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Kourtnee Arciaga

Mr. Ryan Smith and Mrs. Kristie Nourrie

English 11 Section B

3 April 2020

Fighting the Plastic Invasion

Everyone has come across those social media posts or ads about trendy alternatives to

plastic or those viral images of a bird that had been weighed down from consuming too much

plastic. There are multiple heartbreaking viral images of a bird’s stomach filled with ocean

plastic on the internet that has been viewed by hundreds of people across America. Although

those posts were just seen as trends, they have done an effective job at informing the public

about the issues that come with the use of plastic products. Teens and young adults today have

boundless access to information. These people are those who are learning about these pressing

issues and are being educated so they can make changes to the community's lifestyle for the

future.

One of the most alarming things about plastic pollution is the lack of information and

education on the topic to the public; most people do not see anything wrong with using plastic. It

turns out that plastic packaging gives off toxic chemicals into the food which people then eat.

These chemicals negatively affect a person’s hormone system, which controls how a person

feels. Not only is plastic bad for humans, it is also one of the leading causes for climate change

because of the process plastic goes through when it is made. Including this, the countries that

took the United States’ general recyclables don’t do recycling anymore. This means that there is

a buildup of plastic, and it doesn’t fully break down. This is not only bad for animals, but for

humans too as that plastic is unfortunately integrated into the food chain.
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It won’t necessarily be like this in a few years; there are solutions to these problems. The

globe needs to make more of an effort to save the planet from plastic pollution. The most

effective methods for tackling the issues of plastic pollution are to push for laws that will ban

plastics, spread awareness by social media to target a younger generation, and find innovative

alternatives that businesses can use instead of plastic.

Pushing laws and getting the government involved to ban plastics are a great way to start

fighting against plastic pollution. There even have been some measures that has already been

taken by some states in America. Hawaii can proudly say they are the leading state that is taking

the initiative to stop plastic. SB 40—the senate bill that is set to ban takeout plastics—is set to go

into action in Hawaii by 2021. Other states are hoped to follow to make similar decisions

regarding slowing down plastic production and usage. There have been previous measures that

have been taken, similar to SB 40 that deal with the ban of plastic bags, but nothing that covers

this broad of a category. This new bill is especially important for industries that work with food,

since one of the most common ways for plastic to affect people’s lives is through food. The

previous ban on plastic bags were simply not enough when it comes to keeping the people

safe in the long run. Hite—a policy analyst with the Conservative Law Foundation and zero

waste advocate—mentions in his article, “The Truth About Plastic Bag Bans,” that these bans on

plastic bags are a “small but critical first step towards tackling the plastic crisis.” When these

bans first went into effect in some states around 2012, it was widely known that these simple

bans were not going to be enough to protect the environment from plastic pollution altogether.

That is why there was a substantial need for a law like SB 40. There is hope that this law will

inspire other states and maybe even the whole country to start opening their eyes to the issue.

Plastic bag bans were a good and imperative starting point, and by thoughtfully making the
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decision to start small, the government can set an example and set clear larger goals in the

future.

With all this research proving the dangers of plastic pollution, governments around the world

are under increasing pressure to fight plastic pollution in the near future. The United Nations set

Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 which are environment and community wellbeing goals

that is hoped to be reached by the year 2030 by most countries; one of these goals cover over

climate change. These goals make sure that countries are moving in the right direction in terms

of preserving the environment. With the increasing tenacity of climate change, something

definitely needs to be done about plastic pollution which is the leading cause for this global

issue. Because plastics are made by the burning of fossil fuels which is contributing to climate

change, plastic production needs to be stopped. This specific UN goal about climate change and

plastic pollution is finally on its way to being met if more countries can continue to make laws

regarding the ban of impractical plastics. Unfortunately, when these laws are passed, there is

always some sort of backlash from the public that stems from misinformation and lack of

education on the topic for the public. This is why it is important to educate and spread

information to the public about the issues of plastic pollution, especially the younger generation.

