ENGINEERING MYTH: Your plastic-free life isn't helping
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- čas přidán 28. 04. 2019
- Should you go plastic free? Consider the information in this video before you do so.
#creatorsforchange
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Check out these resources:
www.niassembly.gov.uk/globalas...
This article links to many studies: science.howstuffworks.com/env...
assets.publishing.service.gov...
You might need to be part of a university to access this one: www.sciencedirect.com/science...
www.swissinfo.ch/eng/society/...
ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/full/10...
www.aiche.org/chenected/2016/...
www.bbc.com/news/business-470...
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The single best thing we can do for the environment is to reduce our consumption, in general.
The single best way to reduce consumption is to reduce the number of humans on the planet.
The single best way to reduce the number of humans is to empower women, especially around reproductive education and choices, though also more generally in terms of education, independence, etc. Let's do this!
David! What an awesome insight!! Thanks so much for sharing. I really love this outlook. Especially with the focus on education, and I couldn’t agree more.
WOW Love this David!!!!!!!
Elisabeth Nilsson: thanks. :)
And thanks, too, to any others with similar messages. I probably won't respond to each, but hopefully will see them, and will happily respond where it seems sufficiently warranted. 😊
"The single best way to reduce the number of humans" is not to empower women. That is a pretty insane euphemism.
Yes , Education for especially the third world. Why isn’t there a bunch of capitalists in the third world recycling plastic and educating people to put rubbish in the bin ? Educate the women they’ll make it happen.
I think it's sad always to hear that the problem with the plastic pollution is caused by poor countries. Have you ever heard of shipment of trash from europe and usa to developing countries? Have you ever heard of shipment of tons of second hand clothes to eastern europe because of over-consumerism in rich countries? Have you ever heard of 1500 containers getting lost in the oceans every year, including containers with toxic components? Although the infra structure in developing countries to recycle waste is not as good, you can't compare the amount of waste and energy produced in developed countries. Please inform yourself.
I really don't want to sound rude, but hearing this makes me very mad.
Also, the zero waste/low impact movement today is focusing in avoiding consumerism instead of just plastic.
Hi Ana! No, I 1000% agree with you about the western world always shipping their trash to eastern countries. I think it’s terrible and that’s exactly what I saw in Romania, the streets were COVERED in clothes that were sent to them by Salvation Army (disgusting). I’m sorry if this small part of the video stuck out to you. That wasn’t my intention. My intention was to communicate that there is an infrastructure problem in coastlines countries (did you also hear the part where I said that the US is one of the top 20 countries contributing to the ocean plastic?) and that we should be working towards solving this problem instead of shutting our eyes and pretending that buying cotton bags and things wrapped in paper are solving the problem. Please let me know what you think and if I’m more clear. Maybe I should make a follow up video.
Also I love zero waste/low impact/minimalism. This is specifically about avoiding plastic.
@@RiverTechJess Hi Jess! Thank you for replying! I'm happy to know you're aware of these issues. I know you were refering in the video to people that just buy paper instead of plastic and think they are doing a great deal for the planet. The thing is, that plastic is most of the time completely unnecessary.
Furthermore, the main idea I got from your video was: "If you live in a developed country and are wasting your energy trying to avoid waste/plastic, you are being silly, because everything is going to be recycled/incinerated anyway". And I don't agree with that. If your trash is not landing in the landfills of a developing country, incinerating and recycling will demand a lot of energy and will produce lots of toxic substances and green house gases that could've just been avoided.
I know that was not your objective, but, for me, this video is just motivating people in developed countries to continue living their life style of overconsumption and to wait for the miracle that developing countries all of sudden will have the perfect infrastructure to deal with their waste.
@@Ana-fd7gk Hi Ana, I also don't agree with your quoted statement (which is not a quote from me). My one motivation for this video was the complete opposite of what you understood. My purpose is to motivate people to consume LESS. Which is what I stated multiple times. From what Ive seen, most people just avoid plastic and continue over-consuming (paper, fast-fashion, meat products, etc.), and I'm just trying to point out that we need to ALL CONSUME LESS (there's no escape). I'm not sure how I can be more clear next time, I actually feel like I did a really good job explaining this (lol, guess not). Nevertheless, thanks for your kind response. I know this topic is sensitive, which is why I came towards it from many different angles and tried to give a lot of facts/numbers.
@@RiverTechJess I've just watched your video again and after reading your responses to my comments, I think I got your point. Thank you :)
What about the air pollution caused by burning plastic?
