Japanese scientists have developed a revolutionary plastic that fully dissolves in seawater — in just a few hours

What’s Right: Japan’s Ocean-Safe Plastic Breakthrough

Thursday, June 12 is scheduled to be the last day for the New York Senate to be in session for 2025. Supporters of the New York For All Act made a final push for the bill to be passed by blockading two of the entrances to the New York State Senate. Five people were eventually arrested and charged with misdemeanors, which is a higher charge than protesters at the Capitol normally face. The New York For All Act would prohibit state and local government agencies, including law enforcement, from collaborating with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and sharing sensitive personal information. The act ensures that all New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status, can access public services and engage in community life without fear of deportation.  We have from four of the people who were arrested Kay O’Keefe, Rachel Combelic, Guillermo Maciel, and Sam Romero, followed by Jose Pineda of After Incarceration. Supporters of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act were also at the Capitol, so our last speaker is Jennifer Vogt of Long Island of Audubon.

5 Arrested at Capitol over NY For All Act

On Monday at the Capitol, with the Assembly set to end the legislation session for the year on Tuesday, we talk about the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (PRRIA) and other environmental issues with Rob Hayes of Environmental Advocates, Sally Lauletta, Ella McGrail of Save the Sound, and Blair Horner of NYPIRG. Beyond Plastics brought the Plastic Tsunami – an exhibit of one family’s six months of waste – as part of the last-minute push with legislators. By Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

What Enivronmental Issues will Assembly Pass Before Adjourning

For the second year in a row, the Democratic supermajority- controlled New York State Assembly failed to vote on the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (A1749 Glick) despite the bill having enough votes to pass. Beyond Plastics held a news conference with leaders from Brookhaven Landfill Action and Remediation Group, NAACP NYS Niagara Falls branch, and NYPIRG to discuss the implications of the Assembly failing to act as the federal government launches a full-scale attack on the climate, environment, and public health. The group also discussed the plastics and chemicals industries’ lobbying tactics against the bill, and how the Assembly let the clock run out in the waning days of session.

Speaker Heastie Kills Packaging and other Environmental Bills

The latest round of negotiations for a global plastic treaty ended in failure. Speaking to the Eco-Business Podcast, Doug Wooding, managing director of Hong Kong-based nonprofit Ocean Recovery Alliance, said that countries do not need to wait for a treaty, and should enact polluter-pays laws that mandate firms to recover the plastic they put into the market and finance the chronically under-funded circular economy.

Tune in as we discuss:

What now? INC5.3?
Is no treaty better than a watered down treaty?
Recycled content mandates versus virgin plastic caps
Pressure brands not petrochemical producers
Action is possible without a treaty
The need for regulatory consistency for plastics
What will a realistic treaty look like?
What should a treaty look like for Asia?

We don't need a plastics treaty for nations to enact polluter-pays laws now: Doug Woodring

My reaction to the latest talks on handling plastic waste where the oil producing countries refused to agree to a reduction of plastic production.

Tomorrow

PVC is made with vinyl chloride, a Group 1 carcinogen linked to multiple types of cancers. Yet because of its durability and low price point, it's still a widely manufactured and used building material. The biggest sea change in phasing out its use will likely come from designers and others in the industry. In this episode, we'll talk with Cushing Terrell designer Jill Lee and Carnegie Fabrics CEO Gordon Boggis about efforts to educate others and discontinue use of PVC.

The Movement to Replace PVC

On Saturday, September 13, more than a hundred environmentalists rallied at the State Capitol to call for passage of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act. Many criticized Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for refusing to allow the bill to come up to a vote the last two sessions under pressure from more than 60 paid industry lobbyists. In Part one of our coverage, we start off with music from Terri Roben and then hear from Alexis Goldsmith of Beyond Plastics, Monique Fitzgerald of the Brookhaven Landfill Action and Remediation Group; and Courtney Williams, of the Westchester Alliance for Sustainable Solutions. Thank you to Sonja Stark for the audio recording. By Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

Packaging Reduction Rally Capitol Sept 13 2025 Part 1

On Saturday, September 13, more than a hundred environmentalists rallied at the State Capitol to call for passage of the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act. Many criticized Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for refusing to allow the bill to come up to a vote the last two sessions. The bill would require a 30% reduction in packaging over 12 years and ban a number of toxic chemicals from packaging. In part 2, we hear from Chris Alexander, head of the NAACP; Blair Horner of NYPIRG; and Judith Enck, Head of Beyond Plastics. Thank you to Sonja Stark for the audio recording. By Mark Dunlea for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.

Packaging Reduction Rally Capitol Sept 13 2025 Part 2

This week on Green Street, Patti and Doug talk about plastic in the urinary tract linked to health risks, the EPA cutting funding for underserved communities, and the dismissal of a lawsuit against the EPA for failing to prevent contamination of farmland with PFAS. Then Sandy Wynn and Tony Spaniola from the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network tell how they were personally affected by PFAS in their water and how they are successfully fighting back against an array of powerful vested interests, including the military.

Fighting PFAS in Water with Sandy Wynn and Tony Spaniola

On Good, Thoughtful Hosts, Sarah Steimer explores the built environment on the notion that a designer’s role is to anticipate the needs of their guests. Join us to dig into the ways in which the built world can influence people’s feelings and experiences — and how. Beyond the traditional requisites of form and function, hear firsthand from architects, engineers, planners, and more on how they imbue designs with health, well-being, user experience, and other modern priorities. Interviews and discussions will include project case studies, profiles of designers, trend reports, and much, much more.

An artist buried beneath bad hair and suburban camouflage. 

Hudson Mohawk Magazine is a local volunteer-produced news hour that provides sanctuary for the discussion of a wide range of topics, scaling from the global to the hyper-local. The show is broadcasted from The Sanctuary for Independent Media on WOOC 105.3 FM.

Thanks to listeners like you, the Sanctuary is able to use art and participatory action to promote social and environmental justice and freedom of creative expression.

Europe's best independent music station based in Luxembourg! English speaking.

Green Street is a science-based environmental health program hosted by Patti and Doug Wood. Each week, we bring you news and information you need to know and practical solutions for navigating an unhealthy world.

New tracks tagged #Plastics