It is imperative we start with the younger generation to tackle the concerns of plastic

pollution, and social media is one of the easiest ways to convey the issue directly. In the article

“Social Media’s influence on Green Consumerism,” Olivia Valentine—a commendable author

for We Are Social— talks about how eco-friendly alternatives are becoming a growing trend in

the media and are popular amongst the younger generation: “Social media is where eco-

consumers are heading to find out more about products and services… 4 In 10… mainly say they

turn to social media.” People turn to blogging and social media platforms to talk about their
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trendy lifestyle and making better choices for the environment. On social media, people are able

to learn new things and share their own ideas about ways to be more mindful about their plastic

use. In our action portion of our project, we went plastic free and documented it on social media,

where all our schoolmates would track and see our progress. Social media is a place where

young adults and impressionable teenagers spend a lot of their time on, and they will often come

across these trends and accounts. Seeing environmentally friendly choices as cool and trendy will

make teenagers want to at least try to make better choices for the environment. Even though it

may just be a small change, it is always better than the alternative and spreading awareness is

always a plus. Big companies are also feeling pressured to make more sustainable choices

because social media is pushing them to “communicate their green credentials well” so they can

spread awareness and “convert” young users to being eco-friendly (Valentine). Young adults and

teens aren’t the only ones seeing these trends; companies are taking advantage of them as well.

Because of social media, more and more companies are turning to sustainability and being more

mindful about the products they use and distribute. Because more and more companies are

offering sustainable options, more teens and young adults have access to these products and are

given the opportunity to make the better choice. Businesses and big companies being aware of

the environmental problem of plastic pollution is an important part of spreading information to

the public.

The increasing popularity for businesses to find innovative ways to avoid compostable

plastic has set good examples for other establishments and has inspired the public to be more

mindful about the plastic they use as well. TED talk speaker, Andrew Dent, gives a compelling

presentation on the importance sustainability in his speech called “To Eliminate Waste, We Need

to Rediscover Thrift.” Many big industries who are becoming more open to reducing their waste
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“understand this value and [promote]” reducing their carbon footprint (Dent). Many big

industries make sustainability part of their brand, and often the public responds with

overwhelming positivity. By avoiding plastic and going with the better alternatives, big

companies use their influence in the public to support the growing trend of eliminating waste and

the ideas of being more mindful about the products that is used in everyday lives. Dent believes

that these companies are completely aware of their target audience and they strategically use it to

their advantage. Including this, companies who promote reusing items around the house are a

favorable start to becoming more sustainable to decrease our carbon footprint as a community

because they are now offering these alternative choices to the public. One of these revolutionary

companies is a store called Ekoplaza. Journalist Christopher F. Schuetze writes his article “Dutch

Supermarket Introduces Plastic-Free Aisle” in the New York Times about how this store now

offers a range of more sustainable alternatives to plastic products for the public: “Ekoplaza…

introduced what is billed as the world’s first plastic-free aisle.” Hopefully, many other stores

around the world will follow in this Ekoplaza’s footsteps because this “concept” is a “landmark

moment for the global fight against plastic pollution.” Ekoplaza’s groundbreaking idea was the

first of its kind, but it will certainly not be the last. In the past, it was harder for many people to

be environmentally friendly because they just bought items that were wrapped in plastic because

they had no other option. This plastic free aisle was able to get more people to become more

sustainable because the store was able to provide the choice for a buyer to go with a more

sustainable option. They made these options accessible for a wider target audience, whereas in

the past they only had one choice—plastic. Innovations like these that blow up in the media is

what leads to the amount of change we see today. In a personal interview with Charles Fletcher

—a Geologist who is a professor of earth science at the University of Hawaii Manoa—he

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mentions a sustainable food company called “Zume” that made a “pizza box that is completely

compostable” which is much better for the environment since “you can’t recycle it anymore” and

the pizza box itself “becomes soil” (Fletcher). This innovative tactic is especially admirable as

this pizza box not only avoids plastic, but it can be used again in its different form—as soil—in

the future as well. Innovative companies like these were rarely seen in the past, but now, because

of its rising popularity, they will continue popping up. More and more companies are making it a

priority to show they are being mindful for the environment, and they are inspiring other

companies in the process. It is even more crucial in food industries that they should start

avoiding plastic in packaging their food because of the toxins that can get in the food through the

plastic. Companies today are slowly starting to become more innovative to avoid plastic by

finding “substitutes made of corn” or different materials that feel similar to plastic; some places

even have the “paper modelled clam shell that you can take your food away from the restaurant

in.” (Fletcher). These companies are truly amazing and extremely innovative. There are so many

simple ways to avoid plastic usage, and more and more inventive ways to avoid plastic are being

used by industries all over America. Hopefully, all food related shops and restaurants will follow

their example and completely stop using harmful plastic to serve their customers. These overall

tactics help reach the goal of stopping plastic pollution altogether

Alongside my group partners Kekulalani and Mary Anne, we decided to do what we

could to spread information to our peers about plastic pollutions. We understand that plastic

pollution is not an issue that can be stopped right away—since the plastic buildup has become so

extreme—so we decided we would start on the smaller level in our high school community. By

using social media and posters around school campus or online, we are hoping to be able to

successfully spread awareness on our cause to as many teens in Hawaii as possible. We wanted
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to let other teens like us know that they can easily make a difference and actively contribute to

stopping plastic pollution by being smart about the products they buy. It may be difficult because

of how much teenagers are reliant on their parents, but we feel it is important to educate today’s

teens about the issues of plastic pollution now, so they can think about the issue today—and

practice being mindful on at least a small level— so they can make better choices in the future.