Also, doesn't plastic block the growth of plant roots, When dumped in land?
Plastic free is just a start. It's more about less consumption and waste in general including food waste. Zero waste lifestyles include EVERYTHING not just plastic!
I agree! I love the zero-waste movement.
Even on a landfill ,one may often see lots of birds loitering around the waste scavenging for food . These birds may mistakenly consume plastic and die due to plastic being toxic in nature.Eventually, the toxic material ends up in the foodchain and is endangering to the wildlife.
For all that, plastic leaching toxics,like you said, Paper isn't any better alternative to plastic material. The use of both paper and plastic is culpable for environmental damage and the solution lies in minimal use of both materials.
Finally, someone who proposes technical solutions as opposed to political solutions, which are often mixed with belief and opinion. I know people who hear of new 'plastic free' products and just buy them in the belief that because it's plastic-free it's better. I've noticed people buying metal straws for example, even though production processes and the weight in transporting the metal straws may be less sustainable. Similarly, paper bags aren't automatically better just because they're paper. Transitioning to only paper bags is probably unsustainable. I don't know the specifics of either case, but people aren't always thinking about these things. The sentiment is justified, and people should be more mindful of their impact and their consumption, but I think it is sometimes pushed in the wrong directions by short-lived fads, and the belief that 'buying this thing will solve the problem'. Keep doing what you're doing.
It's crazy to think about how much unnecessary waste we create!
I know. I really think we consume waaayyy too much
Do more stuff like this please!
Thanks Nicholas! I definitely will! All suggestions for next topic are welcome.
@@RiverTechJess GMO's
Ooooo great Suggestion!
Your point on consumerism as the main problem rather than using plastic is really good one!. I also agree on your point on the lack of infrastructure to properly manage plastic in many countries which could lead to improper disposal. Thanks for bringing forward these arguments!!.
You are right, the way most people think about plastic is misleading.
I agree that there is no clear winner-plastic or paper.
But plastic is harmful for *microorganisms* inside earth(apart from animal/marine life).
You say it's infrastructure problem but you see in most developing countries it is impractical to have hightech waste management systems.
I know it's a big problem and can't be solved just by a comment but I think we should reduce plastic use in *USE N THROW* stuff.
Ya I think single-use plastics can definitely be swapped out for reusables. But I just don’t know if it works in all cases (e.g. transporting food, straws for old/disabled people, etc.). What do you think?
There are winners, though. Paper can be recycled and it breaks down quickly and is relatively harmless. Plastic stays basically forever, kills wildlife in just about every way imaginable (whether it fills their bellies, cuts off circulation, seals their mouths shut, or leeches toxins into our water, doesn't matter, it's all lethal), and it's a blight on our world. Cutting single use plastic out of your life is ALWAYS good, because no matter how careful you are, you will always be losing some of it to the environment, and it never goes away.
I agree that avoiding single use anything is good. But as I said in the video, many studies have shown that paper breaks down at the same rate as plastic in a landfill so I really can’t agree with that argument
@@RiverTechJess What if the paper bag and the plastic bag are not in a landfill? What if they are in the streets, rivers and oceans (basically somewhere in touch with the atmosphere)? Do they still break down at the same rate under these conditions? I think that if you only consider the landfill situation to make the argument, then you're considering only one very specific point of a much bigger problem. We have to consider the whole situation, the general, not only the lanfill, which is a particular case.
I hope I made my point clear and I really really really hope I didn't sound rude.
I love your videos,
from a brazillian fan.
Finally!!! I was saying the same concept over and over, you make my day. A lot of people don't want to see this or think about it because is environmentally inconvenient truth. Thank you for your hard work!!
Very interesting, I liked your suggestion about improving the infrastructure for recycling plastic, but one thing I think you didn't consider thoroughly about the arguments is that one of the reasons that plastic is not acceptable nowadays is because it is mostly used just once. And yes, this is the same problem with paper wrappings too, but the problem with such wrappings is that, and if you could at least have a kit of wrappings carried by yourself when you go shopping then I think it helps.
You know, I think the problem is mostly with waste generally, and I really believe those who are stepping toward a waste-free life are helping, not merely a plastic-free life.
I will be happy to hear your opinion 😊
Really Interesting arguments...
In my country (Syria) people at their homes usually re-use plastic products such as water bottles and empty food containers (probably more than we should 😅)...It's not always by choice but I think it sort of helps in minimizing the need for plastic around here and also reduces the amount of trash roaming our streets !
