The Senior Scene

By Matthew Wheeland

“The Story of Plastic”is

n Emmy Award-winning documentary first released in 2019 and currently streaming online through the Discovery Network. Created by the Story of Stuff Project, the documentary shines light on the impacts of the plastic industry on people and ecosystems, and our reliance on plastics in the food system and elsewhere.

“Ninety percent of the dialogue is about 10 percent of problem,” explains Stiv Wilson, co-director of the Peak Plastic Foundation and the creator and producer of the documentary. “But most of the coverage focuses on downstream problems of packaging and waste,” such as the communities around plastic production facilities.

“It’s our goal to use story to elevate people working at the front line, tell the stories from a perspective of lived experience of harm, and create intersections and bridges for people from different walks of life to be a part of the overall narrative shift, so we can transform power and engage with this issue more systematically,” Wilson said.

Civil Eats spoke with Wilson to learn more about the size and shape of the plastic problem, how the pandemic reshaped the plastic landscape, and how food fits into the puzzle.

Food is a part of the problem—you’ve mentioned that consumer goods packaging represents about 50 percent of all plastic packaging—but that’s not all. Can you say more about that?

One of the issues with plastic pollution is that, living in a privileged, rich country, you may hear about the problem writ large, but if you are going to the grocery store, and you’re buying things [that are almost inevitably in plastic packaging], and you dispose of them—whether in the garbage or even in recycling—you wouldn’t think you’re part of the problem. You’re not exporting waste personally, you’re not littering. Most consumers aren’t aware that people literally died [from the toxic chemicals emitted into their neighborhoods from plastic-producing factories] so they could have that potato chip bag.

Our goal is to shift the narrative so people understand the full life cycle of plastics and make more informed choices. Ultimately, we want to move away from this material, since we see plastic as the vehicle of globalization and capitalistic growth.

“Most consumers aren’t aware that people literally died so they could have that potato chip bag.”

In terms of food and beverage packaging specifically, how much of the global plastic industry does that represent?

Packaging in all consumer goods is approaching 50 percent. That’s the sector of growth and a lot of that is food packaging. That’s how Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé, and other conglomerates are selling their products in the developing world and opening markets: By selling smaller amounts that are on a lower price point [but require as much if not more packaging per ounce].

So now, all kinds of products—from soy sauce to shampoo to coffee—are all coming in these [multi-layer] single-serve packages that are fused materials, which makes them nearly impossible to recycle from an economic standpoint; it costs more to actually process them than the end product is worth.

And the economics don’t work because the infrastructure doesn’t exist to do it at scale, or to do it cost-effectively?

The infrastructure for [some] recycling doesn’t exist, because it’s not profitable to do it. Recycling was never meant to address a waste stream this large. And for 40 years, the plastics industry has said the solution to plastic pollution is recycling. But if recycling was actually cutting down on the amount of plastic being made, they wouldn’t be promoting it—they full well know recycling isn’t cutting into their profits from virgin plastics.

There is a massive pivot by the oil and gas industry underway, shifting from fossil fuels for energy and transportation to plastics. And I fear that climate advocacy is not tracking this bait and switch.

On a related but tangential note, how has the pandemic affected plastic use?

The industry has for years promoted this message of sterility—that “if it’s in plastic, it’s clean.” And leaving aside for a moment the fact that that’s not anywhere close to true, I do think that they preyed on a lot of people’s fears by saying that plastic was a way to save them from COVID. And so there was a rollback of a lot of [plastics-reduction] policies. And I saw across my entire movement how so much was undone in a second, after it took years to build and get passed into policy.

How long will it take to rebound from the COVID plastics boom?

Well actually, the last legislative season across this country was probably the most prolific in terms of plastic regulation. It seems like [2020 represented] a swing and a miss from the plastics industry. Although there are implications for a lot of global economies, in the U.S. we haven’t fully swallowed that pill, we went back to regulating plastics pretty quickly. We saw a concept called extended producer responsibility, or EPR, which essentially means that companies are now going to be on the hook in certain states for end of life management costs. It’s no longer enough for a company to say “I made a recyclable piece of packaging, now it’s up to you, the taxpayer, to manage it and make sure it’s recycled.” Maine recently passed a substantial bill that is going to make industry pay for waste management.

We also saw more regulation on problematic materials like Styrofoam, and some legislatures passed bills that said you can’t put the recycling symbol on something if it’s not going to be recycled; it has to actually get recycled if you’re going to put the arrows on it.

Essentially, what we saw in the legislative season in many places was shifting the narrative around whose responsibility it is to manage this stuff and dispelling a lot of myths about what happens to it.

How do you see these policies affecting individuals as they shop for food?

Some of it won’t be readily in plain sight for the average consumer, it just means that when you dispose of this stuff that the company that made it will have to pay for systems to manage it. And in some ways that’s a double-edged sword, right?

Because industry now has a talking point that says, “We don’t have to change what we produce, because we’re managing it.” Manufacturers and industry are going to fight this every step of the way, because policy is only as good as its implementation, and so the fight is now going to shift to stopping the implementation.

