Plastic

Thinking Outside the Box: Turning Methane into Biodegradable Plastic
After completing her Ph.D. in Civil & Environmental Engineering in 2009 at Stanford University, Molly Morse harnessed her research on the production of PHA (polyhydroxy alkanoate) biopolymers from methane — and its biodegradation — and shaped it into a start-up business in 2010.

Lessons from a Round-the-World Voyage Cut Short
Since the first leg of eXXpedition’s Round the World mission set sail on October 8, 2019, 80 women from 23 countries have participated — nearly doubling the number of eXXpedition ambassadors (or participants of past voyages) so far.

Takeout Delivery Apps Repurposed to Reduce Food Waste
An overview of Door Dash's Project Dash, Postmates' Food Fight!, Seamless' No Kid Hungry, Uber Eats' opt-in, Swiggy's Packaging Assist and more...

Praise for the Banana Leaf
In March 2019, photos from inside a Thai supermarket went viral. In an effort to reduce the ubiquity of single-use plastic, the Rimping shop in Chiangmai had replaced its packaging with local banana leaves.

Plastic Bags: the Bans, & the Bans on Bans
Plastic bags were introduced in the U.S. by way of Sweden in 1979. By the end of the 1980s, they were everywhere, leaving the paper grocery bag in the dust. Today, two million of them are used per minute — and that’s a low estimate. Consider whether you’ve already used one today — the chances are pretty high.

Single Use Plastics On-Screen, and Off
In case you missed it, the last two episodes of HBO’s beloved Game of Thrones featured surprising contemporary villains: a Starbucks to-go coffee cup one week, a plastic water bottle the next. The memes followed, poking fun at the awkwardness of today’s ubiquitous single-use drink containers sitting alongside goblets made of bone.