Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) discusses the introduction of the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020 in Washington, DC. Michael Brochstein / Echoes Wire / Barcroft Media / Getty Images
The world is in the midst of a plastic pollution crisis, and the current U.S. waste management system is not dealing with it effectively. Only eight percent of plastic waste in the U.S. is actually recycled. The rest is incinerated, landfilled or shipped overseas to countries even less equipped to process it, where it risks joining the eight million metric tons of plastic that end up in the world's oceans every year.
<p>That's why Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) <a href="https://www.tomudall.senate.gov/news/press-releases/udall-lowenthal-merkley-clark-unveil-landmark-legislation-to-break-free-from-plastic-pollution" target="_blank">introduced</a> the <a href="https://www.tomudall.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Bill%20Text-Udall-Lowenthal%20Break%20Free%20From%20Plastic%20Pollution%20Act.pdf" target="_blank">Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2020</a> Tuesday, a comprehensive piece of legislation that is being hailed as a first-of-its-kind attempt to address the root causes of the crisis on the national level.</p><p>"Our bill is a game-changer—the first bill to comprehensively tackle the plastic crisis," Udall said in a press call Monday.</p>
<div id="499d8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="166O6X1581599793"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1227269417999925249" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Today’s the day—we’re introducing the #BreakFreeFromPlastic Pollution Act. Tune in now: https://t.co/QYQW5e50BW</div> — Tom Udall (@Tom Udall)<a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorTomUdall/statuses/1227269417999925249">1581438805.0</a></blockquote></div><p>The bill has several ground-breaking components.</p><ol><li>It requires plastic producers to take responsibility for their waste. The bill would shift the burden of waste collection and management from local governments and taxpayers to the manufacturers of items like packaging, containers, food service products and paper, who would be charged with designing and funding recycling systems.</li><li>It establishes a nation-wide beverage container refund system. Anyone buying a beverage container of any type would be charged an extra 10 cents that would be refunded when they returned the empty item.</li><li>It phases out the most polluting single-use plastics. Starting in Jan. 2022, highly polluting items like plastic bags, polystyrene containers and plastic stirrers and cutlery would be phased out. Straws would only be available by request. The bill would also introduce a nationwide plastic bag fee.</li><li>It mandates minimum recycled content. The bill would require products to be made with increasing percentages of recycled material. For example, plastic bottles would need to be made of 25 percent recycled material by 2025 and 80 percent by 2040.</li><li>It considers <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/environmental-justice" rel="noopener noreferrer">environmental justice</a>. The bill would prohibit the U.S. from shipping waste to countries that cannot manage it. It would only be able to export waste to countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and only with their consent. Further, it puts a pause of up to three years on the granting of permits for facilities that create plastic so that the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/epa" target="_self">Environmental Protection Agency</a> can update its safe air and water standards for these facilities.</li></ol>
<p>Lowenthal said he and Udall had been working on crafting the legislation for about a year.</p><p>"First and foremost, the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/Break-Free-From-Plastic" target="_self">Break Free from Plastic</a> Pollution Act removes the burden of waste collection and recycling from the cities, from states, and, most importantly, from taxpayers, and puts it where it belongs: on the producers and the companies putting out these unsustainable products into the marketplace," Lowenthal said in Monday's press call.</p>
<div id="e37f6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="595FAO1581599793"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1227347326303338500" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">After decades of treating our land, waterways, and oceans as plastic waste dumping grounds, we now face a global cr… https://t.co/1Kaz5ny9Lw</div> — Rep. Alan Lowenthal (@Rep. Alan Lowenthal)<a href="https://twitter.com/RepLowenthal/statuses/1227347326303338500">1581457380.0</a></blockquote></div><p>This distinguishes it from previous legislative attempts to deal with plastic waste, such as the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1982" target="_blank">Save Our Seas 2.0 Act</a>, which passed the Senate in January. That act focuses more on plastic already in the environment and puts the onus for recycling and cleanup on the government, rather than on producers.</p><p>The new bill has won widespread approval from environmental groups, many of whom worked with Udall and Lowenthal's offices to develop it.</p><p>"It's high time for companies to do more than just say they will recycle. Plastic pollution has become one of the greatest threats to our oceans. This bill would finally tackle the plastic crisis at its source by reducing the amount produced in the first place, and encouraging a shift to refillable and reusable alternatives," <a href="https://oceana.org/" target="_blank">Oceana</a> chief policy officer Jacqueline Savitz said in a statement emailed to EcoWatch. "We need to turn off the faucet, not just run for the mop."</p><p>Yvette Arellano, policy and research grassroots advocate at <a href="http://tejasbarrios.org/" target="_blank">Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services</a>, praised the bill for its attention to the health impacts of plants that convert <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuels</a> to plastics, which especially impact low-income communities of color in Texas and along the Gulf Coast.</p>
<p>"I really want to thank the Senator and the Representative for this, not ambitious, but common sense piece inside of this act. It's very meaningful for us to maintain that human health is being impacted in our most vulnerable communities," she said during the press call.</p><p>"It's a link we rarely see being made," she added.</p><p>With its pause on new plastics plants and its shift of responsibility to producers, one might expect the new bill to meet resistance from the plastics industry. But the bill's sponsors and supporters do not expect this to stymie their efforts.</p><p>Udall said he and Lowenthal had spoken with industry actors while writing the bill, and incorporated some of their ideas.</p><p>Scott Cassel, founder and chief executive officer of the <a href="https://www.productstewardship.us/" target="_blank">Product Stewardship Institute</a>, said in a press call that he had worked with the plastics industry for 20 years.</p><p>"Producers have a pattern of how they will oppose things in the beginning and then will come to the table," he said.</p><p>He added that attempts to deal with the plastic pollution issue on the state and local level had led to a regulatory patchwork that created a "headache" for producers, meaning there might be an appetite for the comprehensive national approach proposed by the new bill.</p>
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Coca-Cola says it will not phase out its plastic bottles. Roberto Machado Noa / LightRocket / Getty Images
Despite its status as the world's No. 1 corporate plastic polluter, Coca-Cola won't be phasing out its single-use plastic bottles anytime soon.
