School of Sustainability Graduate Culminating Experiences
Student capstone and applied projects from ASU's School of Sustainability.
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- Creators: Collins, Kathleen
Description
The trend couldn’t be clearer. The White House is doing everything it can to reverse the economic, social, and environmental progress bringing the age of fossil fuels to an end. From subsidies for the dying coal industry to gutting regulations on air pollution, recent actions by the president and his cabinet show every intention of turning the dial on our energy policy back a full 30 years (Barba, 2017). Now, the fossil fuel industry is turning to a new strategy: building ethane cracker plants. These facilities turn fracked gas into plastics and – just as important – create more infrastructures for fossil fuels. All in places like the Ohio River Valley where communities are fighting hard to leave natural gas and the impacts of dirty energy behind.
The good news is that more and more communities see these plants for what they are: a wrong turn back to the dark days of dirty energy degrading community health, driving climate change and polluting the air, water, and soil we all share. With our planet’s future and the health of their families all on the line, everyday activists in communities throughout the Ohio River Basin are now banding together to fight back. You can too.
The good news is that more and more communities see these plants for what they are: a wrong turn back to the dark days of dirty energy degrading community health, driving climate change and polluting the air, water, and soil we all share. With our planet’s future and the health of their families all on the line, everyday activists in communities throughout the Ohio River Basin are now banding together to fight back. You can too.
ContributorsCollins, Kathleen (Author)
Created2019-05-15
Description
This paper recounts a project journey that was taken to explore how replacing plastics with less harmful materials can drive positive environmental impact. The project examined the scope and impacts of plastic pollution attributable to healthcare delivery and the adverse impacts it has on population health. Identifying potential options to replace plastics was accomplished by obtaining access to one of the world’s leading materials databases. This access enabled identification of several alternative materials with documented uses as plastic replacements. Evidence of successes that have been achieved in replacing plastics with less harmful materials was gathered by conducting interviews with international materials experts and senior executives from several different industries. These examples are combined with the research findings on alternative materials to construct a case that taking action can yield financial benefits while doing less harm to people and the planet. The completed project presents a framework that can be followed in future efforts to replace plastics. While the scope of the project focused on the plastic pollution problem from a healthcare perspective, the framework that was created is portable and can be adapted for use in any organization or industry seeking to replace plastics and drive change to create a healthier future.
ContributorsO'Brien, Patrick (Writer of accompanying material)
Created2019-12-03