Weise, Elizabeth. “Plastic pollution sinks deeper into ocean.” USA Today, 10 June 2019, p. 02A. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A588392144/OVIC?u=ucinc_main&sid=OVIC&xid=77d3dfa3 Accessed 10 Mar. 2020
Summary: The main argument in this article is plastic pollution is much worse in the ocean then scientists thought which is causing devastation to the world’s marine ecosystem. The point of this article is to bring awareness to the reader of the effect that plastic (more specifically single use plastic) has on the environment. The author covers the topic of micro-plastic found deep in the oceans which scientists were previously unaware of. She states that micro- plastics deep in the ocean are even worse than the island of plastic floating between California and Hawaii. These plastics were found to be in crabs and jellyfish which means it would be in almost all other marine life that feeds on them. The scientists found that 40% of the plastics came from single use plastic from food and beverage containers. We can do our part in helping this cause by not using single use plastic.
Assess: This is a useful source because it states the facts of what plastics have done to the environment and what the current state the oceans are in because of it. This article is like other sources in my bibliography, but it mainly focuses on micro- plastic instead of all plastic pollution. This source seems very reliable because the author quotes many reliable scientific sources on the subject and she has nothing to gain personally from her article. The author’s goal is to educate the reader of the effects of plastic pollution and mentions a way we can help the situation which is by avoiding single- use plastic.
Reflect: This source is helpful to me because it states the facts of what plastics have done to the environment and what the current state the oceans are in because of it. It states that a large portion of these micro- plastics are from single use plastics which are a major part of civilization today. I can use this information and state that a solution is to cut single use plastics out of our daily lives and that every country should take major steps toward more economic packaging. This information is a sobering article toward the effects of plastic and how it can directly affect humans by effecting sea life which we use as a food source. The facts stated in this article would be great information to back my claims in my paper.
Denyer, Simon. “Japan wraps everything in plastic. Now it wants to fight against plastic pollution.” Washington Post, 18 June 2019. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A589543422/OVIC?u=ucinc_main&sid=OVIC&xid=320013eb Accessed 12 Mar. 2020.
Summary: The main argument is that Japan needs to cut down on its production and use of plastics, especially plastic bags. The point is to show that Japan has produced a lot of plastic in their industries and they need to improve their recycling techniques. The article talks about Japan’s excessive use of plastic packaging in stores, the complicated recycling rules, and its movements to try and reduce plastic waste. One of their solutions is to try and make all stores start charging for plastic bags because of the massive number of plastic bags in their waters.
Assess: This is a useful source because it shows the problems of plastic pollution in other countries and what they are trying to do to fix it. Knowing what other countries are doing and if they are successful or not is useful for planning for the future. This source is a little different then my other sources because it focuses on Japan and what they are trying to do the fix the problem. The author seems to be reliable because there is no apparent gain he will receive from his writing. The goal of his article is to inform the reader of the immense plastic waist of Japan, their faulty recycling system, and their plans for the future.
Reflect: This source is helpful to me because I can use Japan as an example of the overwhelming amount of plastic that is produced which leads to pollution in the waterways, beaches, and streets. I can also use this source to write that not all recycling systems are as good as they seem with all the requirements needed to recycle which leads to only a small amount of plastic actually being recycled. I can use this source to show the effect that plastic bags can have on the environment as well.
TED-Ed. “What really happens to the plastic you throw away – Emma Bryce” YouTube, uploaded by TED-Ed on Apr 21, 2015 https://youtu.be/_6xlNyWPpB8
Summary: This is a short but powerful video about what happens to plastic bottles when they are discarded. The main goal of the video is to bring awareness to the reader of what happens when you through away vs. recycle plastic bottles. It gives a detailed description of what happens to plastic when it enters a landfill and when it enters the ocean and the devastating effects it has on the environment. It also mentions what happens to a recycled plastic bottles which is much more economical.
Assess: This is a useful source because it informs the listener of what really happens to plastic when you through it away which many people, including myself, may have never thought about before. This source is a little different then my other sources because it goes in detain what exactly happens to plastic instead of just saying that plastic is bad. I would say that the information is reliable because it comes from a large educational channel on YouTube. The goal of this source is to inform the reader of the effects plastic has on the environment once you through it away and it tries to get you to choose recycling instead.
