In addition to fetuses being born with birth defects, young babies have also been shown to grow up with health problems if they are exposed to lots of plastic containers when they are young. Microplastics do not break down over the cycle of a human life (plastic in general takes between hundreds and thousands of years to degrade) so it is important to minimize exposure to these harmful chemicals.

Thankfully, scientists in the environmental field have done a great job of inventing sustainable baby bottles over the last couple of years. Glass bottles and rubber pacifiers sold by the company Hevea are 100% reusable and compostable. Philips Avent (a well-known baby bottle manufacturer) has recently taken the step to start producing products that are made out of glass. Pura is similar to Klean Kanteen in the sense that it makes steel bottles that hold both water and milk.

While these are just some of the baby bottle manufacturers that are either now producing plastic baby bottles or glass bottles the ethical questions that come with this are fascinating. Is it right to punish producers who haven’t made this switch yet? Can we assume that they are aware that they are actively and effectively poisoning the next young generation? How about the parents of these children, should they be punished too? What if they simply cannot afford a more expensive bottle?

Comment below what you think of this study and what should be expected of producers and parents now!

Companies have been practicing ‘fluorination’ for many years now. Fluorination is the process of deliberately adding PFAS to plastic containers but the initial intention of fluorination was to provide increased structural rigidity to the plastic itself, not to your lasagna. Forever chemicals, as mentioned earlier, are substances that do not naturally break down and when accidentally consumed by a human, they can accumulate over time. The harmful nature of PFAS chemicals is shown by an uptick in kidney, heart, liver, and thyroid problems by individuals who work around the chemical or have inadvertently brought it into their system.

Some studies have detailed the dangerous nature of PFAS chemicals since 2011, so why is it that we haven’t done anything about. For starters, it seems that politicians in the US are just now beginning to ban single-use plastics in their respective districts. Everyone remembers what a huge deal it was when Starbucks announced their single-use plastics elimination plan. In addition, it is important to remember that it takes a large amount of studies that show the same thing to actually raise alarm. Of course there are individual articles with findings so alarming that they make news headlines, however, there is also lots of speculation about the accuracy of studies in these cases — as was the similar reaction to PFAS chemicals in food.

A lot of companies argue that PFAS’s main benefit is that it prevents flavors and smells from leaking outside the container. This is why PFAS is also found in places like bakeries and cologne stores (which thrive off of flavor and smell respectively to lure people in). Fortunately, there are several new bills being passed that are likely to ban PFAS in all these arenas. Unfortunately, chemistry tells us that there are countless substitutes to PFAS-like chemicals which the government would struggle to effectively ban all of them due to the wide range of use.

It is unfortunate that the industries which would have PFAS banned would likely immediately default into switching to a substitute version of it (which is just as harmful). Larger companies who do this have shown little regard for human health, what do you propose Americans should do about these companies who are deliberately contaminating our food? Comment below!

Recent scientific studies have shown evidence of stomach bacteria in cows being able to break down plastic. This bacteria is not unique to cows, as certain other polyesters that can break down plastics are located in the peels of tomatoes and apples. However, within these fruits the bacteria quantity is small. Although unfounded, scientists suspect that cow’s stomachs will be a treasure trove of this bacteria.

Scientists, upon harnessing the bacteria, send large tubes of the bacterial liquid to recycling plants where the plastic can be broken down. All around the world, plastic is typically burned and melted which releases harmful chemicals into the ozone layer. However, using enzymes to break down plastics has actually been certified as a form of environmentally friendly recycling.

The process of using enzymes to break down plastics is not new by any means. In fact, our own company, GreenLoop, employs the usage of natural enzymes to break down our product. As bioplastics continue to grow rapidly, scientists are exploring a way to artificially create enzymes so that bioplastics can degrade even faster. In 2018, Japanese scientists linked two separate plastic-digesting enzymes and created a “super enzyme” which devoured plastic at a much higher rate. Scientists suspect that the stomachs of cows will contain similar highly powerful enzymes which work together to dissolve plastics.

Now comes the ethical question of how to harness this polyester material. In European countries where animal protection laws are not as strict, cows have been taken to the slaughterhouse to harness this bacteria. However, in the US there are laws that govern against experimenting on animals. What do you think the United States should do to try and utilize this polyester? Is harming an animal worth it if we can rid ourselves of the plastic problem?

Air conditioning units are not healthy for the environment (it accounts for 12% of US home energy wastage), unless you make some tweaks to how they are built. Air conditioning units are typically operated by electricity that came from burnt fossil fuels: One of the ways to make your HVAC unit eco friendly is to use a smart thermostat. These thermostats turn on when you get home, and turn off when you are away from home. This can help save electricity usage within your home. In addition, cleaning your HVAC system frequently can help prevent harmful particles from infecting your air. Lastly, buying an environmental organization-certified AC unit is an easy way to know that your HVAC system is eco-friendly.

If your home does have an AC unit but you will opt to not use it in the coming heat waves, turn to science to cool down your home! Research has shown that wearing white or light shades of colors actually reflects light and heat. In addition, if you have time to actually recoat the paint on your house to make it whiter, you will find that your house will be a lot cooler. In turn, a cooler house means that you definitely will not need to resort to using your AC system.