For the consumer, I think you’re going to start seeing more packaging solutions on the shelves for companies that can get access to venture capital and scale more sustainable systems for delivery. I think you’re gonna see more reuse systems, more subscription systems, more milkman kind of systems.

 

Matthew Wheeland is an editor for Civil Eats, a non-profit site for news about the U.S. food system.

Growers in Washington who produce the majority of Northwest sweet cherries often have to respond to weather conditions, such as frost during the early months of 2020 or triple-digit temperatures in late June last year that damaged ripening fruit.

That will likely mean higher prices at local grocery stories and farmers markets. And with cherries taking longer to develop, harvest has been delayed by several weeks, meaning consumers in the Northwest — and throughout the U.S. — have to wait longer to get their first taste of the juicy red fruit.

“It’s unprecedented,” said Kurt Tonnemaker, who oversees sales efforts of his family’s Tonnemaker Hill Farm in Royal City, which lost 98 percent of its crop. “It’s hard to plan for that.”

Nearly 15 million 20-pound boxes are expected to come from growers in the five-state region — Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Montana, according to the latest estimate of the Northwest Cherry Growers, the Yakima-based marketing organization. If the estimate sticks, that would be nearly a quarter less than the 20.3 million boxes harvested a year ago and the smallest crop since 2013, when the region produced just 14.3 million boxes.  The smaller yield this year could make cherries more expensive for consumers, according to industry analysts.

 

Source: Crosscut.com, a non-profit Pacific Northwest news site and part of Cascade Public Media.

By Hari Pulapaka and Jenneffer Pulapaka

A whole-food, plant-based (WFPD) diet low in sodium has been conclusively shown to reduce the risk of heart disease. But which foods are the stars and stewards of healthy hearts?

The list below gives our “Top 10” heart-healthy foods. Each item has valuable medical attributes that make them integral ingredients to include in any diet that promotes and maintains heart health.

1. Oatmeal. Oats are high in fiber and possess cholesterol-reducing properties. Additionally, studies have shown that oats in collaboration with vitamin C prevent HDL (“good”) cholesterol oxidation – thus fighting the progression of heart disease.

2. Flaxseed. Increasing the levels of omega-3 fatty acids has been shown to reduce the occurrence of cardiovascular disease. In a WFPB diet, flaxseeds provide a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids. Studies have shown that daily consumption of flaxseeds may help maintain lower blood pressure. Flaxseeds have binding qualities that make them a useful substitute for eggs and processed flours.

3. Berries. They contain high amounts of polyphenols. And most berries are low in calories and high in moisture and fiber. They contain natural antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, and micronutrients – all essential for heart health.

4. Dark leafy greens.  A diet rich in collards, mustards, kale, spinach, etc. (and black-eyed peas) promotes heart health. Additionally, they have low glycemic indices and low caloric profiles, which makes them particularly beneficial in maintaining a healthy weight.

5. Pomegranate. Pomegranates are a rich source of potent antioxidants which act against several types of free radicals. Additionally, pomegranates help protect against the oxidation of HDL (“good”) cholesterol and help reduce blood pressure.

6. Walnuts or almonds. Nuts contain unsaturated fatty acids and help lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Specifically, walnuts and almonds are rich in vitamins, minerals, and heart-healthy fats. They are, however, also high in calories, so they must be consumed in moderate portions.

7. Beans. All legumes are rich in minerals and fiber – beans especially so. Because beans don’t contain saturated fats and are rich in protein, they provide healthy nutrition and satiation. Beans are a deliciously versatile component to help maintain a heart-healthy diet and are an essential ingredient in many cuisines.

8. Soy. Foods containing soy protein have been shown to reduce cholesterol, even as the precise mechanisms are still being actively researched. Edamame and soy protein are good examples of ingredients that can be easily incorporated into a heart-healthy diet.

9. Plant sterols. These compounds, naturally found in plant cell membranes, are similar in chemical structure to the human body’s cholesterol. When our diet is plant-based, the plant sterols compete with cholesterol for absorption into our digestive system, resulting in a blocking and hence, reduction of cholesterol absorption.

10. Beets and beet greens. Beets (juice, root, and leaves) are naturally concentrated in nitrates, which have been shown to reduce blood pressure and increase oxygen levels. A diet that includes all edible aspects of beets helps increase oxygen levels and improve overall cardiovascular function.

Hari Pulapaka is a professional chef. Dr. Jenneffer Pulapaka specializes in diabetic and vascular disease.

Older adults in Pierce County can use vouchers to buy vegetables and fruit from farmers markets and farm stores.

The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program issues the vouchers to low-income seniors who live in Pierce County, are at least 60 years old (55-plus for Native Americans or Native Alaskans), have a valid government-issued identification, and have monthly incomes of less than $2,096 for a one-person household and $2,823 for a two-person household. For households of three or more people, applicants should add $728 for each additional person.

Applications are available at www.piercecountywa.gov/farmersmarket or by calling Pierce County Aging and Disability Resources at 253-798-4600 or 1-800-562-0332.

A  list of farmers markets is in the Things to Do feature of seniorscene.org.