<p>The reason? Customers like them too much, the company's head of <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sustainability" target="_self">sustainability</a> Bea Perez told <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51197463" target="_blank">BBC News</a> at the World Economic Forum in Davos Tuesday. Perez said that customers value the bottles because they are lightweight and easily reseal, and argued that getting rid of them would hurt sales.</p><p>"Business won't be in business if we don't accommodate consumers," she said.</p><p>Instead, the company plans to focus on <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/recycling" target="_self">recycling</a>. It has promised to recycle as many bottles as it uses by 2030, to use 50 percent recycled materials in packaging by that date and to work with nonprofits to better collect its waste.</p><p>"So as we change our bottling infrastructure, move into recycling and innovate, we also have to show the consumer what the opportunities are. They will change with us," Perez said.</p><p>However, environmental groups have argued that recycling is not the most effective solution to the <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/plastic-pollution" target="_self">plastic pollution</a> crisis. In a statement emailed to EcoWatch, <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/" target="_blank">Greenpeace USA</a> Plastics Campaigner Kate Melges explained exactly what she thought was wrong with Perez's reasoning:</p>
<blockquote>It is mighty convenient for the world's worst plastic polluter to insist that people want their single-use plastic around. Coca-Cola continues to show how out of touch it is with the environmental crises communities around the world are facing. The solution is not to simply swap one throwaway material for another or continue to fall back on recycling. The solution is for Coca-Cola and other consumer goods giants to fundamentally rethink how they're bringing products to people, centering systems of reuse and package-free options. We cannot afford the levels of inaction that Coke has shown thus far. Soon, the company will realize just how sick and tired people are of its plastic addiction.<br><br>As long as companies like Coke keep pushing the myth that their bottles are being turned into new bottles over and over again, we are never going to solve the plastic pollution crisis. In the U.S., only 29 percent of plastic bottles are collected for recycling, and almost none of that is being made back into bottles. Instead, Coke's plastic bottles are being made from fossil fuels, which is a fact they'd rather not talk about.</blockquote><p>Coca-Cola currently produces around three million tonnes (approximately 3.3 million U.S. tons) of plastic packaging every year, according to BBC News. That comes to 200,000 bottles a minute. And currently, many of those bottles are not getting recycled.</p><p>For two years in a row, the <a href="https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/" target="_blank">Break Free From Plastic</a> movement <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/coke-pepsi-plastic-polluters-2641090767.html" target="_self">found</a> Coca-Cola to be the brand best represented among the world's plastic waste. Their most recent October 2019 <a href="https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/globalbrandauditreport2019/" target="_blank">report</a>, based on litter collected in 484 cleanups in more than 50 countries and on six continents, found that Coca-Cola left more waste than the next three companies on the list ― Nestle, Pepsi and snack-maker Mondelez ― put together.</p><p>Worldwide, people use <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/recycling-plastic-reality-2615116844.html" target="_self">one million plastic bottles every minute</a>, and 91 percent of them are not recycled. Some of that unrecycled waste joins the more than <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/8-million-metric-tons-of-plastic-dumped-into-worlds-oceans-each-year-1882012563.html" target="_self">eight million metric tons of plastic</a> dumped into the world's <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oceans" target="_self">oceans</a> every year, threatening <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/marine-life" target="_self">marine life</a>.</p><p>"[C]orporations urgently need to do more to address the plastic pollution crisis they've created," Von Hernandez, global coordinator of the Break Free From Plastic movement, said in October. "Their continued reliance on single-use plastic packaging translates to pumping more throwaway plastic into the environment. Recycling is not going to solve this problem."</p>
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chandlerphoto / Getty Images
More and more homeowners in Raleigh, NC, have embraced renewable energy like solar power. This popular option allows residents to fuel their homes cleanly and effectively, minimizing their home's environmental footprint while lowering their monthly utility bills. What are the best solar companies in Raleigh, NC? We'll show you the top options, plus provide important information on solar panel systems, federal tax credits, and more.