Reflect: This is a useful source because it informs the listener of what really happens to plastic when you through it away which many people, including myself, may have never thought about before. It helps me with my argument because I can say what happens to all the plastic we through away in a day and the difference recycling can make if it was implemented on a large scale. This is a good source to include in my paper because it is very informative and enlightening.
Oceana “POWERFUL VIDEO: Why We Need to Stop Plastic Pollution in Our Oceans FOR GOOD | Oceana” YouTube, uploaded by Oceana on Oct 9, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yomf5pBN8dY
Summary: The main argument of this video is that people should be given a plastic free choice when they go shopping in the stores. The point of the article to show what happens to plastics in the ocean, how much plastic has entered the ocean, and a solution that should be implemented. It says that almost all food we buy has plastic packaging of some sort and stores should start implementing a way to sell food without plastic.
Assess: This is a useful source because it tackles a problem that is a part of everyone’s life, shopping for food with a side of plastic. It is similar to other sources I have but it is a very informative and easy to follow video with a great solution. I believe the video is reliable because they have nothing to gain from stores selling food with no plastic packaging. The goal of the video is to bring awareness to the reader of the effects that the plastic packaging our food comes in has on the ocean.
Reflect: This source was helpful to me because it gave the facts and offered a solution that is already starting to take hold. This helps my argument by showing what happens when there is so much plastic packaging it is impossible to avoid and how recycling helps but is not perfect. This is also helpful to me because it talks about a different type of waste that you wouldn’t consider right away, food waste.
Kaufman, Leslie. “Plastics Had Been Falling Out of Favor. Then Came the Virus.” Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 15 Mar. 2020, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-15/plastics-had-been-falling-out-of-favor-then-came-coronavirus.
Summary: The message of this news article is that the coronavirus may cause a rise in the use of plastic. It lists many things that plastics are used for that help during this time for preserving food longer, medical supplies, and more. It says that Starbuck’s stopped their policy of filling people’s reusable cups and is back to using just disposable cups. 2020 was supposed to be a great year for the fight against the use of plastic with many government and businesses minimizing or stopping their use like France, England, and the Coca Cola company. Using disposable plastic is more hygienic in food and medical use so using more plastic would help the health of the population which always come first. The main topic of this article is that more plastic will be used during this pandemic, but it is for the health of the population.
Assess: I would say that this is a useful source because it is about modern troubles with this virus and what plastic use has to do with this. This is a different source from my others because it is on the Coronavirus and saying that disposable plastic is necessary to help in the slow of the spread of the disease. This source seems reliable because it is simply stating the facts and what will most likely happen. The goal of this source is to inform the reader of how plastic will be used more in 2020 for the coronavirus for the health of the population.
Reflect: This source is helpful to me because it is about a modern terrible event which everyone is affected by and how plastic use plays a role in it. I can use a counter argument to my writings that disposable plastic use during this pandemic could slow the spread and help flatten the curb of cases. This source does show that plastics aren’t completely bad and do help especially in times like these.
“Plastics: Uses, Benefits, and Chemical Safety Facts.” ChemicalSafetyFacts.org, 3 Jan. 2019, www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/plastics/.
Summary: This short article is about all the things plastics are used for. It mainly talks about plastics that are not single use and very important to use like sports safety equipment, car parts, and electronics. It says that some plastics come from nature like tree rubber. There are so many different types of plastics like silicones, fluoropolymers, polyurethanes, vinyl, polycarbonate, and polystyrene. Plastics can be used for building materials, helps protect and preserve goods, while reducing weight in transportation, electronics like phones and microwaves, and protection like bike helmets and goggles. This article basically shows that we have some things made from plastic that do more good then harm in the long run and we do need plastics.
Assess: This is a useful source because I can use it as a counter argument. This source is not like my other sources because it is about the benefits on plastic and what good it does. This source seems reliable because it is from a chemist’s website. The goal of this short article is to show all the things we need plastic for where there is no good alternative.
Reflect: This source is helpful to me because I can use it as a counter argument and say that we do need plastics but what we can stop is the use of single use plastic. It is unreasonable to think that we should remove all plastics because they are a good material that is lightweight and can be in many different forms for different jobs. All plastic is not what I want to get rid of, it is the overuse of single use plastic that is the real danger.
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