Disney is cutting plastic packaging for its classic princess dolls, starting with dolls sold through its website and at Walt Disney World.
The change to all-paper packaging was announced April 19 in time for Earth Day.
"The plastic-free packaging is made of sustainably sourced paper that is 100 percent recyclable," Disney says, noting it can also be reused to store the doll or keep other items.
The plastic-free packaging will roll out to other global locations throughout 2021, the company said.
With microplastics at the center of so many discussions about marine pollution, the standards organization ASTM International has set a 2022 conference to help determine best practices on collecting and counting microplastics.
The Pennsylvania-based ASTM is accepting abstracts now in advance of the June 2022 event.
"Many organizations, including academic, commercial and nonprofit, have started work on microplastics sampling and analytical methods, creating an ideal time to confer on best practices, challenges and future steps," ASTM writes in announcing the project. "The symposium goal is to catalyze the creation and adoption of new methods for microplastic analysis that will enable researchers to produce the highest-caliber science in this burgeoning discipline."
More information on the event is available from ASTM.
Maybe the competition that took place in Lincoln, Neb., on Sunday wasn't a battle for the ages. But it was a battle for the Joshes, fought with foam pool noodles.
As noted in multiple media outlets (here's a version from NPR and a video of the event from TV station KMTV), what began as one bored student, named Josh Swain, making a "stupid joke" on social media turned into a gathering in Nebraska to determine who was the "King Josh."
Once people started making plans to actually travel to Lincoln for the Josh battle, Swain turned the gathering into a fundraiser for a food pantry and also raised $10,000 for the Children's Hospital and Medical Center Foundation, which provides medical services to children across Nebraska.
The ultimate winner of the pool noodle fight? Josh Vinson Jr., a 4-year-old Lincoln resident dubbed "Little Josh" by his peers.
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