Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, and it seems like plastics are in the spotlight more than ever this year. Not necessarily in a bad way, either. In addition to all the stories and columns in the media that give the typical "avoid plastics" advice, I'm seeing quite a bit of coverage today that give plastics a more postive spin. PlasticsNews.com has a story on a new plastic bag recycling awareness campaign in Florida, which included a kick-off event today with Gov. Charlie Crist. The effort will encourage consumers to reuse and recycle bags. If it is successful, it might hold off a proposal to tax and eventually ban plastic bags in Florida. Many companies like DuPont Co. and Sunny Delight Beverages put out news releases on Earth Day to highlight what they consider to be their best environmental messages. The most interesting Earth Day twist I spotted today comes from Greenwich, Conn., where the Time newspaper is reporting that the filmmakers behind "Tapped," a documentary that's critical of the bottled water industry, will screen their film tomorrow (April 23) in Greenwich, the home to Nestle Waters North America Inc. The twist? Nestle Waters President and CEO Kim Jeffery plans to attend the screening and follow it with a presentation of the company's side of the issue. Here's a relevant section of the Time's story:
Jeffery said he didn't want a screening of the film in his community to take place without having the opportunity to defend the company. "When somebody attacks that business, the reputation we have in Maine, and blames me for the fact that recycling isn't as good as it could be in America, I'm going to fight it," Jeffery said. "We've worked very hard to do things the right way over the years. I didn't want to let this go unresponded to in my town."Appearing in person, rather than just issuing a press release complaining about the film, is the type of move that we've come to expect from Jeffery. Enjoy the debate, Greenwich residents, and Happy Earth Day.
