Expect to hear a lot about plastics — most of it negative — during the next few days out of New York.
The city is home to the annual meeting of former President Bill Clinton's Clinton Global Initiative Sept. 18-19 and the United Nations General Assembly meeting Sept. 18-26. Both events will highlight sustainability efforts worldwide along with security, health care and human rights.
Look no further than Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey's Sept. 18 announcement for an example of what may be coming. Healey said she will sign an executive order later this week to prohibit state agencies from buying single-use plastic water bottles effective immediately, Boston-based TV station WBTS reported.
If it happens, then Massachusetts will be the first state in the nation to take that action. It would also come after state legislators have failed in past attempts to enact a ban.
"I'll … sign an executive order to ban the purchase of single-use plastic bottles by state agencies, effective immediately," Healey wrote on a social media post. "Plastics are one of the biggest threats to our oceans. In government, we can chart a better path forward, and Massachusetts is proud to lead the way."
How exactly this would happen and the details of what any ban would cover remains to be seen. I'm also uncertain what the state will do during an emergency if it needs to distribute drinking water. Yes, there are canned water options, but not those aren't as readily available.