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Claire Wayner and Mercedes Thompson successfully got a resolution unanimously passed in the City Council on 2/27/2017 in support of the bills going through Annapolis that would phaseout the use of expanded polystyrene. Read more about it below!
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Co-founders Mercedes Thompson and Claire Wayner sent the editor of the Baltimore Sun a rebuttal to "Polystyrene is no health hazard." Read below the published letter to the editor or view it by clicking the link: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/readersrespond/bs-ed-plastic-letter-20170227-story.html We are two high school juniors at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, and we continue to see the negative impacts of polystyrene foam on students and on Baltimore City. Polystyrene foam trays are used to serve hot food to Baltimore students every day, which concerns us given how the plastic is manufactured. The two most well-known chemicals used are styrene and benzene. The National Institutes of Health's National Toxicology Program deems styrene "reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen" and benzene a known human carcinogen. Styrene can leach into hot foods and can be found in elevated levels in human fat tissue. This is a sign of long-term absorption and not simply short-term presence in the body before excretion.
 Sadie (left) and Claire in City Council President Young's chair! Photo by Councilman Brandon Scott. We've been busy the past two weeks with introducing a resolution in Baltimore's City Council that would support the statewide Styrofoam phase-out. The resolution will be introduced at next Monday's hearing at City Hall at 5 PM and will be put to vote for immediate adoption. Hopefully, it passes!
To keep building on our momentum, we are rallying in front of City Hall on Friday, March 3 from 4-5:30 PM. With art activities, sign making, and chants, it's going to be a fantastic and energetic time, and we hope you can join the movement then.  Wednesday's lobby day in Annapolis was extremely successful! 115 students in total with their teachers and chaperones from 12 schools came. Students met with Delegates Brooke Lierman, Antonio Hayes, Keith Haynes, and Robbyn Lewis and Senator Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, and some students even made an appearance at the Education, Leaht & Environmental Affairs Senate Committee hearing to support the bill which the committee is considering. Everyone had a great time and is psyched for our Baltimore rally on Friday, March 3. Hope to see you there.
Co-founders Claire Wayner and Mercedes Thompson testified today in favor of the expanded polystyrene phase-out bill. Below are pics with Senator Shirley Nathan-Pulliam from District 44 (Baltimore City) and Senator Cheryl C. Kagan (District 17, Montgomery County), the bill's sponsor.   Co-founders Claire Wayner and Mercedes Thompson presented on the problems with plastics in our society at the Baltimore Green Forum to a crowd.
For a description of the event, please visit http://www.baltimoregreenforum.org The expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam) phase-out bill has been proposed in the Maryland General Assembly! Click HERE to see the official bill page.
There has also been some news coverage of the ban. Check out these two articles below: Welcome to our new website for Baltimore Beyond Plastic. Our upcoming battle: lobbying in support of an expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam) ban being introduced in Maryland's General Assembly. We'll be busy January through April helping to make sure that bill passes. Now is a great time to join us on our first big mission!
Stay tuned on this News page for updates on our fight in Annapolis and our events, and about our work and other student environmental work in the media. |