<p>If you're looking to adopt solar energy in Raleigh, North Carolina, one of the first steps in the process is to find the best renewable energy company. Thankfully, there are a number of excellent solar power providers throughout the area. They can provide the expertise and reliable technology you need to upgrade your home and truly take advantage of solar energy systems.</p><h2>Our picks for the best solar energy companies in Raleigh</h2><p><em>Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.</em></p><ul class="ee-ul"><li><a href="https://www.8msolar.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">8M Solar</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncsolarnow.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NC Solar Now</a></li><li><a href="https://www.gosunpro.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sunpro Solar</a></li><li><a href="https://blueravensolar.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Blue Raven Solar</a></li><li><a href="https://renuenergysolutions.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Renu Energy Solutions</a></li><li><a href="https://www.emeraldenergync.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Emerald Energy</a></li><li><a href="https://covenantsolar.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Covenant Solar Tech</a></li><li><a href="https://yessolarsolutions.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Yes Solar Solutions</a></li><li><a href="https://sundollarenergy.com/about-us/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sun Dollar Energy</a></li><li><a href="https://www.duke-energy.com/home/products/renewable-energy/nc-shared-solar" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Duke Energy</a></li></ul><h2>How we chose the best solar companies in Raleigh</h2><p>In order to create a list of the best solar power installers in Raleigh, North Carolina, we compared each company on a number of important categories. Our picks for Raleigh's best solar energy companies are based on the following:</p><ul class="ee-ul"> <li><strong>Coverage area. </strong>Some companies offer wider, more consistent coverage areas than others. We sought to include companies that make solar power readily available to both Raleigh and nearby areas like Durham and Cary.</li><li><strong>Services.</strong> We also ranked Raleigh's local solar providers on how many total services they offer. For instance, how much help do they offer in terms of consultation, solar system design, and installation? </li><li><strong>Installation process. </strong>We also evaluated local solar energy providers on the basis of whether they can install your new solar panels. Do they send an installation team to your home, or do you have to contract with a separate installation company?</li><li><strong>Pricing and financing. </strong>As you look for the best solar company in Raleigh, you'll definitely need to think about your budget. We've tried to evaluate companies on the basis of affordability and flexible financing options.</li><li><strong>Panel efficiency. </strong>Solar panels can vary quite a bit in terms of how much sunlight they absorb, and how efficiently they convert that solar energy to a usable AC stream. We've selected local companies that offer exemplary technology with the highest <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/solar-performance-and-efficiency" target="_blank">solar panel energy efficiency</a>.</li><li><strong>Rebates.</strong> Along with flexible financing options, some solar installers make it easy for you to claim clean energy rebates, another useful way to offset your total energy cost.</li><li><strong>Warranty.</strong> When investing in a significant piece of technology, such as a solar panel system, it makes sense to seek some consumer protections. A good warranty can offer ample peace of mind.</li><li><strong>Professional affiliation. </strong>We looked for companies endorsed or certified by leading professional organizations. These include the <a href="https://www.seia.org/about" target="_blank">Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)</a>, the <a href="https://www.nabcep.org/about-us/" target="_blank">North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP)</a>, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and more. This is one of the easiest ways to evaluate a solar company's reputation.</li></ul><p>With these factors in mind, we're now ready to take a look at a few of the most highly recommended solar power and renewable energy companies in Raleigh, North Carolina.</p><h2>The best solar energy companies in Raleigh, NC</h2><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMDY2My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY3NTU4Njk2MH0.4uZ3uc3dKy_eV6VkhXe01FTYZygEbPN2vPY52fIj148/img.jpg?width=980" id="6ae05" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c6d86615b9c32f2ec78431ce0441e6c8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="721">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Blend Images - Done Mason / Getty Images</small></p><h3><a href="https://www.8msolar.com/" target="_blank">8M Solar</a><br></h3><p>Based in Wake Forest, 8M Solar is one of the best-rated clean energy companies in North Carolina. Their services are NABCEP-certified, they are SolarEdge and Tesla certified installers, and they are endorsed by Duke Energy. The owners are directly involved in all aspects of solar panel system design to provide hands-on expertise, and their panels come with generous 25-year warranties.</p><p><strong>Why buy: </strong>Simply put, 8M Solar is one of the best companies to choose if you're looking for a straightforward way to go green and decrease monthly utility costs. The company claims that their rates are, on average, 10 percent lower than their competitors. Formidable expertise, best-in-class technology, robust warranties, and affordable pricing make 8M Solar a top choice.</p><h3><a href="https://www.ncsolarnow.com/" target="_blank">NC Solar Now</a></h3><p>Since 2010, NC Solar Now has been a dependable clean energy partner to homeowners throughout the state. Their company is built around a vision for sustainability and ensuring that all families have access to affordable energy. The company is a member of the NC Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA), the NC Clean Technology Center (NCCTC), is endorsed by Duke Energy, and was chosen as one of the top 20 solar contractors in the US by <a href="https://www.generalcontractors.org/the-best-commercial-solar-contractors-in-the-us/" target="_blank">General Contractor Magazine.