Great content as always ✌
Rabab Alhajali im from 🇵🇸 and i can relate 🙈😁
That's a great thing! I think reduce & reuse and definitely overlooked compared to recycle:)
All problems have one common root; ignorance. Until people are educated about the planet and how our actions affect the beautiful earth, there will never be change. My dream scenario as an aspiring great engineer is to make nuclear fusion sustainable and profitable. Not in terms of money but energy. As always Jess love your videos, great job👍. Awareness is a small step, but it is necessary to learn to walk before we can run.
Better engineering solutions in the past, the present and the future. The more minds involved, the greater our ability to understand and solve these global engineering problems. Keep up the insightful engineering outreach videos, as we can never have to much information when attempting to solve unique problems. Your professional integrity really shows, especially as most people seem to value intentions, over outcomes. 😀🙌🏾
Thanks so much for your kind kind words! (Especially because I've never felt more attacked for a video before). My intention wasn't to offend, it was to open the dialogue. But I understand that some people will push back on this because it's easier to live life if you shut your mind to reality.
@@RiverTechJess see my previous post. Those supposed environnement loving guys are just superficial, lazy or just malevolent and are the real harm for our planet. They just want band-aid solutions to pet their ego now, so that they can pat themself on the shoulder for being ''such outstanding and planet loving humans'' while in reality they are the real reason why the next generation will have to struggle more. Do not get discouraged! We entrepreneurs and you Engeneers are the only real lifeline to this complex economical and engeneering problem, even then those ungrateful snobs badmouth us.
Think global, shop , and act local . Anyone that calls themselves an environmentalist that hasn’t planted trees is FOS . Have a worm farm for food scraps. Don’t buy things online you can get locally ( within reason ) . Great channel. Cheers
Thank u for this video, and ur right, most companies here in my country were advertising incomplete and sometimes false information, im about to take mechanical engineering, tho i know its kinda not that ideally good career for developing countries, bt i want to help, and ur video makes me want to keep researching. Thanks a lot
Thank you for this you absolutely hit the nail on the head there about it being an issue about our consumption. Thank you for shedding some light!
We can use jute or some other natural fibre bags which can be reused for years rather than paper bags
And even a nylon or similar bag (which is a form of plastic, but very very reusable) can potentially be a big win. I bought some of one brand a while back, and they lasted me about a _decade_ of regular use before being beat-up enough that I wanted to get new ones (though really, they're still somewhat usable, and I do still use the old ones, just for longer-term stuff, with the newer ones being used for daily-use). When the brand that I bought them from seemed to have changed a bit, I bought a bunch in my second purchase -- I think enough to last me the rest of my natural life, probably... And a good thing, I suppose, as the brand seems to have been bought out again, and the new company seems not to have the same product anymore. :'( -- but, there are other similar products, so... yeah.
what i always find weird is when people say that wood/paper is co2 neutral. youre cutting down a tree that can capture co2 and release co2 by burning or decomposing the wood. thats not neutral that twice as bad. Am I wrong?
Im so happy to have you!!!! Youre gonna make my research easy lol
Wow, I actually did not know this...i'll be sure to check the research. Thanks!
Yes look into it! The more you search, the more information you’ll find. Thanks for watching:)
Big YES to this vid! The infrastructure is such a big part of the problem. Sure - avoiding unnecessary consumption is all good but we're not going to get rid of the ocean plastic just by stop using plastic straws...
Excellent presentation on greenwashing. To the point and nonconfrontational. Outstanding work.
Never knew the plastic "problem" was this nuanced
Oh yes! It's a super complicated issue (and very sensitive in the comments lol)
Enlightening! Make more myth videos!
Thanks Kimberly for the support!!!!!!!!! I need it right now (lol)
When I was in Mexico l, littering was definitely the norm. Even in beautiful forests there were monstrous heaps of trash all over the roads. I would even see cops throwing their beer cans into the street. I think it gets that way because theres nowhere to dispose of some of trash in some countries. Infrastructure is key.
I really don't know what to think after this video.... But for people that do live in places where there is infrastructure, what should we focus on??
I think we should focus on reducing our consumption in general. So plastics, but also paper and clothing and meat and energy etc. It’s really hard when we live in a capitalist economy which relies on constant growth and pushing products onto people. So maybe we also need a new economic model? Not sure how to go about that though lol
Turned out to be a well thought out video. 👍
3:09 Wouldn't the biodegradation of materials like paper produce less of an environmental footprint than the burning of plastics?
