Obsolete Packaging Grocer Shuns Plastic Trays
The British supermarket chain Ice- land is planning to eliminate or dras- tically reduce plastic packaging for more than 1,000 of its house-label products by the end of 2023, switch- ing to paper-based trays instead. Nigel Broadhurst, joint managing director of Iceland, explains that the typical ready meal was packaged in a particularly bad way. “It is currently
in a black plastic tray. That black plastic is the worst possible option in terms of toxins going into the ground and the ability to recycle that product.” He also notes that instead of the usual plastic bag, grocers could put netting around a bunch of apples the same as with oranges. Iceland’s research found that 80 percent of shoppers would endorse a supermarket’s move to go plastic-free.
Love Rocks
Inspiring Messages that Surprise Artistically decorated rocks featuring inspirational messages are turning up in Mobile, Alabama, and along the Gulf of Mexico shoreline as part of The Kindness Rocks Project (TheKindnessRocksProject. com). Anyone can paint rocks and “plant” them for someone else to discover. Likewise, everyone is invited to hunt for kindness rocks. Those that find a rock are free to take it, plant it some- where else or leave it for someone else to find.
The grassroots movement was created to spread inspiration and motiva- tion for unsuspecting recipients through the random placement of the rocks in public spaces. The goal is to encourage others to find creative ways to reach out and brighten someone else’s day unexpectedly, whether it’s through kind- ness rocks, love notes or random acts of generosity.
Temporary Protection Locals Prevail Against Bristol Bay Mine
Alaskan mining critics cheered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency de- cision to maintain an existing policy not to permit the Northern Dynasty Miner- als’ Pebble copper and gold mine in Bristol Bay. They maintain that the proj- ect’s toxic byproducts would threaten fisheries and other natural resources. Alannah Hurley, with United Tribes of Bristol Bay, a group opposing the mine, has said that members of the tribes she represents are willing to lie down in front of bulldozers to protect the waters. She notes, “Ideally, we would like these [protections] finalized, and the battle to protect Bristol Bay from the Pebble Mine and mines like Pebble is far from over. But the fact that these protections remain in place and can be used within the process is a very positive step in the effort to protect the Bristol Bay watershed for generations to come.”
All That Glitters Sparkly Microbeads Face Ban
Scientists have called for glitter to be prohibited due to the threat it poses to wildlife. The glisten- ing, decorative, plastic microbead powder may seem harmless, but environmental researchers report it’s a dangerous pollutant, particularly in oceans. Trisia Farrelly, Ph.D., of New Zealand’s Massey University, notes, “Their diminutive size and sparkling appearance make them appealing to animals, which will eat them.” Seven U.S. states now restrict the use and sale of products with microbeads; California was the first in 2015. The British government will ban rinse-off microbeads—plas- tics of less than one millimeter in length—found in exfoliating scrubs, shower gels, toothpaste and even on greeting cards.
Plastics are found in a third of all fish caught in Great Britain, accord- ing to a study by Richard Thomp- son, Ph.D., professor of marine biology at Plymouth University. He says of shower gel with glitter par- ticles, “That stuff is going to escape down the plughole and potentially enter the environment.”
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