FREE Sustainability Film
“The Plastic Problem”
7 p.m., April 20, in G002, MTU Forestry Building
“The Plastic Problem” will be shown at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 20, in G002 Hesterberg Hall of the Forestry Building at Michigan Technological University. Dr. David Shonnard in the MTU Dept. of Chemical Engineering, and Bre Tucker, co-owner of Refill UP, will be the discussion facilitators. The Copper Country Recycling Initiative will provide refreshments.
Film Description
This film explores the issue of plastic pollution, now considered one of the largest environmental threats facing humans and animals globally. By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans—an environmental crisis that’s been in the making for nearly 70 years. Amna Nawaz and her PBS NewsHour colleagues interview two of the world’s biggest plastic producers, The Coca-Cola Company and Unilever, to find out what they’re doing to address the problem. The film examines the effectiveness of plastic bans, bacteria that eat plastic, a young inventor who has made an alternative to plastic wrap out of beer brewing by-products, and a startup making plastic roads. Find out how you can be a part of the solution.
Presenter Bio
Dr. David Shonnard teaches courses in sustainable engineering, environmentally- conscious design, life cycle assessments, and chemical reaction engineering. His research interests are in systems analysis for sustainability, environmental life cycle assessments of renewable energy technologies, and chemical recycling of waste plastics for a circular economy.
Bre Tucker is Michigan Tech’s Enterprise Program Coordinator and is the co-owner of Refill U.P. (Hancock), a business that is tackling the plastics problem one day, one person, one shower and one load of laundry at a time. Bre will share the motivation behind starting the business and what it offers residents.
A $5 suggested donation at the door to support the Sustainability Film Series is appreciated.
The Sustainability Film & Facilitated Discussion Series is coordinated by the Tech Forward Initiative for Sustainability and Resilience, and co-sponsored by Keweenaw Land Trust, Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship; Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative; Friends of the Land of Keweenaw, MTU College of Forest Resources & Environmental Science, MTU Dept. of Social Sciences Sustainability Science Program, MTU Dept. of Civil, Environmental & Geospatial Engineering; Michigan Tech Center for Science & Environmental Outreach, Sustainability Demonstration House; MI Tech Great Lakes Research Center, Students for Sustainability, and Refill UP.