Environment

Microplastics in the Ocean are More Abundant than Previously Thought

May 23, 2020 by Kristina Martin
Last updated on: May 24, 2020

A new study from the Plymouth Marine Institute in the U.K. has found that the amount of microplastics in our oceans is much higher than previously thought. Scientists trawled off the coast of Maine in the U.S. and the coast… [read]

New Plant-Based Plastic Bottles Are Biodegradeable And Supported by Coca-Cola

May 18, 2020 by Kristina Martin
Last updated on: May 18, 2020

Dutch company Avantium is in the process of developing a biodegradable plastic bottle made from plant sugars, rather than fossil fuels. Several major beverage companies like Carlsberg, Coca-cola, and Danone have already expressed support for the project, and Avantium’s chief… [read]

The Bureau of Land Management Continues to Lease Public Land to Oil and Gas Companies During Pandemic

May 14, 2020 by Kristina Martin
Last updated on: May 18, 2020

While the majority of Americans find themselves shut-in during the pandemic, the Department of Interior (DOI) through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has offered more than 200,000 acres of public land to oil and gas companies in five different… [read]

Celebrities and Scientists Call for Changes After Coronavirus

May 12, 2020 by Sage Edwards
Last updated on: May 18, 2020

More than 200 celebrities, Nobel prize winners, and scientists have signed an open letter calling for systematic change rather than a return to normalcy. In the midst of the pandemic, many have talked about what our return to normalcy will… [read]

Our Drastic Decrease in CO2 Emissions is Not Enough

May 11, 2020 by Sage Edwards
Last updated on: May 12, 2020

Many people have celebrated the fact that in the midst of the global lockdown air quality has improved and emissions have dropped by 5.5%, a decrease greater than the time of the Great Recession, or the drop after WW2. However,… [read]

Reusable Grocery Bags Are Being Banned as Plastics Industry Takes Advantage of COVID-19

May 10, 2020 by Kristina Martin
Last updated on: May 11, 2020

States and cities are rolling back plastic bag bans at the grocery store and enacting bans on reusable grocery bags as the plastics industries ramps up lobbying during the COVID-19 pandemic. San Francisco, the first municipality to ban plastic bags,… [read]

Elizabeth Warren and Ro Khanna Co-Sponsor Cory Booker’s Farm System Reform Act

May 9, 2020 by Kristina Martin
Last updated on: May 11, 2020

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) have announced that they will co-sponsor the Farm System Reform Act (FSRA) introduced by Cory Booker (D-NJ). Khanna also introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives. The FSRA is designed… [read]