Lastly, if your home does not have air conditioning like 16% of Americans then you can eat spicy foods, which might make you feel hot in the short-term. However, the sweat-producing effects of capsaicin will cause your body to cool down. In addition, planting trees in your garden to provide your house more shade will also cool down your house. Finally, you can purchase reflective film from Home Depot and attach it to your windows. This will actually prevent a fair amount of the sun’s rays from entering your home and will keep you cooler as a result.

In the coming months, it is more important than ever to take note of eco-friendly ways to cool down your home as the summers are quite brutal in the US. When in doubt, make sure to choose the sustainable alternative to doing so!

Sustainability this Summer

A quick guide to becoming more environmentally-friendly this summer!

Sustainability seems like a daunting challenge, though it really doesn’t have to be. As part of a new GreenLoop series, we will be releasing new tips for how environmentally conscious individuals can ensure that they are living a sustainable lifestyle. Research has shown that sustainable practices that begin in the summer months are more likely to carry over year-round — so we encourage everyone reading this to start now!

Our very first tip to better the environment is to take advantage of the extra sunlight and start growing plants. One of the best ways to become more eco-friendly is to grow your own produce. This is to help combat poor environmental practices which cause water and air pollution, like the 1.1 billion pounds of pesticides that are applied to American crops every year alone. In addition, less fossil fuels will be used to transport the pesticide-laden produce to your local grocery store.

We know a lot of our current social media following lives in Washington State, so if you want to start a garden this summer in the PNW we encourage you to grow the following: beans, sweet peas, carrots, radishes, and cabbage. Some of these plants require significant time, effort, and water/sun to grow so if you are not an experienced gardener and would still like to be sustainable there are other options too.

Many experts recommend beginning your gardening journey with various herbs like mint or basil. These plants only need a little bit of sunlight (approximately six hours per week) and watering every other day. If you are in college or don’t have the space required to grow larger plants, then growing small herbs is the perfect option for you. Growing herbs will also help your room smell better.

We hope all our readers will take baby steps towards maximizing their sustainability. Growing plants is a fun and easy task that has a very tasty reward at the end. Stay tuned for another post next week!

In 2015, Vasudevan was experimenting in his lab trying to find bioplastic material for a new venture he started. While he was experimenting, his niece told him a joke. She stated that it would be funny if garbage bins were made out of plastic because it would really highlight the severity of India’s plastic problem. Days passed and Vasudevan continued to think upon his niece’s harmless joke until he had an epiphany — the answer was right under his feet.

Vasudevan commandeered a team of old lab professionals and began experimenting with the implementation of plastic into roads and walkways. They toiled endlessly until they secured a patent on bitumen (basically asphalt) that was mixed with stones and heated, shredded plastic waste. Vasudevan was proud of his team’s hard work but felt discouraged by the slow implementation of his product. He had spent his whole life working on chemical engineering projects at the Thiagarajar College of Engineering with the purpose of making India more environmentally conscious, though even in his success he felt the dread of failure.

After much guilt and convincing of his teammates, Vasudevan convinced his team to let their exciting, newly-patented material be given for free to the Indian government. He felt that it would be better to not profit and stymie the growth of such an important aid to India’s plastic ailments.

Nowadays, India has been able to integrate this technology into hundreds of roads across New Delhi. Surprisingly enough, the plastic-topped roads have been more resistant to harsh weather and heavy traffic, have lasted longer than previous roads, and have kept significant amounts of plastic away from the oceans.

Other countries have also been inspired by India’s efforts, in fact, Ghana and the Netherlands have been innovating heavily on India’s initial product to create new roadways made ENTIRELY out of plastic. Vasudevan’s actions to put the environment first have led to overwhelmingly positive changes for his motherland’s environment. The more that people can prioritize the environment’s improvement over their pride, the better off the world will be.

The IIT Madras Civil Engineering Department was informed by their Dean in September 2020 that there was increasing backlash against the government in Chennai for inaction on environmental problems. The students had been tapped by the government to conduct studies on the air quality in Chennai to see what was causing low visibility and breathing problems among the populace.

The students took air samples and after some analysis, they came across a confusing component within the air. The team discovered the presence of chloride, also commonly known as hydrochloric acid. Hydrochloric acid can be found in many commonly distributed goods in India, so it made sense that it was in the air, nevertheless the sheer volume of it was alarming.

After much deliberation the team linked the presence of chloride to the burning of plastics in India — a practice which was once limited to rural areas with poor waste management which has now spread to major cities in India. Interestingly enough too, the IIT team traveled to Delhi and found the same presence of chloride in their air too. The team argues that although cities like Chennai and Delhi are relatively less polluted than Beijing, there is a far more complex cocktail of ingredients in Indian air.

The environmental and health effects of chloride alone are frightening. Other studies that have been conducted in India have estimated at least 12,000 excess deaths due to low visibility caused by plastic burning. Similarly, the burning of plastic has been known to release harmful chemicals that have actually been linked to crop reductions of 20 to 30 percent due to an increase in a phenomenon known as ground level ozone.