</a></p><p><strong>Why buy:</strong> NC Solar Now is a great all-around option for anyone looking to embrace the promise of clean solar power. They are locally owned and operated, they offer flexible pricing for both residential and commercial properties, and they can help you take advantage of all available solar incentives and rebates.</p><h3><a href="https://www.gosunpro.com/" target="_blank">Sunpro Solar</a></h3><p>Sunpro is a nationally known and NABCEP-certified company. They offer cost-effective pricing and leading rooftop solar technology that allows you to save big bucks on your home utility bills. SunPro takes a lot of pride in having first-class customer service and their team is also available to help you claim clean energy tax incentives.</p><p><strong>Why buy:</strong> Sunpro is one of the most-trusted solar energy installers in the country, and even ranked #5 on Solar Power World's 2020 list of the Top Residential Solar Installers in the U.S. They handle everything from design to installation, and offer 25-year guarantees on labor and equipment.</p><h3><a href="https://blueravensolar.com/" target="_blank">Blue Raven Solar</a></h3><p>Blue Raven Solar is one of the fastest-growing solar companies in the country, operating in a number of states throughout the Southeast and beyond. They're passionate about helping homeowners save money on their electricity bills, and that's allowed them to become a clean energy provider of choice in the Raleigh-Durham area, as well as Asheville, Charlotte, and Greensboro.</p><p><strong>Why buy:</strong> Blue Raven Solar offers a truly comprehensive solar energy service, including surveying, solar panel system design, installation, and more. The company also offers highly competitive pricing and excellent financing options (including $0 down), and has received rave reviews from their customers as one of the most trusted solar energy companies around.</p><h3><a href="https://renuenergysolutions.com/" target="_blank">Renu Energy Solutions</a></h3><p>Based in Charlotte, Renu Energy Solutions provides dependable solar energy services to homeowners throughout the state. Since 2010, this locally-owned and operated company has been one of the Charlotte area's trusted names in solar energy. They offer free solar assessments, along with plenty of assistance finding flexible financing solutions.</p><p><strong>Why buy:</strong> This is another great example of a local business with world-class solar expertise. Choose them for friendly service, competitive pricing, and high-quality tech. Plus, Renu offers manufacturer's warranties of up to 25 years (depending on the specific solar panels you choose).</p><h3><a href="https://www.emeraldenergync.com/" target="_blank">Emerald Energy</a></h3><p>Emerald Energy is a Raleigh-based contracting company best known for offering design, consulting and installation for solar energy solutions. They offer zero money down and no interest financing on systems, and can help you take advantage of the many solar rebates and incentives that are offered in North Carolina.</p><p><strong>Why buy: </strong>For a fully-licensed local contractor with real clean energy bona fides, Emerald Energy is one of the best companies you'll find. Their in-house system design and installation services can help you enjoy cleaner electricity, energy independence, and lowered utility bills.</p><h3><a href="https://covenantsolar.com/" target="_blank">Covenant Solar Tech</a></h3><p>Covenant Solar Tech is locally owned and operated in Raleigh, North Carolina. They deliver a full spectrum of services, including consultation, design, installation, financing, and beyond. For those exploring solar energy options, they offer free solar estimates, and boast some truly outstanding customer reviews.</p><p><strong>Why buy:</strong> Covenant Solar Tech offers expert installation with friendly, personable customer service. They are one of the best local Raleigh companies in the solar energy game. Their solar energy expertise and experience was also recently enhanced by the company's purchase of Sun Dollar Energy.</p><h3><a href="https://yessolarsolutions.com/" target="_blank">Yes Solar Solutions</a></h3><p>Yes Solar Solutions is a terrific clean energy company located in Cary, NC. Their installers proudly service residents of Raleigh and the surrounding area. The company has been around since 2009, and in that time they've helped more than 1,000 homeowners go solar. They are a certified installer for Tesla solar equipment, offer free assessments and various financing options.</p><p><strong>Why buy:</strong> Yes Solar Solutions is NABCEP accredited and has a long history, an impressive track record, and plenty of ways to help you cut energy costs. Reviews of the company attest to their excellent customer service in helping people go solar.</p><h3><a href="https://sundollarenergy.com/about-us/" target="_blank">Sun Dollar Energy powered by Covenant Solar Tech</a></h3><p>Sun Dollar Energy started a family-owned solar power contractor serving homeowners throughout North Carolina. The small solar company with local roots offered a personalized experience for customers. In January 2021, the company was purchased by Covenant Solar Tech, but will still provide the same reliable service under the Sun Dollar Energy name.</p><p><strong>Why buy:</strong> Sun Dollar Energy powered by Covenant Solar Tech is your best bet for a truly homegrown, local solar energy provider. They offer years of experience and their licensed, NABCEP-certified installers helped them become a leading provider in the area, with positive customer reviews for their easy installation process.</p><h3><a href="https://www.duke-energy.com/Our-Company/Environment/Renewable-Energy/Solar-Energy" target="_blank">Duke Energy</a></h3><p>Duke Energy might not be the first name you think of for this list, but they provide a wide range of solar energy solutions across the Raleigh area. Not only does Duke Energy provide solar rebates worth up to $6,000, they also offer services like <a href="https://www.duke-energy.com/home/products/renewable-energy/generate-your-own" target="_blank">net metering</a> that can help offset your electric bill with the energy from your solar energy system.