6:20 Aren't landfills a non-ideal solution? They take up space that could be used for the farmland you mention (11:04) , disrupt the environment around them, and possibly can leech into groundwater. Wouldn't it be better if all products could be recycled or just biodegraded?
8:29 Aren't the other materials we'd be polluting the earth with be less environmentally damaging? Wouldn't biodegradeable materials be less likely to disrupt and harm ecosystems?
Me: a straw won’t grow legs and jump to the sea by itself. Is not the material, is people
In another countries (Russia, Central Asia, and in another places in the world) there is no such a system of recycling.
For example in my country the "best" that we can do with plastic - it's just burn it... government isn't worried about ecology at all...
Thanks for your content..i like your style.. i have a question about something...where are you from ?🙂
you are a star, thanks for making such efforts!!!!!
This is food for thought 🤔
Also what do you think about plastics like PLA that I use in my 3D printer?
Very well said mam
I’m really glad I found your channel! More people should be watching you instead of makeup channels😂 here we have facts supported with evidence-- something most social media-lites lack... that being said FANTASTIC work so glad I found your content
Madi thanks so much for this supportive comment! Let me know what kind of other content you’re interested in:)
is it 'biodegradable correct' to say i LOVE u?
That was very informative!
If I could give you a thousand likes, I would (I don’t think plastic is the villain. I think that the way we deal with things after we use them is the real problem. I won’t buy something I don’t need and I choose quality over quantity, I appreciate durability. We have to be more conscious)
Very good topic
The point is not to use plastic, but to still avoid it, yet take actions that prevent other things from being as harmful.
A man in Australia changed the way they recycle, and so can everybody. We can also change the way we produce anything, by taking actions and using others to do so as well.
Yeah it can utilize petroleum by using glass and recycling and creating alternative products, but that doesn't mean we should further those and use plastic. It just means we should change how we fuel things, and how we waste things. Reusable and alternatives are still the answer!
This is amazing! 🙌
Yesss such a good topic!
The more people going out of their way to avoid plastics, the more corporate interest is generated in producing biodegradable, low impact packaging. At this point, knowing the damage they've done to our planet, going low plastic is everyone's moral and ethical responsibility, it shouldn't matter where you live or how wealthy your government is.
I like the interesting stuff.this totally suit me.
Maybe compostable is the way then
Thank you for this :)
Thank YOU for watching!
Keep up with the insightful engineering videos ya we're really misinformed thanks for the insights
Awesome! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoy the content! I’m really having a lot of fun learning myself:)
I think your statement about third world countries is true, but it might be perceived negatively by some. I think they're inherently incapable of building the infrastructure without either sacrificing democracy (by dictators who really care about climate change 😂) or destroying their barely functional economy. Our countries need to offer help, and we can in fact help by influencing their attitude towards plastic bags, which is why plastic-free culture is useful, because its contagious 😂 (at least potentially). Idk just an opinion. I love your videos btw 😍 they open up discussions, which is awesome 😊.
You could have just advised to use cloth bag which can be used so many times. Just 1 cloth bag can replace 100 plastic or paper bags
True but also you need to use 1 cotton bag over 100x for it to have the same impact as a plastic bag. And if you reuse the plastic bag then you have to you the cotton bag over 200x. So you should only do that if you’re really going to use it. I personally know many people that buy tons of cotton bags. Which is also bad
@@RiverTechJess ya. What's better for environment? 1 cloth bag or 100 plastic bags in ocean. Just buy 1 or 2 cloth bags and use them forever, like until they get damaged.
But why would the bags end up in the ocean? That’s my entire argument. It’s an infrastructure problem. If plastic didn’t exist then we would be throwing other shit into the ocean
How about reusable bags made from recycled plastic 😏
You said it sister!
Thanks for the love Daniela
Reduction is not a solution! 🤬 Neither plastic nor population reduction. Neither is women's/gays's/squirrels's empowerment or what not. I wonder, why do people love band-aid/superficial solutions to complex problems so much? 😔 Is it because of the humans powerlessness or rather their carelessness/lazyness or even malevolence? In my humble opinion the only way to have a permanent answer to plastic, beyond a ''feel good for now, let's not think about the future solution'', is to set up a 1-10 Trillion Worldfund for entrepreneurs as insensitives to *invent* ways to (re)use the currently FREE recource for different purposes in its entirety.
thanks
I just invested in a hydrogen water filter
In Your photo ir looks like You're "quebrando"
My friend disagrees with you. In his geography class he learns that the big issue with plastic is it ending up in oceans where it is far more devastating than paper. Any commenters have thoughts?
