It was a frustrating and disappointing week at work, with some losses for public health and climate action. I told my team that “if it were easy, someone would have figured it out already.” That said, I am grateful for the opportunity to figure it out with 15 other leaders from around the world this coming year as part of the Indo-Pacific Leadership Lab.
Once I got around to demolishing the dilapidated fence around our back porch, I knew I had to get rid of it in a responsible way. Landfilling is about as antithetical to “responsible disposal” as I can imagine, but because of the chemicals in pressure treated wood, there aren’t many better alternatives. The real key is making informed choices about whatever replaces it.
How much do you know about where your plastic goes after you put it in the recycle bin? Statistically, very little of our plastic gets recycled, but that doesn’t stop us from believing that it will. This persistent perception helps keep the plastic industry growing, despite the negative environmental and health consequences related to the production and degradation of their products.
Although many families share videos of cats attacking Christmas trees, we have never seen any such behavior from our two. Most of the cat-on-tree action I’ve seen in my life has involved artificial trees, and there are multiple sources that point to why cats may prefer plastic to the real thing. In this Christmas Day post, expect some gratuitous cat photos along with researched content.
We deal with fast fashion on a regular basis in our lives, but nowhere do we see it more than at Halloween, when pop-up shops sell cheap costumes to be used a few times and thrown away. There are more sustainable alternatives that include making, thrifting, renting, or reusing costume components. Some of these options can be better for the environment, your pocketbook, or both.
Global plastics production is expected to quadruple by 2050, and that growth will require significantly more extraction of fossil fuels as feedstock. Doubling down on more fossil fuel extraction is the last thing that a warming, plastic-filled planet needs. Organizations across the world, from the United Nations to grassroots groups on the front lines are taking action to prevent the bad from getting worse.
The term “recycling” is a dangerous thing because of how it inaccurately shapes our perceptions around the plastic lifecycle. Most plastic put in the recycle bin doesn’t get recycled, but even the industrial process of “chemical recycling” doesn’t necessarily create a closed-loop plastic system. Instead, it can often fuel increased health risks for those living nearby, increasing global temperatures, and demand for additional plastic.
July has come once again, and with it a renewed commitment to limit single-use plastics through Plastic-Free July. The oil and gas industry has a renewed commitment to plastic as well, pushing harder for increased consumption of their product. With less than 10% of our plastic ever getting recycled, it becomes more apparent that plastic recycling was only ever a false promise and will not solve our problem.
Some people don’t want any more kids or any at all, and that doesn’t make them bad people. In fact, it’s a responsible action to consider parenthood options carefully and determine how best to follow through on your choices. In honor of Father’s Day, this post examines the simple process, low risks, and overall environmental benefits of male sterilization, a.k.a. the vasectomy.
To celebrate the third anniversary of the Radical Moderate Blog, we will take a closer look at leather. A booming beef industry combined with waning demand for leather means that many animal hides simply go to the landfill instead of being put to use. Meanwhile, real leather is being overshadowed by vegan alternatives that are commonly made from plastic, which carries its own environmental impacts.