UNDO-ing Plastic: At The Source
As I've been
documenting just one small corner of our problems with plastic pollution — the
fact of the vast patches of plastic garbage in the world's oceans — it's equally important
to keep the focus on solutions.
They do exist
(Bucky Fuller said so), and while we don't expect any particular new deconstruction
of technology to restore the planet back to Eden overnight, it's almost always
a much better use of our time and attention to be part of a solution. That's even if its effect is no more than a
nudge in the right direction (which, let's be realistic, may be the best we can
expect at this point).
But it is still worth doing – any part of the right direction feels
better than just moving further into the wrong ones.
Trying to
address the source of the problem is usually a good way to go. So here is
just such an effort:
The
"Think Beyond Plastic Business Accelerator," in Menlo Park,
California, (of course,) calls itself the world’s first such incubator to focus
on eliminating plastic pollution. The
company helps startups to develop affordable, sustainable alternatives to
plastic, meeting the specific needs of large companies.
"Plastic may be toxic, and it lasts forever, but it’s also extremely convenient. ...If you want companies to stop using plastic, you need to offer viable alternatives—and provide assistance to the startups coming up with them."
"A NewBusiness Accelerator Takes on Plastic Pollution"
By Caroline Winter, Businessweek, July 14, 2014
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