Yes it does end up in the ocean. But why? Can we fix that problem? My view is that if it’s not plastic, then we’ll be throwing other shit in the ocean, e.g. clothes (which we also do).
@@RiverTechJess Wind and birds carrying plastic away are the major factors, even in the first world it causes pollution. Any amount of durable plastic pollution is far more significant than much larger amounts of micro-plastics like clothes. They don't break down so they remain in the ocean for much longer periods of time and build up.
I’m curious to know just how “major” wind and birds contribute to the problem. So if you have any peer-reviewed articles or other types of studies/numbers supporting your claim then feel free to link it here and/or email me jessica@steminine.com and I’ll definitely share it. Either way, I think the point of my video was that we should reduce all consumption. If this wasn’t clear then let me know.
Did you get a new camera? Lol
I did but over Xmas. Just figured out how to do 60fps lol
Watch with 1.5x lol
Guhhh so is there a point to doing anything we've been taught is environmental? This makes me want to just give up lol
60 FPS vlog hype?
In the comment section, Changchen Yu: “said the let comment section battle begin”. I noticed that comment section seemed mildly “condescending” as though you hadn’t really thought about what you were saying, but had good intentions. When all you did was to make it an optimisation problem and with any optimisation problem, you need all the (facts)/constraints if you intend to solve it efficiently. Fundamentally you were thinking like an engineer because you’re an engineer ( how strange) 😁.This video must’ve broaden your viewership, beyond the the usual engineering people and crossed into environmental politics! You must’ve anticipated this because you kept on, “saying I’m not trying to bash anyone about their plastic solutions” plus your rather heavy video title! Basically problems that visually look simple make people feel involved, and more positive about our actions ( but often have odd effects), the actual problems are very complicated and the down stream societal consequences need to be fully comprehended. I’ve watched many of your videos, and they’re are normally just highly interesting guides on how to be an engineer or scientist. Do you think people did an content analysis of your usual vids and thought this doesn’t fit 🤔 . Given your usual happy personality and insightful delivery, people seemed to be confused about how to respond to the contrary solutions and information 😂. I have skin in the game my daughters study Electrical and Electronic Engineering MEng and Computer Science at university🥇👍🏽( I asked my daughter about Arduino after watching your vids) her response, yeah, yeah I use them. 😆. Need more engineering entrepreneurial info that I can pass on to my daughters 🙌🏽
OMG thank you... Ive BEEN saying this... Same with plastic VS Glass. The problem is people's behavior - consumerism and littering and yesss to infrastructure.
People refuse to accept responsibility for their own actions and rather buy into the whole greenwashing thing.
My biggest annoyance is the "plant based plastic" and "biodegradable plastic" it's all marketing strategies and doesn't have the positive impact it supposedly promises. Plastic is an excellent material, people need to use it responsibly.
the more people demand paper products the more people will see a reason to cut down trees
I see now how a critical thinker thinks
Exactly the same with cans vs bottles. Aluminum needs more energy to be extracted than glass, but less to be recyled. You wont save the world by carrying a sexy hipster bottle with you.
Hmm. Overall argument is definitely on point 🙃, but some of the examples used aren't great.
Thanks for the input! Can you give better examples? I'd love to share and keep the conversation going.
@@RiverTechJess
From one lowly engineer to another XD, don't know how you made all your youtube videos and studied at the same time, props to you.
From watching you video 4 times and reading your replies to the other comments I think you've covered most of my queries (Y), I feel you 'argue' as I do, haha. Nice to see someone who takes feedback so well :) even if it's not that constructive. I think the weakest argument was the sliced apple annecdote, rest of them were relatively solid I'de say, though some needed clarification, which I can now see in the comments :). "It was to open the dialogue" is super commendable.
Paper procesing, especially manufacture is generally horendously bad for the environment and most people just think "Oh, trees = natural = good" and that's that I guess.
As you said, buying then throwing things out is the main issue, not what the material is.
The lack of knowledge and infrastructure needs to be addressed everywhere (and not just regarding plastic).
All starts with good and truthful education doesn't it.
Soooome suggestions for other related video topics for ya :)? Somethings like;
The types of plastic and which ones are proven to be most and least harmful to living organisms.
The types of plastic which are easiest and hardest to recycle.
"5 ways to make sure that your reduced-plastic life actually makes a difference", like more into the paper bag vs plastic bag sort of thing.
The research and progress into plastic alternatives, e.g. moulds nd such, their viability and secondary environmental effects?
✌️
I unsubscribed and resubscribed bc I couldn’t double subscribe