</p><p><strong>Why buy:</strong> Duke Energy has made some admirable commitments to renewable energy in recent years. With programs like NC <a href="https://www.duke-energy.com/home/products/renewable-energy/nc-shared-solar" target="_blank">Shared Solar</a>, the company allows you to support solar energy generation and development each month even if you can't install solar panels on your own home, making solar energy more accessible.</p><h2>What types of solar energy are available in Raleigh, NC?</h2><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcwMDY3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MjEyOTA1MX0.hZ7m-mEyAd_MBxOlVzFtHSuyPbttXtbGtvW1D6wGgh4/img.jpg?width=980" id="f92ca" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="659abb8e87ff463fb88bbe715ccafe0d" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="1200" data-height="713">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">Buena Vista Images / Getty Images</small></p><p>As you consider your options for solar energy in the Raleigh area, it's important to note that different companies provide varied kinds of access to the sun's energy.<br></p><p>For instance, most of the companies on our list are truly solar installers, which means they can help you upgrade your home with solar panels and batteries, allowing you to directly absorb the sun's rays, convert it to electricity, and use that electricity to power your home.</p><p>But a few companies, like Duke Energy, do something a little different: They essentially allow you to choose a plan where you get solar power straight from Duke's solar energy facilities as part of your home's energy, but also use regular electrical power when necessary.</p><p>Make sure you understand these different models as you seek the right solar power provider for your home.</p><h2>How does solar panel installation work?</h2><p>It is also helpful to know more about the process of having solar panels installed on your home.</p><p>Usually, the process begins with an energy audit. A certified installer will arrive at your home, assess your energy needs, and also evaluate how much sun exposure you get. They will then recommend the number of panels that need to be installed on your roof, as well as the ideal locations for those panels.</p><p>Once installed, these solar panels draw energy from the sun and store it in a battery. This solar power is then converted to AC power, using a component known as an inverter, which can then power all your home appliances and devices.</p><p>If you have any specific questions about the installation process, it's usually best to go straight to your installer. Note that while the initial investment in equipment can be steep, that's usually it in terms of overall solar expense: the sun's energy is free, and you won't need to invest in any further fuel sources.</p><h2>Choose the best rooftop solar company in Raleigh</h2><p>There are countless reasons for Raleigh homeowners to embrace clean energy: it's a great way to minimize your environmental impact; it can lower your household energy expenses; and you can take advantage of the many rebates and tax advantages offered in the state.</p><p>As you consider different players within the solar industry, choose wisely, starting with some of the recommendations we've offered here. These are renewable energy companies that have solid reputations and proven track records of solar energy service.</p><p><em><strong>Josh Hurst </strong></em><em>is a journalist, critic, and essayist. He lives in Knoxville, TN, with his wife and three sons. His writing on natural health, nutrition, and supplements has appeared in Health, Shape, and Remedy Review.</em></p>
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This photo taken on May 19, 2018 shows plastic waste on a garbage-filled beach on the Freedom island critical habitat and ecotourism area near Manila in the Philippines. NOEL CELIS / AFP / Getty Images
Coca-Cola was found to be the most polluted brand in the world for the second year in a row, according to a global audit of collected plastic trash conducted by the Break Free From Plastic global movement, as The Intercept reported.
<p>While Nestle, Pepsi and snack-maker Mondelez followed Coca-Cola, the Atlanta-based beverage giant was responsible for more plastic litter than the other three combined, according to the report called <a href="https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/globalbrandauditreport2019/" target="_blank">BRANDED Volume II: Identifying the World's Top Corporate Plastic Polluters</a>.</p><p>The plastic was counted during "brand audits" where Break Free From Plastic counted plastic litter collected in 484 cleanups in more than 50 countries on six continents in September, as <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_asia/article/d3ae8q/coca-cola-nestle-pepsico-worlds-top-plastic-polluters-2019" target="_blank">Vice</a> reported. </p>
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border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"> View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B3-eVEsH7e9/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by #breakfreefromplastic (@breakfreefromplastic)</a> on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2019-10-23T21:40:51+00:00">Oct 23, 2019 at 2:40pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>To undertake such a large project, Break Free From Plastic enlisted more than 72,000 volunteers who scoured beaches, waterways and streets. The volunteers collected bottles, cups, wrappers, bags and scraps during World Clean Up Day on Sept. 21. After sorting through the collected debris, the researchers identified 50 different types of waste traced back to nearly 8,000 different brands. Coke was the most counted product at 11,372 identifiable pieces of plastic litter in 37 countries, according to the <a href="https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/globalbrandauditreport2019/" target="_blank">report</a>, as <a href="https://theintercept.com/2019/10/23/coca-cola-plastic-waste-pollution/" target="_blank">The Intercept</a> reported.