Now that the team has discovered a supposed link to the presence of this harmful chemical in the air of two major cities, you might be wondering what the government is doing to remedy this issue.. Unfortunately the recency of this study prevents us from being certain on the government’s next steps for cleaning up Chennai’s air. However, a larger environmental message can be drawn from this issue.

The COVID era accentuates the importance of maintaining good air quality, especially with such a contagious virus going around. Some people burn plastic because they have no other option as waste management in rural India is rather nonexistent. However, there really isn’t an excuse for burning plastic if you live in a major city, as it is an act of selfishness and impatience. Perhaps in larger, major cities where people grow impatient as their trash piles up, the government can increase the frequency of waste management collection to reduce burnings. Similarly, the outlawing of burnings may also prevent as many people from performing the act in the first place.

GreenLoop looks forward to solving problems such as these, specifically in the realm of reduced crop yield as a result of increased ground ozone. As our company scales, we hope to make a direct impact on both Indian air quality as well as farmer crop yield by providing a better solution to waste management in India.

Upon the onset of COVID-19, the plastic industry saw the pandemic as their moment to shine as they proclaimed that single-use plastics were the hero of the Coronavirus. Although at face-value they seem to be making a strong case, reusable items that are still being traded during the Pandemic (like currency, for example) have not been shown to carry the virus longer than other substances. Additionally, virus tests in late 2020 actually illustrated that the virus lived longer on plastic than other surfaces.

For our first blog at GreenLoop, we thought it would be fitting to write an opinion piece on one of the most wasteful practices that has come about as a result of the pandemic and to also advise companies on what they can do to stop it. Picture this. You are at home, just like the rest of America on a Saturday night. You don’t feel comfortable eating outside so you get takeout. You enjoy the meal with the aid of your flexible, plastic silverware and you dispose of it. Do you see the problem here?

Single-use plastic pollution is projected to increase by 40% in the next decade and hundreds of millions of plastic utensils are currently floating in Earth’s oceans. At the moment, plastic utensils are being used at a rate of 40 billion per year (Forbes). As a college student, I’ll admit that plastic utensils can be very helpful and time-saving; however, when most of our population is now eating all meals inside our houses, what is the need for plastic silverware still?

Instead of using COVID-19 as a relief point to stop trying to be green, Americans can actually help clean up the earth in a more effective manner than before by opting to forgo plastic silverware in their takeout meals. Companies such as UberEats and Doordash now offer options to specifically request plastic utensils and napkins instead of marking it as an option for all customers.

Here at GreenLoop, we firmly believe in taking baby steps to save the planet. Examples of what you can do to reduce plastic utensil usage is when you go to a restaurant to get takeout, refusing cutlery included in takeout can help reduce waste. Similarly, making sure to avoid requesting plastic utensils on food-delivery apps like DoorDash is helpful for the planet. Lastly, when you do choose to use metal utensils, making sure to reduce water wastage when washing them is a positive way to benefit the environment. Although our product line is oriented towards manufacturing drink cans and plastic bags at the moment, the beautiful thing about biodegradability is that it has a broad swathe of product applications. We hope to expand our product line one day towards plastic forks, knives, and spoons.

Every small step we take with adding to our product portfolio can cut down emissions and plastic waste drastically. Now, it’s time for Americans to do their part by choosing to avoid single-use plastic utensils.

Farming has declined significantly in India’s GDP in recent years as corporatization and urbanization have been increasing rapidly. Modi seems to be leaning towards funding the interests of big companies as he believes they can produce crops at a faster rate. Although Indian farmers agree that this is true, they say that forcing farmers to abandon flea markets and to also be expected to survive without the minimum support prices that the government once offered them is unjust. Farmers worry that they will be at the mercy of private buyers who will buy for extremely low amounts. In addition to this, farmers also claim that with the right electric tools and government funding to allow for industrialization of rural farmlands, there will be no need for corporatization in rural areas. Modi has deflected this argument by stating that the funding for electronic machinery and education necessary to teach farmers how to operate such machinery would be a waste of money.

Modi’s desires to deregulate the farming industry have been echoed in the past but signing recent, aggressive legislation that removes minimum support prices was the tipping point for farmers. Modi defends these actions by arguing that Indian farmers have been making low profits for the last several decades, and he also states that allowing them to sell outside of flea markets will be better for the industry. However, farmers have countered this by pointing out the established relationship they have had with the Indian government for many years now. Farmers are adamant that they have no other option for a livelihood if they are abandoned by the government. Rural farmers have extremely low literacy rates and are typically in extremely poor, isolated areas which means higher education is off the table for them.

Obviously, a situation like this is extremely sad for both parties. On one hand, the Indian government is looking out for the best interests of their budget by not spending billions of dollars more purchasing food that will never be sold. On the other hand, by doing so, Modi is abandoning a population which has been marginalized and manipulated since the beginning of India’s Green Revolution (1980). The ‘smart’ answer is not always the moral answer. These are the tough decisions that Governments have to make, here at GreenLoop, we sincerely hope that a compromise can be worked out that can empower farmers but also make the most optimal decisions to turn India into an economic powerhouse.