The Cradle to Grave Cycle of Plastics

Join us on Earth Day to examine the entire plastics product life cycle or the cradle to the grave of plastics. 

We will start with the beginning of the cycle or the "cradle" which involves getting raw materials through fracking in Appalachia, following it through the production of plastics which requires energy-gobbling and polluting processes. We will learn about the havoc all this plays in the area called Cancer Alley, an 85-mile to 186-mile industrial corridor along the Mississippi River in Louisiana, stretching between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, known for high cancer risks due to over 150-200+ petrochemical plants.  And then we will explore the end stages or the "grave." Learn about what happens to the plastic you so carefully recycle, including its afterlife as microplastics and nanoplastics which are associated with risks to ecology and toxicity to humans.

Registration is not required. You may register to receive an email reminder. 

About the Presenter

Bonnie Yelverton, was a science teacher and is now a resident at OceanView Retirement Community. She became sufficiently concerned about plastic pollution in 1990 to start a cloth diaper service in the Danish town where she lived for much of her life. While in Denmark, she took numerous courses in environmental management. When she moved to Southern California in 2000, she became increasingly upset about plastics as trash, gradually eliminating as much as possible from her daily life. This lecture is based to a large extent on a course she took last year from Judith Enck from BeyondPlastics.org, and her recent book, The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It’s Too Late.