</p><p>The numbers for Coke, PepsiCo, Mondelez International and Unilever were probably low, since more than half of the plastic had eroded to the point where it was impossible to identify which brand it belonged to. The volunteers collected 476,423 pieces of plastic waste, but only 43 percent were marked with a clear consumer brand, according to the <a href="https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/branded-2019-web-FINAL-v2-1.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>.</p><p>Coke was the top source of branded plastic collected in Africa and Europe. It was the second largest in Asia and South America, but fifth in North America. In North America, the most collected plastic litter was produced by Nestle, followed by the Solo Cup Company, and Starbucks, according to the <a href="https://theintercept.com/2019/10/23/coca-cola-plastic-waste-pollution/" target="_blank">The Intercept</a>.</p><p>"This report provides more evidence that corporations urgently need to do more to address the plastic pollution crisis they've created," said Von Hernandez, global coordinator of the Break Free From Plastic movement. "Their continued reliance on single-use plastic packaging translates to pumping more throwaway plastic into the environment. Recycling is not going to solve this problem."</p>
<video controls id="adf6c" width="100%" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c0ec2be863c6b9927fa31942c26b3de8" expand="1" feedbacks="true" mime_type="video/mp4" shortcode_id="1571936959183" url="https://roar-assets-auto.rbl.ms/runner%2F14814-BFFP-top-plastic-polluters-video-ENG-SUBS.mp4" videoControls="true"> <source src="https://roar-assets-auto.rbl.ms/runner%2F14814-BFFP-top-plastic-polluters-video-ENG-SUBS.mp4" type="video/mp4"> Your browser does not support the video tag. </video><p>Recent <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/21/us-plastic-recycling-landfills" target="_blank">investigations</a> have found that only 9 percent of all plastic is recycled. Most ends up in landfills, burned in incinerators or it is dumped in the ocean. The collected litter has spurred Break Free From Plastic to urge companies to eliminate their production of single-use plastic packaging and to instead find innovative solutions, according to <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_asia/article/d3ae8q/coca-cola-nestle-pepsico-worlds-top-plastic-polluters-2019" target="_blank">Vice</a>.<br></p><p>The report suggested that cities adapt a zero-waste lifestyle. It also suggested brands set up a delivery system for refills, that people use traditional packaging like banana leaves, and that consumers to use their own reusable materials, as <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_asia/article/d3ae8q/coca-cola-nestle-pepsico-worlds-top-plastic-polluters-2019" target="_blank">Vice</a> reported.</p><p>Coca-Cola has recently introduced <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/dasani-aluminum-cans-2639822829.html" target="_self">Dasani</a> water in aluminum cans and a plastic bottle made of marine waste. Both <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/coca-cola-pepsico-plastics-2639326311.html?rebelltitem=2#rebelltitem2" target="_self">Coca-Cola and PepsiCo</a> have pledged to package their products in fully recyclable, reusable or compostable containers by 2025. However, Break Free From Plastic and Greenpeace balk at the beverage manufacturers actions.</p><p>"Recent commitments by corporations like Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and PepsiCo to address the crisis unfortunately continue to rely on false solutions like replacing plastic with paper or bioplastics and relying more heavily on a broken global recycling system," said Abigail Aguilar, Greenpeace Southeast Asia plastic campaign coordinator, in a <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/philippines/press/3647/coca-cola-nestle-and-pepsico-named-top-plastic-polluters-for-the-second-year-in-a-row/" target="_blank">statement</a>. "These strategies largely protect the outdated throwaway business model that caused the plastic pollution crisis, and will do nothing to prevent these brands from being named the top polluters again in the future."</p><p>Coca-Cola responded to questions from <a href="https://theintercept.com/2019/10/23/coca-cola-plastic-waste-pollution/" target="_blank">The Intercept</a> with an emailed statement: "Any time our packaging ends up in our oceans — or anywhere that it doesn't belong — is unacceptable to us. In partnership with others, we are working to address this critical global issue, both to help turn off the tap in terms of plastic waste entering our oceans and to help clean up the existing pollution."</p>
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Coke bottles found on Mull Beach in Scotland. Will Rose / Greenpeace
Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Nestlé were identified as the world's biggest producers of plastic trash in global cleanups and brand audits, a new report from Greenpeace and the Break Free From Plastic movement reveals.
Over the span of nine months, an international team of volunteers sorted through 187,000 pieces of plastic trash collected from 239 cleanups in 42 countries around the world.
<p>
The
<a href="https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/globalbrandauditreport2018/" target="_blank">results</a>, released Tuesday, shows that these multinational food and beverage giants were the top 10 offenders:</p><ol class="ee-ol">
<li>Coca-Cola</li>
<li>PepsiCo</li>
<li>Nestlé</li>
<li>Danone</li>
<li>Mondelez International</li>
<li>Procter & Gamble</li>
<li>Unilever</li>
<li>Perfetti van Melle</li>
<li>Mars Incorporated</li>
<li>Colgate-Palmolive</li>
</ol><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="18ae0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="YO1G951576662680"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1049660885868924928" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">BREAKING: @Coca-cola, @PepsiCo, and @Nestle have emerged as the top corporate polluters from 239 brand audits acros… https://t.co/QuCnYnjbOo</div> — Greenpeace USA (@Greenpeace USA)<a href="https://twitter.com/greenpeaceusa/statuses/1049660885868924928">1539093631.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p><p>
The organizers behind the effort are calling out these brands for their contribution to plastic pollution.
