Confronting Plastic Armageddon Together�
Paul and Diane Jacobson, Redeemer, April 2023
Prayer� God’s Creatures Are Our Teachers�by Sarah Bauer
Lord, may I be like a cat, always seeking comfort in and eager to be fed by your Holy Spirit.
May I be like a dog, happiest when I’m walking by your side.
May I be like an owl, able to look back at what’s behind me while keeping my feet forward.
May I be like a snake, shedding its old skin, ridding myself of what no longer serves you,
and what no longer represents who I am.
May I be like a coyote, howling your praises through the night,
And may I be like a chicken, crowing your praise from the crack of dawn.
May I be like a pig, unashamed to show the unclean parts of myself, knowing I’m still loved by you.
May I be like the ants, working in community for the sake of all who need food.
May I be like the birds, and love the parts of myself, both inside and out, that make me uniquely me.
Lord, may I always be a student of your creation, finding the ways you marked every creature of this world with your love. You gave to us the responsibility of dominion. May we treat this world and all inhabitants of it in a way that brings honor to you.
Amen.
Our Personal Commitment to Care of Creation �
Consider How Much and Where Plastic is Used in Your Life�
A short History of Plastic
Year | Event | |
1600BC | Mesoamericans used natural rubber for balls, and figurines. | |
1000BC | First written evidence of Shellac | |
Middle Ages | Europeans used treated cow horns as translucent material for windows. | |
A short History of Plastic
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Year | Event |
1839 | Eduard Simon, a German apothecary, discovers polystyrene |
1844 | Thomas Hancock patents the vulcanization of rubber in Britain immediately followed by Charles Goodyear in United States. |
1856 | Parkesine, the first member of the Celluloid class of compounds and considered the first man-made plastic, is patented by Alexander Parkes. |
1869 | John Wesley Hyatt discovers a method to simplify the production of celluloid, making industrial production possible. |
1872 | PVC was accidentally synthesized in 1872 by German chemist Eugen Baumann. |
1889 | Eastman Kodak successfully filed a patent for the celluloid film |
1890s | Galalith, a plastic derived from casein developed by Wilhelm Krische and Adolph Spitteler. |
1890s | Auguste Trillat discovered the means to insolubilize casein by immersion in formaldehyde, producing material marketed as galalith. |
1894 | Shellac phonograph records are developed and soon become an industry standard. |
1898 | Polyethylene was first synthesized by the German chemist Hans von Pechmann while investigating diazomethane. |
A short History of Plastic
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1907 | Bakelite, the first fully synthetic thermoset, was reported by Leo Baekeland using phenol and formaldehyde. |
1912 | After over 10 years research, Jacques E. Brandenberger develops a method for producing cellophane and secures a patent. |
1926 | Waldo Semon and the B.F. Goodrich Company developed a method to plasticize PVC by blending it with various additives. |
1930 | Neoprene produced for the first time in DuPont |
1930s | Polystyrene first produced by BASF |
1931 | RCA Victor introduced their vinyl-based Victrolac compound for records. Vinyl records have twice the groove density of shellac records with good sound quality. |
1933 | The first industrially practical polyethylene synthesis discovered by Eric Fawcett and Reginald Gibson at the Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) works in Northwich, England. |
1935 | Nylon is invented and patented by DuPont |
1938 | Nylon is first used for bristles in toothbrushes. It features at the 1939 worlds fair and is famously used in stockings in 1940 |
1938 | Polytetrafluoroethylene (commonly known as teflon), discovered by Roy Plunkett at DuPont. |
1941 | Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is discovered at the Calico Printers' Association in Britain. Expanded polystyrene first produced[5] |
1950 |
A short History of Plastic
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1951 | J. Paul Hogan and Robert L. Banks from Phillips polymerized propylene for the first time to produce polypropylene |
1953 | Polycarbonate independently developed by Hermann Schnell at Bayer and Daniel Fox at General Electric |
1954 | Polypropylene was discovered by Giulio Natta with production starting in 1957 |
1954 | Expanded polystyrene, used for building insulation, packaging, and cup, was invented by Dow Chemical. |
1957 | Italian firm Montecatini begin large-scale commercial production of isotactic polypropylene. |
1960s | High-density polyethylene bottles introduced and soon replace glass bottles in most applications |
1965 | Kevlar developed at DuPont by Stephanie Kwolek |
1980s | Polyester film stock replaces cellulose acetate for photographic film and computer tapes. |
1988 | First polymer bank notes issued in Australia |
A short History of Plastic
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The Plastic Armegeddon:�Plastic in Oceans �
The Plastic Armegeddon:�Plastic in Oceans �
The Plastic Armegeddon:�Plastic on the Land�
The Plastic Armegeddon:�Plastic in the Air�
The Plastic Armegeddon: Plastic in Our Bodies�
The Plastic Armegeddon: Greenwashing�
Personal Solutions – The Four R’s �
Refuse – Accept No Plastic!
Reduce - Use Less Plastic!�
Reuse – No Single Use!�
Recycle! �Comes with problems!�
Become Involved with Organizations/Politics�
SPAS Care of Creation Workgroup and NEMN Synod Ecojustice Network
https://www.ecofaithnetwork.org
Green Blades Rising Monthly Newsletter https://www.ecofaithnetwork.org/subscribe
Minnesota Environmental Partnership (MEP)
https://www.mepartnership.org/about/minnesotas-environmental-community/
Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy
Plastic Pollution Coalition https://www.plasticpollutioncoalition.org/
Friends of the Earth https://foe.org/
Lutherans Restoring Creation www.LutheransRestoringCreation.org
Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light mnipl.org
Land Stewardship Project https://landstewardshipproject.org/
Clean Water Action https://cleanwater.org/
Lutheran Advocacy Minnesota www.lutheranadvocacymn.org
The Ripple Effect �
Community/ Church Solutions
Possibly watch a video�The Majestic Plastic Bag – �A Mockumentary�https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLgh9h2ePYw