packaging. And the numberthere's some words; it says, "1 PETE." Youve seen California, the legislation, some bans across the country and a lot of targets on single-use plastic. I strongly recommend this film as an instructional tool to connect ecology, communication, and global service. All Rights Reserved.Graphics by. The industry attitude was, "We'll set this up and get it going, but if the public wants it, they are going to have to pay for it.". In many ways were just getting started. Watertight and endlessly malleable, plastic is the perfect invention yet, its miraculous durability is also its curse because it never goes away. Last year, customs found that half the containers of plastic waste they inspected. There are various types of plastics, and that the cost of new plastic is so low that sorting and reprocessing used plastic cant be justified economically. We dont think that were being misleading because technically it is recyclable. What makes our lives convenient is burying us. I think we were naive. One hundred and ninety-one containers being held right now. They wanted us to sort plastics when people thought plastics might be starting to be a problem. And when it comes to understanding and reducing the environmental impacts of materials, including packaging, consumers have the lowest amount of leverage. Plastic Paradise engages students by illustrating how their everyday interactions with plastic are connected to pollution at the farthest, most exotic corners of the world. It provides valuable information and presents that information in an engaging and visually gripping way.' 1. For decades, the national response to the growing plastic waste problem has focused on one solution: recycling. We flip it over. If you have questions about licensing content on this page, please contact ngimagecollection@natgeo.com for more information and to obtain a license. If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice . But more than half of all people that live in the Portland area believe this belongs in the curbside container. When you reach out to him or her, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource. And this one talks about the cost of separating plastics from other trash. Plastic Paradise looks to make difference with plastic consumption By Stephanie Shinno The Garden Island | Sunday, July 11, 2021, 12:05 a.m. Share this story Contributed by Abe Kowitz Abe. ', "Business is being lost; analysts are beginning to take notice. CNN.com - Transcripts Can we come in and look? It's time for change, and this is that time. ThermaSet is the future. I highly recommend checking this film out!' And yet its become ground zero for The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, syphoning plastics from three distant continents. 1996 - 2023 National Geographic Society. under Environment, Pollution; by Tafline Laylin. So the big plastic producers came up with a multimillion-dollar solution: advertising.
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plastic paradise transcript