</p><p>
"These brand audits offer undeniable proof of the role that corporations play in perpetuating the global plastic pollution crisis," Von Hernandez, global coordinator of Break Free From Plastic, said in a press release emailed to EcoWatch. "By continuing to churn out problematic and unrecyclable throwaway plastic packaging for their products, these companies are guilty of trashing the planet on a massive scale. It's time they own up and stop shifting the blame to citizens for their wasteful and polluting products."
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xODcwMjkxMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1OTE3Mjk3OH0.UN5ZcHfSLoiDXIea7Fjqwzlo43e1gRFILK66FEgedsk/img.jpg?width=980" id="ced9f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="39ad3f2005e7530e6b9597d5655da3fe" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Greenpeace Southeast Asia conducts plastic brand audit activity at Wonnapa beach, Chonburi province on World Cleanup Day, September 15, 2018.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Greenpeace</small>
</p><p>
In the U.S. specifically, a total of 70 cleanups determined that Nestlé, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola were the worst corporate plastic polluters, in that order.
</p><p>
The three companies have each pledged to cut their packaging waste. Coca-Cola has a global
<a href="https://www.coca-colacompany.com/press-center/press-releases/the-coca-cola-company-announces-new-global-vision-to-help-create" target="_blank">goal</a> to help collect and recycle the equivalent of 100 percent of its packaging by 2030. Nestlé <a href="https://www.nestle.com/media/pressreleases/allpressreleases/nestle-recyclable-reusable-packaging-by-2025" target="_blank">aims</a> to make 100 percent recyclable or reusable packaging by 2025. PepsiCo has a <a href="http://www.pepsico.com/live/pressrelease/pepsico-to-more-than-triple-recycled-content-in-its-plastic-bottles-to-50-p-in-the-european-union-by-2030?sf196839220=1" target="_blank">goal</a> to design 100 percent of its packaging to be recyclable, compostable or biodegradable and to reduce its packaging's carbon impact by 2025.
</p><div id="17056" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="WK30OX1576662681"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style=" background:#FFF; border:0;
border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);
margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px);
width:calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding:8px;">
<div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:50% 0; text-align:center;
width:100%;">
<div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);
display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;">
</div></div><p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;">
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BoZcPL6B6_H/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif;
font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;
word-wrap:break-word;" target="_top">Greenpeace International 🌍 on Instagram: “All around the world, Greenpeace volunteers are hard at work conducting cleanups and brand audits to determine which corporations are the…”</a></p>
</div></blockquote></div><p>
Awareness about the global plastic waste crisis is growing worldwide. Governments around the world have taken steps to
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/eu-plastics-ban-2573215290.html">ban single-use plastics</a> and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/beat-plastic-pollution-2573622594.html">individuals are pledging</a> to reduce their plastic footprint.
</p><p>
However, the organizers of the recent report are asking: Shouldn't corporations that package their goods in plastics shoulder some of this responsibility, too?
</p><p>
<span></span>"We all have a role to play in tackling plastic pollution. But the reality is, individual consumers are already bearing the burden of this crisis," Greenpeace content editor Ryan Schleeter wrote in a <a href="https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/18876/these-10-companies-are-flooding-the-planet-with-throwaway-plastic/" target="_blank">blog post</a> about today's report. "We're swapping plastic bottles for reusable glass and metal, ditching disposable straws, avoiding unnecessary packaging in our grocery stores, and cleaning up our beaches as best we can. But there's only so much we can do if companies don't step up and provide more sustainable choices."
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-twitter_embed">
</p><div id="139c3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="CD5HGC1576662681"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1049657287772639232" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Plastic on Remote #SouthAtlantic Beaches Up 10 Fold in 10 Years #PlasticPollutes @plasticpollutes
https://t.co/ig6yeFf5at</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/1049657287772639232">1539092773.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p></p>
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Cafeteria Culture
Carrots in a Ziploc
Grapes in a bag
Sandwich in saran wrap, with a "fresh daily" tag
Water bottle snuggled by an extra pair of socks
Plastic straw
Chips to gnaw
Juice in a box
That's an average American kids lunch stuffed in a school bag, with enough plastic packaging to wallpaper the classroom. Once it comes to school lunch, we don't practice what we preach, so let's unpackage what we teach.