We documented our experiences with going plastic free for about two weeks and posted our

journey to our multiple social media platforms. We documented things from our struggles, things

we found interesting, or things we were proud of regarding being plastic free. One example of

our success was when we went to Shriners for lunch: we asked the server to put our lunch food

in our own reusable lunch containers, and they were eager to comply. One of the staff members

in line waiting for her lunch next to us had seen us use a reusable container and even mentioned

to us how she would start bringing in her own reusable lunch container too! We are so glad to

know that our project has already started to make a difference in that worker’s life, even though

it is a small change. We have hope that by documenting our merits and our struggles we could

accurately reveal how much plastic is actually used in every-day life. Through our obstacles and

finding how difficult it was going free, these results showed how much our society dangerously

relies on plastic. I have hope that if enough people start to go for more plastic free options

because of what we were able to accomplished in spreading awareness, then more companies

will start converting to not using as much plastic in Hawaii because the public will want a more

sustainable option.

Tactics like government laws, social media displays, and businesses themselves that take

action to be more sustainable all work together efficiently to barricade plastic pollution. Today,

because plastic takes a massive amount of time to degrade, every single piece of plastic that has
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ever been made is still persisting somewhere on planet earth—creating this huge buildup. To fix

this problem, our communities have already started by creating an opening for a more

sustainable and healthier environment in the future by taking action now and slowing down the

production of plastic in the food industry. The United Nations’ sustainable development goals

and Hawaii’s SB 40 were all amazing starting points and goals for the world to follow to start

rehabilitating our environment. Although it may seem too big of an issue, if everyone in the

community contributes at least a little bit and makes a small change in their lives, then we can

work our way to completely conquering plastic! If you have a reusable shopping bag or water

bottle, why not start using it today? Including this, it is important that everyone can have access

to non-plastic alternatives and is educated on the subject of plastic pollution to continue the

journey of slowing down—and eventually altogether stopping—plastic pollution in the future.

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Research Essay Rubric

Name: ___Kourtnee Arciaga_____________________________
Criteria / 1 2 3 4 Score Feedback
Standard
IDEA
DEVELOPM
ENT

q Text is focused;
captures
the reader’s
attention.
q Topic is
narrow and
manageabl
e.
q Details are
relevant,
interesting,
vivid,
accurate.
q Point is clear.
q Details support
the paper’s
main idea.
q Ideas engage,
inspire, or
intrigue
reader.
ORGANIZA
TION
q The order
compels,
enhances,
and moves
ideas.
q Introduction
intrigues,
invites;
conclusion
resolves.
q Thoughtful
transitions
show how
ideas
connect.
q Sequencing is
logical and
effective.
q Pacing is well
controlled
and
purposeful.
q Organization
flows
smoothly;
matches
purpose.
VOICE
q Writing is
compelling,
engaging;
aware of
the
audience.
q Tone is
interesting
and
appropriate
for
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audience
and the
purpose.
q Author’s
presence is
evident,
powerful.
q Expository
writing is
committed,
persuasive.
q Narrative
writing is
honest,
engaging,
personal.
WORD
CHOICE
q Words are
precise,
interesting,
powerful.
q Words are
specific;
meaning is
clear.
q Words and
phrases are
striking.
q Language is
effective,
and
appropriate.
q Verbs are
lively,
nouns
precise,
modifiers
effective.
q Choices
enhance
meaning
and clarify
meaning.
SENTENCE
FLUENCY
q The writing
flows with
rhythm and
elegance.
q Sentences are
constructed
to enhance
meaning.
q Sentences
vary in
length and
structure.
q Sentences use
purposeful,
varied
beginnings.
q Writing has
cadence.
CONVENTI
ONS
q Observes and
uses
standard
conventions
; few errors.
q Spelling is
mostly
correct.
q Punctuation is
accurate
and
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effective.
q Capitalization
skills are
evident.
q Grammar and
usage are
correct and
enhance
the text.
q Paragraphing
is sound;
reinforces
organizatio
n.
q Writer may
manipulate
conventions
for style.

Total
Score
1 = standard not met; 2 = standard partially met; 3 = standard met; 4 = exceeds expectations