<p style="">There is a hidden curriculum in our schools. In many schools across the U.S. lunch is served on foam polystyrene trays, plastic forks and straws come in little plastic baggies, a plastic cup for fruit cocktail or vegetables sit on that foam tray, and a plastic wrapped Burrito or pizza rounds out the meal. Some schools even serve milk in a plastic pouch, like a water balloon. Yet, open any science textbook and whole chapters spout opposite messaging about what we put in our bodies, what touches our food and how we treat the environment. It makes no sense to teach students environmental ethics and recycling when we turn around and show them in the cafeteria that consuming single-use plastic and throwing it in the garbage can is the way we actually do things. This is the hidden curriculum.</p><p style="">There are also hidden costs. Styrene, the monomer that becomes the long chain polymer "polystyrene," is toxic from the start, from factory worker health to environmental contamination. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services categorizes styrene as "reasonably anticipated to be a carcinogen." In the environment, most of us have seen bits of Styrofoam blowing in the wind. Those fragments break down further, and in sunlight UV degradation breaks polystyrene back into the monomer form styrene. Dr. Perry Elizabeth Sheffield, MD, deputy director of Pediatrics and Preventative Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, explained, "As experts in children's environmental health, we know that what we do to the environment, we ultimately do to ourselves and to our children. Products like polystyrene create pollution where they are produced, where they are discarded, and inside our bodies. They dirty our air, contaminate our water, and get into the food chain. Because polystyrene threatens human health and cannot be practically recycled, we support a polystyrene ban." </p><p style="">Styrene likely isn't good for our children's bodies either. There are several studies that show styrene can migrate from packaging to food. But what of the multi-year, daily exposures children have to polystyrene products in the cafeteria? Debby Lee Cohen, executive director and founder of <a href="http://www.cafeteriaculture.org/" target="_blank">Cafeteria Culture</a>, explained "Yet the long term effects of hot food served daily to children, directly onto trays made of the chemical styrene—sometimes 3 times per day and over a 13-year period—has yet to be studied." Hint to future researchers, there's a PhD thesis in evaluating the K-12 styrene exposure experiment underway on millions of U.S. kids.</p><p style="">Debby Lee Cohen envisions zero waste schools, which complements the growing global movement to end the one-way trajectory of plastic from production to the dump, incinerator or middle of the ocean. On a global scale, groups like the <a href="http://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/">Plastic Pollution Coalition</a>, <a href="https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/" target="_blank">Break Free From Plastic</a> and the <a href="https://www.5gyres.org/" target="_blank">5 Gyres Institute</a>, with their <a href="https://www.5gyres.org/styrofoam/" target="_blank">Foam Free</a> campaign, are turning their eyes to upstream to end the single-use throwaway plastic concept, that is rapidly trashing our land and sea. What better place to shift culture than in the classroom?</p><p style="">One classroom took action years ago. Thomas Starr King Middle School in Los Angeles, California learned about plastic pollution in our oceans in 2012 and looked no further than the hundreds of foam trays they used daily. For one week they collected every Styrofoam tray from lunch room garbage cans, rinsed and stack them up, resulting in a 30 foot tall tower. They punched a rope through the middle and hung it in the tree like a giant rectangular snake. Two years later, the former superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District, John Deasy, announced in front of cameras on the school grounds that the entire district was going "foam free."</p><p style="">Other similar efforts were happening in other states, and in 2015, the <a href="https://www.urbanschoolfoodalliance.org/" target="_blank">Urban School Food Alliance</a>, a coalition of school districts in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Miami, Dallas, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale that leverage their combined buying power, found one company that made compostable lunch trays. By giving that one vendor all of their business, they brought the price down to the point where it was economically feasible. They made the switch. By the end of the 2015 school year half a billion foam trays were kept out of landfills, incinerators and student meals across the U.S.</p><p style="">But, as I document in my book <em>Junk Raft: An Ocean Voyage and a Rising Tide of Activism to Fight Plastic Pollution,</em> the industries that make plastic are not giving up quietly. Dart, one of the largest companies making foamed polystyrene products, is on the offensive, supporting policies that push recycling. In New York City the legislative bill "Intro 1480" was introduced to promote foam polystyrene recycling. While recycling is a publicly favored concept, the reality is dirty foam is costly to recover and hard to recycle, requiring substantial subsidies in communities willing to foot the bill. Most cities don't want to burden tax payers with these added costs. Bills like this are less about stopping the harm to people and the environment, and more about protecting the market for foamed polystyrene plastic products and packaging. Environmental NGO's countered this bill with "Intro 1596" an outright polystyrene ban, and are working hard to educate policy makers to take their name off of one bill and sign on to the other. This work is the hard won fight toward zero waste.</p><p style="">Therefore, we need to rise from those tiny, one-size-fits all, plastic chairs with the built-in desk and stand up for zero waste schools, and for the healthy mind and bodies we want for our kids. There's a new lesson plan coming to a school near you, with a roadmap for change. Model zero waste schools are popping up in <a href="http://www.ecocycle.org/schools/overview" target="_blank">Boulder</a>, Colorado, <a href="http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/zerowaste/schools.shtml" target="_blank">New York City</a>, <a href="http://zerowastemarin.org/schools/" target="_blank">Marin</a>, California and <a href="https://www.biocycle.net/2010/03/23/launching-zero-waste-schools/" target="_blank">Oak Park</a>, Illinois, and dozens of other cities. Cafeteria Culture has launched "<a href="http://www.cafeteriaculture.org/sort2save-kit.html" target="_blank">Sort2Save</a>," a tool kit for schools to go zero waste, with a step-by-step guide to get it done. Can you hear the school bell ringing? It's time to practice what we teach. </p>
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